Today we went on a boat ride on the River Esk at Whitby. Whilst on the boat we noticed a seagull behaving very strangely. The boatmen knew what was wrong straight away and they explained as they rescued the bird.
You may have seen the crabbing sets that are sold at many seaside resorts. These come with thin plastic wire that you tie a lure to and drop into the water. The wire is very, very long and invisible once in the water. Sometimes people accidently drop or throw the wire into the water when they've finished crabbing. The wild life in the harbour then gets tangled in it. This is what had happened to the gull.
The men managed to net it and cut the wire from around it's legs which were cut and bleeding. In gratitude the gull tried to peck them and when it couldn't it delivered a gift from the other end all over the chap who was holding it. But the men saved it and it flew away complaining.
They told us they do this several times a week and if only people would realise they need to dispose of the wire properly they could still enjoy crabbing whilst not endangering the wildlife. Sadly not all the trapped creatures survive.
It made me think of how we buy and dispose of things without a thought for how others (human and animal) are affected.
I need advice for a mutually messy situation
Has anyone else noticed their energy levels change as they've got older?
