Council’s beach animal patrol interrupted by injured seabird

Published on 13 June 2024

A regular beach animal patrol was cut short this week after staff were called on to help an injured seabird.

Council’s Animal Enforcement Officers, James and Sarah, were on Broken Head beach early Tuesday morning when beach walkers hailed them down.

“They pointed out a bird, an adult gannet, in obvious distress in the shore break and so I just jumped in and went to help it,” James said.

“It was obviously scared and I was hesitant of its large beak but aside from a few nips I managed to get one arm around it, and another around its beak and we got to shore.

“Sarah found a towel in the ute and we wrapped the bird up and headed off to the vet,” he said.

“I was wetter than the gannet in the end and while the water temperature was quite nice it was pretty cool on the beach, especially with wet boots.

James and Sarah took the gannet to the Byron Wildlife Hospital where it was x-rayed and checked out.

“The vet said it has a swollen joint and hopefully after some antibiotics it will make a good recovery and be able to be released,” James said. 

“Thanks to the concerned people on the beach for pointing out the bird to us because it was not well and may not have lasted long in the condition it was in,” he said.