Man blinded rescuing injured gannet

[leon_heller]

Here is a cautionary tale about someone who lost an eye helping an injured gannet:

BBC News - Rescued seabird pecked out man's eye on Gower beach

[aeshna5]

Very sad story!

[Dogghound]

I had the pleasure of attending the ringing of 20 birds from the Bempton colony last year, as part of a satellite tracking program. They are very large birds and you need to really be carful and keep your face well out of the way when dealing with birds like these. They take quite a bit of handling, its sometimes worth calling in people with more experience and not taking risks, especially with other stranded animals such as seals.

[Foz]

This happened on one of my local beaches
The dog that spooked the bird should not have been on the beach, they are banned from april till september.
And if only the guy had know that there is a local bird hospital a short distance away who are used to dealing with all types of birds.....

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by Foz

This happened on one of my local beaches
The dog that spooked the bird should not have been on the beach, they are banned from april till september.

Sadly a common occurence. In broad Haven where I was on holiday there was a dog free part of the beach and a larger dog friendly part of the beach. Guess where all the dogs were....

[Carol ann]

OMG what a horrible freak accident. We never know what fate has in store.

[Fiona Ward]

They'll be calling for a cull next...

[Foz]

Well Im all in favour of a cull......
of irresponsible dog owners

[eeyore]

ouch - east to be wise after the event but moral of the story if you are holding a bird with a sharp beak always keep one hand holding the back of its neck/head so it cant peck (and tuck it under your other arm so it cant flap.)

my mate gary was once stabbed in the scrotum by a grebe he was ringing - he unwisely put it upside down between his legs so he had easy access to its feet , lesson learned , wont be doing that again (fortunately it missed his testes)

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by eeyore

ouch - east to be wise after the event but moral of the story if you are holding a bird with a sharp beak always keep one hand holding the back of its neck/head so it cant peck (and tuck it under your other arm so it cant flap.)

my mate gary was once stabbed in the scrotum by a grebe he was ringing - he unwisely put it upside down between his legs so he had easy access to its feet , lesson learned , wont be doing that again (fortunately it missed his testes)

Bet that brought tears to his eyes..

Yes I have seen wildlife programs where they make sure the head is secured when handling swans..

Poor bloke, its a horrible thing to have happen to someone.