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2002 (c) Peninsula Community Access Newspaper Inc

 

Wedding party hinders rescue of cockatoo

 

A wedding party in a Woy Woy park has hindered the ambulance rescue service when it attempted to free a long-billed corella, a type of cockatoo, which was tangled in fishing line in a tree.

The ambulance rescue service was called in to assist the wildlife rescue service Wires in its attempts to free the corella in November.

Problems arose when the ambulance rescue service arrived to find that there was a wedding taking place under the tree, according to Ms Pam Strykowski, writing in the Wires newsletter Kookaburra Cackle.

"They were asked to leave by members of the wedding party."

A couple of hours later, the corella was still stuck in the tree and the ambulance rescue service was asked to attend a second time because the bird was "quite distressed".

The ambulance officers received a surprise when they climbed the tree with along ladder only to find the bird freeing itself as they came to the branch the corella was tethered to by fishing line.

Ms Strykowski said: "This incident highlights the problems that fishing line has on the bird population."

Jim McGinty, December 11