A pelican found with gruesome injuries at Berkeley at the weekend is believed the victim of an off-leash dog attack.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Fishermen noticed the badly injured bird in Berkeley Harbour on Saturday, but in the shallow water couldn’t get close enough to retrieve it.
The female bird was euthanised on Sunday after passers-by with a jetski and Maritime Services helped Australian Seabird Rescue’s Betty Spilsted bring it ashore at Kully Bay.
“She was so frightened, so weak, it was horrendous,” Ms Spilsted said.
“Her face was just hanging off. The bottom beak was broken and the pouch had been just absolutely shredded off it, hanging like a piece of rag.
“There was puncture wounds all up close around her face, and bruising where she’d been grabbed.
“The vet said, ‘yeah, that’s a dog [attack] for sure’.”
Ms Spilsted has seen several similarly injured pelicans in recent years and has grown frustrated by the problem.
She is calling on area dog owners to keep control of their animals around waterways.
“Just keep the bloody things on a lead or in your hand – it’s not that hard,” she said.