A SEAGULL with a hook though its throat has been rescued thanks to the efforts of one caring local.

Bude resident and local town councillor, Viki Herbert-Coulson was enjoying a sunset walk at the beach this week, when she spotted an animal in distress, completely transforming her evening into a race against the clock to rescue an injured seagull.

“We were on Summerleaze beach enjoying a late afternoon early evening dog stroll,” she told us. However, Molly, Viki’s dog, spotted a seagull nearby and as she went to chase it, the bird attempted to take off.

“I caught a glimpse of fishing line around the gull’s head,” Viki continued. “Its upward flight was abruptly interrupted as it plummeted into the river. I realised something was wrong and ran into the river as the gull was being submerged by the incoming tide.”

Wading through the river, Viki managed to get hold of the bird, when she suddenly realised that it had a hook through it’s beak with a line and weight attached.

“I waded ashore, conscious that the river has an undertow, back onto Summerleaze Beach,” Viki explained. “The gull was quite feisty as I tried to look at the injury, pecked fingers even though it had a hook through it’s beak.”

However, as she was bringing the Seagull to safety, Viki realised the situation was much worse than she had initially thought.

“This was when we realised that the hook had gone through its lower beak but the barb had gone into its throat,” she said.

With the severity of the situation, Viki needed to enlist the help of a professional.

“We couldn't do anything ourselves so it was an out of hours call to Tamar Vets and a rendezvous with Max the on call vet,” Viki continued.

After meeting with the vet, Viki explained the situation and left the gull with the experts to receive the life-saving treatment.

With the animal in safe hands, Viki returned home, left with an anxious wait about the outcome for the injured bird.

However, less than an hour later, Viki and her family were given the news.

She told us: “At home, 45 minutes later a phone call from Max, hook cut and the barb part removed through the mouth.”

Having received the necessary treatment, the vets made the decision to keep the bird overnight, allowing it to calm down, rest, and give the anaesthetic a chance to wear off, ahead of its release the next morning.

However, despite a positive end to the story, Viki has emphasised the importance of everyone doing their bit to ensure that local wildlife is safe and looked after.

She said: “The dilemma is, if Molly had not gone to chase the gull, we would not have been able to rescue it. Yet we should not allow our dogs to chase wildlife when they have come ashore to rest.

In a subsequent post on social media, Viki issued a plea for fishermen in the area to think about their discarded or lost equipment.