A young kookaburra has undergone emergency surgery after being found choking on a discarded shoelace, prompting vets to issue a desperate plea for people to clean up their rubbish.
The juvenile bird, named Ollie, was discovered hanging from a tree on Sydney’s northern beaches with the shoelace stuck in his mouth, blocking food and water from reaching his intestines.
“He’s been quite a charming chap. But most importantly, he’s alive,” said veterinarians at Sash Hospital, where the emergency surgery was performed.
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“It was blocking any food and water from getting through into his intestines and so he certainly would have perished if it wasn’t removed.”
Vets believe Ollie mistook the shoelace for a snake or worm when he tried to eat it. Credit: 7NEWS
Vets believe Ollie mistook the shoelace for a snake or worm when he tried to eat it. The feathered Aussie icon is now recovering well after the life-saving operation.
However, veterinarians say they’re increasingly frustrated by the number of animals being rushed to emergency departments after swallowing carelessly discarded rubbish.
“Due to it being so preventable, it’s very frustrating. We have a lot of wildlife come in with fish hooks and things like that,” they said.
“Please, please pick up after yourself. Human litter is a huge cause of wildlife deaths and morbidities.”
Ollie is considered one of the lucky ones, with vets hoping this juvenile kookaburra will be laughing again in no time.
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