An extremely malnourished whio/blue duck has been euthanised due to severe injuries after being discovered with a fishing hook in its foot and line wrapped around its wings
The sad incident is a reminder to anglers of the risk discarded fishing equipment can pose to wildlife.
On Thursday 10 September, an angler fishing the Tongariro River came across the whio in distress and brought it to a vet for care.
Department of Conservation communications advisor Krysia Nowak was one of those who responded to the wildlife emergency.
"The whio was clearly underweight and in really poor condition," says Krysia. "Whio are usually very feisty, but this was docile as anything."
"We attempted to cut and unwind some of the line, but quickly realised helping this bird needed more specialist care, so one of our rangers dropped all of her work for the day to race the bird to specialist vets at Wildbase in Palmerston North."
Detailed examination by Wildbase vets showed severe damage from a loss of blood flow to the left wing due to the wrapped fishing line. Vets determined the wing would need to be amputated.
Whio cannot survive in the wild with only one wing, so given the extent of the injuries, the decision was made to euthanise it.
DOC Taupō Fishery's James Barnett says it's really upsetting to see such an icon of New Zealand's waterways suffer.
"We don't know exactly what happened here, but as anglers we can help prevent accidents like this. Prevention is better than the cure – and one way is to be aware of your surroundings and avoid casting near whio.
"Another real biggie, and something we often deal with as rangers, is discarded fishing line and other materials. Anglers should never leave old line or flies around which could entangle native birds."
Whio are a threatened river specialist duck found only in New Zealand, with fewer than 3000 remaining. Whio and trout both thrive in clean, clear, and cold fast-flowing waterways.
James says sharing rivers with native wildlife is an absolute privilege.
"Protecting whio is part of protecting the environment that we love to fish in."
Krysia says despite the sad outcome, staff are grateful to the angler who noticed the bird was in trouble.
"If you ever come across a native bird like whio in distress while out naturing, please call 0800 DOC HOT (0800 362 468), and we can advise on the best thing to do in the situation that bird is in."
