The NSRI team in Simon’s Town can claim an unusual feather in their cap.
On Saturday August 19, Darren Zimmerman, NSRI Simon’s Town station commander, said they had an unusual visitor, and a silent request for help.
“During our routine training exercise, while conducting maritime training exercises with our NSRI trainee crew members at our sea rescue station in Simon’s Town, our crew noticed a bird walk through our front door,” he said.
The rope work course was stopped and the trainee crew investigated.
The bird – believed to be a Blacksmith Plover – walked up to the trainee crew and stood quietly in front of them, quite calmly. It showed no signs of fright and made no attempt to fly away.
The curious crew looked a bit closer, and then noticed that the bird was tangled in fishing
gut.
“The bird stood in front of our training crew as if asking for help,” Mr Zimmerman said.
The crew members gently picked the bird up and it simply allowed itself to be handled.
“On closer examination it was noticed that the bird was well entangled in fishing gut, and the crew began to gently untangle and cut away the lines. The bird gave its full co-operation,” Mr Zimmerman said.
Once all the gut had been untangled, the bird was released. The bird gingerly stretched its legs and wings, and then walked briefly along the slip-way, before taking to the skies again.
A video of the incident is posted on the NSRI web page at www.nsri.org.za
