Beer-Collared Bird Freed This Weekend

Two of at least five seagulls have been saved

Those seagulls who were tortured with beer can collars continue to be found and rescued here in the Bay Area.


It happened again this weekend in San Francisco.  Someone befriended a seagull over the past few days near San Francisco State University giving it handouts.  They reached out to WildRescue for help.

The rescue was successful with the bird being caught and freed from the jagged beer can this weekend.

Rebecca Dmytryk with WildRescue said her job is not over yet.  She thinks there are several more birds out there with the cans around their neck.

Dmytryk says if the cans are removed, the birds will eventually die.

There is a $6,0000 reward for information leading to an arrest for whoever tortured the birds in the first place.  Reports of beer collared birds go back to September. They have been spotted along the San Francisco Bay and down the coast to Half Moon Bay.

Sightings can be reported to a dedicated pager at (831) 429-2323 or emailed to rescue@wildrescue.org.

It's a federal crime to put these cans on the birds. According to WildRescue, nearly every wild bird is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

The act, implemented in 1918, offers protection of migratory birds from being hunted, kept as pets, or sold. It was first used as a treaty between the U.S. and Britain, but later expanded to include Mexico, Japan and Russia.

Bay City News contributed to this report.

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