Volunteers tend to a white-bellied sea eagle chick which was rescued after having a fish hook caught in its gut. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied
THIS big bird has gone from sore throat to soaring high in just one month, after coming close to death.
The white-bellied sea eagle, one of two chicks to hatch from a nest in Sydney Olympic Park in August, flew for the first time on Friday after coming perilously close to death in October.
The bird required emergency intervention after its parents unwittingly fed it a sh that had a steel fishing hook embedded in its mouth.
The hook caught in the chick's throat, nylon fishing line still attached to the hook entangled its wings and onlookers watching the drama via a 24/7 webcam trained on the eagles' nest feared the baby bird was doomed.
The fish hook which was lodged in the gut of a white-bellied sea eagle, rescued by rangers on the Parramatta River.
But a rescue operation involving a cherry-picker and a group of deft volunteers managed to pluck the chick from its nest and get it to a vet for surgery.
BirdLife Australia volunteer Judy Harrington said the bird, known simply as S3, pulled through and was returned to the nest, where it managed its first proper flight on Friday.
"The landing was a bit of a crash, but it managed to get back to the nest again," Ms Harrington said.
White-bellied sea eagle chick is airborne again after having a fish hook successfully removed from its gut. Picture: Supplied
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