A GULL had to be put to sleep after being found missing both feet in a York garden.

The bird was found collapsed and bleeding with both feet severed off by fishing litter.

RSPCA Inspector Claire Little was called to the injured bird which was stuck in a garden in Terry Street, York, on Friday, November 20.

She said: “The homeowner had spotted the bird trapped in her garden and was concerned about his welfare. She said he was collapsed, couldn’t stand up and couldn’t fly. She could also see blood coming from his legs and said she thought his feet were missing.

“He couldn’t get out of the garden so I was able to catch him quite easily, which is never a good sign. As soon as I had hold of him it became clear what the problem was; he was missing both feet. They’d been severed off and he still had a small bit of fishing line twisted around the stubs, embedded very deeply in the skin.

“His feathers were soaked in blood and his underside was filthy where he’d been unable to stand up and off of the cold, wet ground.

“He must have been in so much pain and clearly couldn’t survive in the wild so, unfortunately, we were left with no choice but to put him to sleep. It’s heartbreaking to see these birds losing their lives because of a little bit of plastic line. It just goes to show how hazardous discarded fishing litter can be to our wildlife.”

The majority of anglers do dispose of their litter properly and it is frustrating that those who don’t possibly don’t realise how dangerous it is to animals. Discarded line, in particular, is a terrible hazard for wildlife, particularly as it can be almost invisible. In the hope of preventing future casualties, those who enjoy fishing are being reminded of the dangers that are posed to wildlife from discarded equipment and encouraged to follow the Angling Trust’s Take 5 campaign and make use of the Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme to dispose of their waste tackle and line.

Angling litter recycling points are now located at the RSPCA’s four wildlife centres in Norfolk, East Sussex, Shropshire and Somerset, as well as hundreds of other sites throughout the UK.

Top tips include:

● Take old fishing line and spools to recycling points in local tackle shops or fisheries. Your nearest recycling point can be found on the Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme (ANLRS) website. Alternatively, old fishing line can be posted to the address on the ANLRS page.

● Be aware of surrounding trees – discarded line caught in foliage causes problems for wildlife.

● Use a bait box and don’t leave bait unattended – always remove it from the hook and put it in a safe place.

● Safely dispose of any litter you see, even if it’s not your own.

The charity receives around 3,000 calls each year about animals affected by angling litter. Incidents reported to the RSPCA included birds swallowing fishing hooks and entanglements in fishing line, often leading to death. Water birds were the most affected with the species with the highest numbers of calls being swans, followed by geese, ducks and gulls.

If you come across an animal that has been injured or become tangled in fishing litter please contact the RSPCA’s emergency hotline on 0300 1234 999.

This winter, the RSPCA expects to rescue thousands of animals from neglect, cruelty and suffering.

To help our rescue teams reach the thousands of animals who desperately need us, visit www.rspca.org.uk/xmas and Join the Christmas Rescue #JoinTheRescue. Donating £25 could help to keep an animal rescue team on the road.