Vets take urgent action to save northern beaches’ cocky with fish hook through his tongue

A Sydney vet had to act quickly to save the life of a northern beaches cockatoo, found with a fish hook pierced right through his tongue. See the photos: GRAPHIC WARNING

The life of a distressed cockatoo that had been pierced though the tongue with a barbed fish hook, has been saved by the urgent actions of northern beaches’ vets.

“Grumpy”, the adult, male cocky, would have starved to death if the lengthy hook was not removed — he wasn’t able to feed, or swallow.

He was found by residents at the northern end of the peninsula and taken quickly to the Pittwater Animal Hospital at Warriewood.

Veterinarian and practice partner, Jill King, said on Friday that the bird was in a bad way when he was brought in earlier this week.

Grumpy was in a lot of pain when he arrived at Pittwater Animal Hospital at Warriewood for treatment. Picture: Pittwater Animal Hospital

“He was obviously in a lot of pain,” Dr King said. “It was making him rather grumpy.

“He couldn’t put his tongue back in his mouth.

“Usually we would put the bird in a cage first, but this guy was so distressed that we anaesthetised him, using gas, as soon as he came in.”

While Grumpy was under, the hospital’s vet team had to push the hook all the way through his tongue to expose the barb, before it was snipped off using a form of bolt cutters.

The fish hook was stopping the cockatoo from putting his tongue back in his mouth. Picture: Pittwater Animal Hospital

”The hook was then easy to slip out,” Dr King said.

“But when he woke up, he was still pretty grumpy.”

The hospital called the Australian wildlife rescue and retrieval association WIRES to pick him up the same day. It will monitor Grumpy before he’s released back into the wild.

“The quicker we get them out, the more they are likely to survive.

The hook’s barb had to be snipped off before the hook could be removed. Picture: Pittwater Animal Hospital

“Being in this area on the northern beaches we do see quite a few fish hook injuries,” Dr King said.

“And they are difficult to get out too. You can’t just pull these things out because it causes so much trauma.”

Dr King said the best thing to so for anyone who comes across an injured animal is to remember that “your best friend is a large towel”.

After the procedure, the cockatoo was able to return his tongue to inside his beak. Picture: Pittwater Animal Hospital

She suggested covering the animal or bird, with the towel, pick it up and hold onto its head through the towel and support its body.

Holding the head also helps the rescuer keep track of where the animals’ mouth is, so the they don’t get bitten.

“Then pop it into a cardboard box and take it off to the vet as soon as possible,” Dr King said

For information from WIRES on what to do if you find injured wildlife click here.

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