Pelican Freed From Fishing Line Predicament

Occurred on October 8, 2020 / Baytown, Texas, USA

Info from Licensor: "My fiance and I were out fishing and I noticed a pelican that just looked like something was wrong and I begged to go check him out even though it was on the edge of the dangerous Houston Ship Channel. He got the boat close to shore and I knew that there was something wrong. I jumped in and walked up to the pelican and realized he had fishing line tightly wound around his wing and leg and was connected to the shore by the fishing line. I took off my jacket and used it as a way to cover the bird's beak for my safety and his, and get him out of the water so that I could try and remove the fishing line. I used line clippers and safely removed the line that was wrapped so tightly around his leg and wing and then picked up hundreds of feet of fishing line that was attached to this poor bird. I think the pelican realized I was helping him because he sat and watched as I untangled him from the line instead of continuing to try and bite me. He was safely released back into the water with only some minor cuts on his leg from the tight line. I was in the right place at the right time to give this bird a chance of living."