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Distressed Bird at McDade Park Tangled in Fishing Line

SCRANTON, Pa. — Walkers and joggers at a park in Scranton have found themselves stopping their workouts to get a glance at a large bird that looks to be i...

SCRANTON, Pa. -- Walkers and joggers at a park in Scranton have found themselves stopping their workouts to get a glance at a large bird that looks to be in distress.

A blue heron at McDade Park has fishing net caught on its leg and no one can seem to get it off.

Two and a half weeks ago, a large blue heron was spotted around the McDade Park pond. From a distance, the bird looks like it's just minding its own business, but when the heron takes flight, a piece of fishing net trails behind it.

A closer look shows the bird favoring its right leg, trying to loosen the net with its beak. The line also has a weight attached to it.

"My staff and I have come down a couple times. He can fly, but when we get too close, he flies away. We don't want him in any distress and we are doing what we can, but we're limited in what we can do right now," William Davis, deputy director of parks and recreation said.

A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Game Commission tells us officers have been there on multiple occasions. They are aware of the situation and are trying to do everything they can do to not euthanize the blue heron.

"We were only coming to see the ducks and I didn't expect to see it and we feel really bad. And the girls are wondering why the birds not moving, and they think the ducks can help him, but they can't," said Michele Rakauskas.

"I hope it can get some help so that it can go wherever it wants to go," Annette Gaughan said.

Blue herons do typically migrate in the wintertime. This bird is able to fly, and earlier, we saw it eat a fish, so it's able to fend for itself, but it does favor its right leg. The Game Commission adds that if it tries to capture the bird with a net, there's a danger in breaking one of the bird's wings, which could cause further damage.

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