If Trevor the pelican could speak I'm sure she would want to say a big thank you to two of Mandurah's WA Seabird Rescue group volunteers, Joanne McVey and Lee Rose Beavis.
Yes, you read correctly, Trevor is a female pelican.
According to Jo, she came by the name from one of the crew from the Pirate Ship Mandurah jokingly saying, "Trevor, oh, arrrrr, I knows 'im well", and the name just stuck.
Poor Trevor has been in the wars recently though.
A couple of weeks ago she was injured and taken to the WA Wildlife rescue centre in Cockburn.
Upon her release she returned to Mandurah and suffered another serious injury within a week.
Lee and Jo found Trevor last week and removed a fishing hook and sinker from her leg.
Lee took her home for the night before returning the unfortunate bird to WA Wildlife to be cared for while she heals for a second time.
Luckily her wounds weren't infected, but there was also a hole in her neck which appeared to have been from a hook as well.
This is the constant battle fought by WA Seabird Rescue volunteers.
"Fishermen need to be aware of the ramifications of cutting their lines and leaving the hooks to jag birds and dolphins," Jo explained.
It's not only cut fishing lines which pose a threat however.
Many birds grab hooks as they are being cast because the bait attracts them.
"It's a really significant issue," Jo said.
"The birds get tame because people feed them. They don't know the difference between someone feeding them and someone casting a fishing line with a hook on it.
"They grab the baited lines while people are fishing. You need to shoo them away if possible.
"And it's not just pelicans; lots of other birds like cormorants and terns can suffer the same problems."
The pair likened seabirds to small children.
"Think of a bird as having the intelligence of a three-year-old child," Jo said.
"Would you throw food out in front of them with a hook in it?
"The birds are like three-year-olds. They don't understand they can't eat it."
They also explained people should take care if they hook a bird.
"Some birds can be a bit dangerous, so it's best to protect your eyes; we'd recommend fishers carry a pair of sunglasses with them for eye protection; reel the bird in and try to remove the hook," Lee said.
"If it's not possible call the Western Australian Seabird Rescue group and they'll try to get someone out there as soon as possible."
As tempting as it is, people shouldn't feed seabirds either.
Stopping them from hanging around humans thinking they'll be fed will help prevent some of these fishing related injuries.
Another way people can assist is by attending clean-up days along our waterways, such as those organised by Coastal Warriors.
Keeping beaches and the edges of the estuary free of discarded rubbish such as hooks and fishing line can prevent beak entanglements which lead to birds slowly starving from not being able to fish or eat.
Jo said WA Seabird Rescue are always looking for more funds and volunteers.
"You don't have to be a rescuer; we also need people for transporting birds to wildlife hospitals," Jo said.
"I work full-time and Lee does other wildlife caring, so any help is appreciated to take the pressure off us and the other volunteers."
If you find an injured seabird or would like to volunteer or donate, call WA Seabird Rescue on 6102 8464 or go to wasr.org.au.
