Black-faced Spoonbill Dies on Houlong Coast After Being Entangled in Fishing Line During Northward Migration

Central News Agency (Miaoli County, Reporter Guan Ruiping, April 15) - A critically endangered black-faced spoonbill was recently found on the coast of Houlong Township, Miaoli County, entangled in fishing lines around its beak and feet, barely alive. Despite being sent for medical treatment, it unfortunately died. The county government reminds the public that discarded fishing nets, lines, and other waste pose a fatal threat to wildlife and should not be discarded at will. The Miaoli County Government's Agriculture Department stated today that on the morning of the 11th, a citizen saw a white bird lying on the beach near the Xihu Creek bicycle path bridge in Houlong Township. Upon closer inspection, it was identified as a critically endangered black-faced spoonbill, with its beak and feet entangled in fishing lines, barely alive. The Agriculture Department noted that enthusiastic citizens first helped remove the fishing lines and reported it to the county government for handling. It was then sent to a veterinary hospital for emergency treatment, but it was judged that the black-faced spoonbill had been entangled in fishing lines for several days, and its physical condition had significantly deteriorated, ultimately leading to failed rescue efforts. Zhang Wei, section chief of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Section of the Agriculture Department, pointed out that around October each year, black-faced spoonbill populations migrate south to Taiwan for winter and gradually return north around March and April of the following year. It is believed that this black-faced spoonbill was entangled in discarded fishing lines around its beak and feet while foraging in the sea during its northward migration, highlighting that marine debris not only endangers marine life but also poses a fatal threat to migratory birds and various other wild animals. Regarding the deceased black-faced spoonbill individual, Zhang Wei stated that there are plans to make it into a specimen for ecological conservation education. The Agriculture Department appeals to the public that whether visiting beaches, riverbanks, or any outdoor environment, do not discard fishing nets, lines, and other waste at will; if injured or in need of assistance, wild animals can be reported by calling the citizen hotline "1999" for professional assistance. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 1150415