Rescue for owl and cormorant entangled in fishing line

It took several hours to rescue the owl over the River Conwy

The RSPCA is calling on anglers to discard litter safely after two incidents of birds being trapped in fishing line and entangled in trees.

A tawny owl was rescued by passers-by after being found hanging by its wing in a tree over the River Conwy at Betws-y-Coed, Conwy.

And in another incident, a cormorant was wrapped in line around its its head at Carrog in Denbighshire.

The animal charity says it deals with 7,000 litter-related incidents a year.

In the first incident, staff from Rhyd y Creuau field studies centre spotted the owl hanging from a tree while they were walking near to St Michael's Church.

They took the bird of prey back to their offices and looked after it overnight before releasing it.

'Carelessly discarded'

In the second incident which happened last week, the RSPCA rescued a cormorant after being alerted by a member of the public.

The bird was taken its Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in south Cheshire for treatment.

It was found "extremely distressed" and hanging from its wing, unable to fly.

Animal welfare officer Claire Davies said the incidents highlight the "dangers posed to wildlife by carelessly discarded litter - netting, fishing line and hooks are especially dangerous hazards".

She said: "We would urge people to dispose of any waste responsibly - for example, take unwanted line or netting home and cut it into small pieces before putting it in a bin; wrap hooks in newspaper before putting in a bin."