South Florida's Winter See Increase In 'Hooked' Snow Birds

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - Snowbirds traveling south in the winter and often get 'hooked' in South Florida.

That's not a good thing. First off, the snowbird here is really a bird and not a human visitor from the north.

Second, they're getting 'hooked' on fishing hooks.

Many of these birds end up at the South Florida Wildlife Center.

"This loon presented to us with a hook in its stomach," said Dr. Renata Schneider pointing to a bird in her care. "Typically what happens when people are fishing, if a bird ends up getting the fish at the end of the line they just cut the line and the bird goes away with a hook inside of its belly."

Doctors at the South Florida Wildlife Center are hoping to avoid surgery and help the bird expel that hook on its own using what's known as "cotton fish."

"We take the fish that the bird eats and stuff it with cotton in hopes that the hook will get entangled in the cotton and the bird will actually throw up the hook. It will be safe to come up because it will be embedded in that cotton package," said Renata.

The center gets about 300 cases a year of either birds swallowing hooks or getting tangled in fishing line. This is the busy time, just like people, birds are heading south to get out of the cold.

"I have a hospital full of patients that presented with either lines wrapped around them or hooks inside of them, or hooks in their wings, hooks in their legs," said Renata.

Most of the injuries are avoidable by disposing of used hooks and fishing line properly and knowing what to do if you inadvertently hook a bird.

"Number one don't cut the line and number 2, if you do hook a bird by mistake, just very gently reel it in and get straight to a rehabilitation facility," said Renata.

In general though, hook and line injuries on birds, usually have a recuperation time anywhere between a week and 3 weeks, unless it needs surgery then it's a bit longer.