Good Samaritan jumps in the ocean to rescue gull in Massachusetts

A bystander is being labeled a hero by animal lovers after rescuing a gull recently.

According to the New England Wildlife Center, this little gull was struggling to stay afloat in the ocean when a brave Samaritan jumped in and pulled him from the surf. She quickly rushed him over to our Weymouth hospital.

To the surprise of the NEWC, when they took him out of the carrier to examine him, they discovered that it was a black-legged kittiwake! This smaller species of gulls is not commonly found around these waters this time of year, so they think in the most recent storms he got a little blown off course.

Their veterinary team found him to be very weak and hypothermic with poorly waterproofed feathers. They believe he may have gotten bashed around in the storm which may have led to his feather damage. According to the NEWC, feather quality is extremely important for survival because if their feathers are damaged and can’t repel, water birds will become cold very quickly. It will then take a lot of energy for them to keep warm and they lose weight quickly and become debilitated. The wet feathers also make it very hard for them to take flight, which also means they’ll have difficulty finding food.

NEWC states that he is a very lucky bird that he was found when he was before he potentially drowned.

He is currently being treated with supportive fluids and nutrition as they continue to evaluate his condition.