On Thursday, an Oklahoma state trooper saved a wounded pelican by extracting a fishing hook that had been stuck in its webbed foot.
Trooper Ryan Griffith was able to assist the distressed bird, based on social media posts from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
According to KOCO-TV, Griffith came into the injured pelican near Cowskin Bay North at Keystone Lake. According to the TV station, Griffith waded into the water to attempt a safe removal of the fishing hook that had pierced the bird’s webbed foot.
Griffith says in a video that was uploaded to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol’s X, formerly known as Twitter, “Well, this ought to be interesting. He’s definitely got something hung around his leg.”
The pelican, stranded close to the bay, started flailing its wings as the trooper got closer, but it was unable to go, according to KOCO.
According to the television station, Griffith removed the hook with ease and the pelican swam off.
In the video that he took, Griffith stated, “He’s got a little hole in his foot, but I think he’ll be OK. It’ll probably heal up. He’ll be tender for a little bit. But, mission success.”
