'This duckling was lucky - many aren't': Baby bird survives swallowing unusual litter
A duckling that swallowed a discarded balloon has been saved from a pond by the RSPCA - but the charity warns others "aren't so lucky".
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The bird was spotted by concerned members of the public in water near Lombard House, close to the Cronehills Linkway, in West Bromwich on May 13.
He was brought to safety by RSPCA officers who found him with string from the littered balloon coming from his mouth.
The duckling was then taken to Vale Wildlife Hospital in Tewkesbury, where staff successfully removed the string and the balloon.
An X-ray also showed there was no more balloon left in the young bird's stomach.
He is now said to be making a good recovery and is expected to be returned to the wild soon.
The duckling's rescue comes as the RSPCA revealed it has received almost 13,000 reports in the last four years of animals found "severely" injured, trapped, mutilated, choked or even dead from "carelessly discarded litter".
Cara Gibbon was among the officers at the animal welfare charity who helped to rescue the baby bird.
She said: "This duckling was lucky but there are so many animals who aren’t so lucky because they ingest litter.
“Sadly, for every animal that we or the public are able to help; there are probably many others that go unseen, unreported and may even lose their lives.
“But the public can help us protect animals, and avoid these incidents happening in the first place.
"There are thousands of avoidable incidents every year where animals have been impacted by litter – all it takes is to throw the litter in the bin.
"As we all strive to create a better world for every animal, this could save an animal’s life."
