Becoming tangled in line or netting can cause serious injuries to wildlife. It is very tempting when faced with this scenario to want to save the animal yourself by simply cutting it free. But there are several good reasons why you should not do this. In this scenario you will almost always need to seek help from a wildlife rescue.

Fishing line

Fishing line causes thousands of injuries to wildlife each year. The problem is it doesn't biodegrade so a discarded piece of fishing line is left lying in wait for a bird or animal to swallow it or get tangled up in it.

Commonly fishing line wraps itself around birds' toes, cutting off the circulation and causing infection, gangrene and amputations. Birds whose feet are affected can be difficult to help. Generally their ability to fly is unaffected so it is very difficult to catch them. If you cannot catch them yourself do contact a wildlife rescue as they may have more success with specialist equipment.

Left in the water fishing line is easily mistaken for weed and swallowed by waterfowl. If you see a bird with fishing line hanging from its beak it is important that you seek assistance and do not try to capture the bird yourself. NEVER try to remove fishing line from the mouth. There may be a hook on the other end which could cause serious damage. It's worth noting though that just as a bird can get weed and line mixed up so can you. Double check before you call that what you're seeing really is line and not just a harmless bit of pond weed!

Netting or fencing

A trapped animal will be extremely frightened and will view your approach not as help but as a great threat. It will try to defend itself and if the victim is a squirrel, fox, badger, deer or swan for example it could cause you serious injury. These animals should only be handled by experienced rescuers with specialist equipment. If the casualty is a smaller, less dangerous type and you're able to, cover it with a towel to keep it calm and cut it free with a good few inches of the netting left attached. Place the casualty in a strong cardboard box or pet carrier and transport it to a wildlife hospital urgently.

Bear in mind there is no way of knowing how long the animal has been trapped. It may be dehydrated, malnourished, suffering from shock, hypothermia or heat stroke. The animal may need a chance to rest and recuperate before being made to face the challenges of life in the wild again. This scenario can also leave the victim with a condition known as pressure necrosis. Basically where the netting or snare was cutting off the blood supply the surrounding tissue or even whole limbs can die off causing infections and gangrene. This may not be immediately apparent and may take a couple of days to develop so it is vital that every animal trapped in this way is treated and observed by an experienced wildlife rehabilitator. This applies not only to large animals trapped in fences etc but also to smaller animals and birds with string, fishing line or plastic beer can holders wrapped around them.