From South Essex Wildlife Hospital

Ok... this was an odd one!

Whilst more than 98% of our admissions stem from the actions of Mankind, wildlife can still find ways to get into difficulty without our help!

This is a black-headed gull... and, yes, he managed to get his toe caught in an oyster!

Surprisingly enough, this is not the first time this happened and isn't quite as uncommon as you think. The poor bird was well and truly stuck in place but, luckily, a little leverage with Alda's multitool soon had his foot free!

He isn't quite out of the woods yet and may still need work to help the toe heal, but it was quite a lucky escape after some very clumsy foot placement!

And yes... the oyster was also fine (and was later released).

We've covered this type of situation before, so click here to see some more birds getting clamped by clams, plus a bonus beautifully animated Chinese parable of a bird and a clam!

Oh, clam opener, not can...I've been saying it wrong for years.

Dinosaurs sure became stupid after ruling for so long. An oyster? A bivalve...lol

No uni-taskers in the kitchen! If it can't be used for multiple things, it's just clutter.

If it opens a stubborn mollusk, it can surely open a can as well! 🦪

All hail the clam opener!

Birds (65 MYA), and even dinosaurs (240 MYA), are just young whipper snappers to bivalves (500 MYA). They're not going to be hassled endlessly by some water bird! They may be slow, but when they catch you, you're going to remember it! 😄

I wasn't going to share it since I thought it might be too morbid, but Fish and Wildlife shared this anemone eating the remains of a gull!😮

Big Little Shop of Horrors vibes.

Sea life was here first, and it's probably also going to be the last!

Hey! I like you....

I visually parsed this as a bunny being squeezed so much that poop was coming out of not only the usual orifice but also the ears. The title didn't exactly discourage that interpretation.

I'm glad it's something more wholesome! In that context the bite is kind of cute.

edit: I thought "Gull" was the theoretical bunny's name.

I try to be likeable, or at least entertaining. 😇

Hah, I can see the bunny now that you say that!

This one was wholesome, and I thought originally the previous one I linked was too, but in the comments of that post we go into it more. This can be really dangerous to the bird (and technically the clam too, but with no central nervous system, I don't know if it's as aware of the issue as the bird!). It can really cause damage to the toe, and the weight can make it harder to get food and makes flying even more physically and calorically intense, while also making it harder for the bird to escape its own predators.

I'm glad this bird was able to get a helping hand, and it was a nice bonus our bivalve friend made it out without needing to be sacrificed. They both got a happy second chance!

Bunny or Bird -- classic illusion territory! 😄️

Very appropriate! 😄

Good on you and yours. More animals deserve people like you. I'm sorry for my initially incorrect interpretation.

Don't worry about it! I learn all the time new crazy ways animals find to get injured that would have never occurred to me. That's why we're here learning together. We all want to see the best for our animal friends. ❤️

Fwiw, I showed this picture to my wife without context and said "what animal do you think this is?" She said "A rabbit?" I then told her what it was and she said "ohhh!"

Perhaps you should add clarification ... Or perhaps she and I are just well matched. I don't know. Either way, I respect the efforts of those helping animals and the rest probably doesn't matter.

Wait a minute...doesn't this species require being anchored? How can it be fine after being removed from it's foundation? Something smells fishy.

Suggestion taken!

Great question!

I know nothing much about bivalves, but this article from an oyster farm talks about them laying on sand or floating around in the current, and some absolutely cement themselves to things, so I'm sure there are many different species that prefer different things.