An injured seagull stranded on the cold water at Haro Strait in Port Sidney Marina was rescued on Monday (Feb. 3) morning.
Around 8:30 a.m., harbour master Casey Pullen saw the seagull struggling in the water with its right wing broken as he made his way down the marina dock.
The seagull was eventually brought inside the marina office after Pullen's friend, boater Chloe Parson, rescued it from the water after a few hours.
"It looked like it'd flown into something," said port administrator Jackie Ekdahl. "He was pretty much just not even trying anymore because he was too tired. He was just floating there."
While they considered their options, they put the seagull in a box and covered it with a towel to keep it warm.
Ekdahl called the BC SPCA's Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (Wild ARC) in Victoria after realizing the bird needed emergency medical attention and they agreed to take the seagull in. There was only one issue: nobody was available to assist with getting it to the centre by 3:30 p.m.
"I'm not very skilled driving in the snow," she said.
This is when Ekdahl turned to the Sidney Facebook community for help.
"I thought it was worth a shot posting on here in case anyone is heading that way and could take this little guy to get help," she wrote.
Although most community members were not confident to drive on snowy roads, they were still willing to assist anyway, offering tips and advice including contacting Elk Lake Veterinary Hospital to get instructions on treating the injured seagull. Others offered to pay for courier service.
"This is such a lovely request," said one member. " I hope someone has a snow-safe vehicle and can help deliver the bird to the SPCA."
Ekdahl was concerned that the seagull wouldn't arrive before the deadline of 3:30 p.m., so she decided to call Yellow Cab to deliver it to SPCA Victoria.
The $80 she paid for the trip was fully reimbursed by community members who volunteered to assist in saving the injured seagull.
"Wild ARC will try to get him from there if the roads clear up. But for now, he will have the care he needs."
Ekdahl called the SPCA office to check on the seagull; she was told it may have been the first bird that ever arrived in a cab.
