My hands are still a little shaky! Just now, my friend and I saved a seagull tangled in fishing line at the shallow waters of Devonport. The whole thing felt like a “seaside emergency rescue drama”—I have to jot it down right away.
Step 1: Spotting the “Off” Seagull
We’d come to the beach just to relax—look at the photos, the sand’s packed with people playing in the water, and the sea is so blue it almost blinds you. Then I saw a seagull floating in the shallow water, not moving for ages—like a forgotten feather left bobbing in the waves. I turned to my friend and said, “That bird looks weird.” We got closer, and that’s when we saw it: a thin fishing line was tangled around its beak, with bits of broken fishing gear hanging off it. It kept trying to fly but couldn’t break free—poor thing looked so helpless.
Step 2: Panicking (and Scrambling) for a Plan
We both froze for a second, then started rushing to figure out what to do. First, I dug out the animal rescue group’s number and called—but they told me “no one’s on duty today.” My heart sank right then. Luckily, we spotted a dad windsuring with his kid nearby, so we ran over to ask for help. He was super nice—he glided over to the seagull on his board, took a look, and shook his head: “The line’s too thin. You can’t cut it without tools—you might hurt it.”
Step 3: A “Savior” Assist from the Naval Museum
That’s when I suddenly noticed the “Naval Museum” right nearby. On a sudden impulse, I grabbed my friend and ran over. We told the staff what was happening, and their eyes lit up immediately. They found a pair of scissors right away and said, “We’ll come with you to the beach to help!” Even now, I can picture it: next to all those serious naval exhibits in the museum, the staff were hurrying out with scissors in hand. It was both funny and so heartwarming.
Step 4: The Seagull’s Freedom!
Back at the beach, the windsurfing dad got close to the seagull again, and the museum staff carefully snipped the fishing line. In that split second, the seagull broke free—whoosh—it shot up into the sky, flapping its wings fast and strong. It flew far away, then circled back and cried out a few times. Everyone around us started clapping, and goosebumps popped up all over me—it felt like even the sun was cheering for it.
A Surprise Bonus: Free Entry to the Naval Museum
And the best part? The museum staff smiled at us and said, “You ‘freed’ the seagull, so I’ll give you the ‘free’ pass too—entry’s on us today!” We’re about to head inside now. Today was supposed to be just “chilling by the sea,” but it turned into such a meaningful “rescue mission + unexpected adventure.”
