Firefighters Free Pelican Tangled In Fishing Line As Snow Falls In Florida

Firefighters rescued a pelican tangled in fishing line along the seawall of Station 19 on Choctawhatchee Bay on Sunday, January 18.

Footage posted by Destin Fire Rescue shows the pelican flying low over the bay after Capt. Ben Hartley and the crew freed it from the line.

The crew spotted the bird struggling at the seawall with fishing line wrapped around it and a hook caught in one of its legs. They cut the line and removed the hook before releasing the pelican.

The department said the bird showed no other injuries and was released back into the wild.

The rescue happened that morning as snow was falling in parts of the Florida Panhandle. The National Weather Service in Mobile confirmed snow began around 4 a.m. in Holt, with a dusting farther east.