A New Zealand man is pleading with members of the public to be wary of their rubbish and litter after photographing a distressed seagull.
The black back gull was caught on camera in the Coromandel with a fishing hook in its mouth, along with nylon around its neck and a trace and fishing line around its leg.
Wellington-based photographer Simon Woolf said he was "seriously upset" at discovering the distressed bird and said people need to be more mindful of wildlife.
![A photographer is asking those who are fishing to take care. Photo / Simon Woolf](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/I36SFO3Q6A6UXVXRN3FJ7W72NM.jpg?auth=cd34103c501aa736cbe06cb7874ecc5f8f5436d9155934a5b549406456983f4c&width=16&height=14&quality=70&smart=true)
"Fishing line, plastics, and other human interventions are a blight on our wildlife," he said.