Man plunges into Halifax Harbour to rescue drowning bird

The sight of a bird drowning in Halifax harbour, tangled up in fishing line, was too much for Erik Nolan to witness.

The 23-year-old, who works at a waterfront restaurant, stripped down to his underwear and jumped into the chilly water Thursday afternoon to rescue the bird.

"I took my uniform off right away and jumped into the water. I swam out, made sure it wasn't going to attack me, that it was comfortable with my presence," saidNolan, a Calgary native, after he was back on dry land.

The bird, likely a juvenile seagull, was caught in a fishing lineattached to a netbetween Murphy's restaurant and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

Nolan said one of its webbed feet had been punctured by a hook, and the animalwas struggling upside down with itsbeakslipping underwater. After assessing the bird's predicament, Nolan swam back to the wharf, borrowed a knife from a security guard and cut the bird's wing free. He also had to removehooks from the bird's feet.

"After I cut it loose, I expected it to fly off, but it kind of just [lay]there," he said. "I thought, 'Oh, no, did I really just jump in the harbour to save a dead bird? Or did I kill it?"

Not a wasted effort

Then, a sign of life.

"It stirred a little bit and then itactually turned its head towards me andstared at me."

Nolan saidhe doubts that the bird felt "thankful,"but admits he hopeshe and the seagullmade a connection.

"Part of me wanted to think it was meaningful look, but it might've just been in shock."

Couldn't stand by and do nothing

Nolan saidhis sense ofempathyprompted the rescueand it bothered him thata crowd was standing by and watching the bird drown.

He saidhe was very conscious of his own safety, but felt comfortable enough as aswimmer tomake a rescue attempt.The man also survived the incident without any injury.

Nolan saidthe bird was transported by volunteers to be examined by veterinarians.

He said he later received a callto say the bird recovered quicklyandwas released.