Colorado State Parks staff makes grisly discovery due to abandoned fishing line

Staff at Colorado's St. Vrain State Park made a distressing discovery Friday morning when one of their fledgling osprey was found hanging from the nest platform.

The park's raptor monitor was able to get it down, but the bird had already passed away. Park staff said the osprey had swallowed several feet of fishing line and hooks. When the lead weight became caught in the nest, the bird was unable to make it to the ground or back into the nest.

Park officials believe there was an unattended line with a fish, either caught or used as bait, that the osprey swallowed. This isn't the first time an instance like this has occurred this summer. Several geese, herons, pelicans and turtles have been severely injured or killed by fishing hooks in the last few months, said St. Vrain.

The problem is one seen across the state. Recently, a beloved local pelican in the Golden Ponds died after it became tangled in some fishing line and was unable to fly.

"Somebody's actions killed this bird, and other folks leaving their lines, litter, and illegal chum are causing more animals to get injured or die," St. Vrain staff said on the park's Facebook page. "You don't have to take part in the killing if you simply Leave No Trace."