By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/injured-by-a-fishing-hook-this-seabird-knocked-on-the-er-door-for-help Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Injured by a fishing hook, this seabird knocked on the ER door for help Science Feb 16, 2026 3:31 PM EST BERLIN (AP) — An injured seabird sought help by pecking at the door of an emergency room at a hospital in Germany until medical staff noticed it and called firefighters to help with its rescue. The cormorant, a shiny black waterbird, had a triple fishing hook stuck in its beak when it made its presence known at the glass door of the Klinikum Links der Weser hospital in the northern city of Bremen on Sunday. READ MORE: The last refuge for a tiny hummingbird facing extinction is an ancient forest in Ecuador Grow your mind Subscribe to our Science Newsletter to explore the wide worlds of science, health and technology. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. In a joint effort, medical staff and firefighters removed the fishhook and treated the wound, the Bremen firefighter department said in a statement. The bird was later released back into nature on the grounds of the hospital park. A firefighter from the Bremen Fire Department holds an injured cormorant that had been pecking at the door of an emergency room in Bremen, Germany, Feb. 15, 2026. Photo by Feuerwehr Bremen/ DPA via AP "When an injured cormorant does approach humans, it is usually an animal in extreme distress that has lost its natural shyness," the statement said. WATCH: How researchers restored a thriving habitat for Atlantic puffins in Maine A cormorant is a large bird with a long neck, wedge-shaped head and a distinctive sharp beak with a hooked tip. A fishhook in the bird's beak would be extremely dangerous for the animal. Infections, pain and even starvation are possible, the firefighter department said. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Associated Press Associated Press
BERLIN (AP) — An injured seabird sought help by pecking at the door of an emergency room at a hospital in Germany until medical staff noticed it and called firefighters to help with its rescue. The cormorant, a shiny black waterbird, had a triple fishing hook stuck in its beak when it made its presence known at the glass door of the Klinikum Links der Weser hospital in the northern city of Bremen on Sunday. READ MORE: The last refuge for a tiny hummingbird facing extinction is an ancient forest in Ecuador Grow your mind Subscribe to our Science Newsletter to explore the wide worlds of science, health and technology. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. In a joint effort, medical staff and firefighters removed the fishhook and treated the wound, the Bremen firefighter department said in a statement. The bird was later released back into nature on the grounds of the hospital park. A firefighter from the Bremen Fire Department holds an injured cormorant that had been pecking at the door of an emergency room in Bremen, Germany, Feb. 15, 2026. Photo by Feuerwehr Bremen/ DPA via AP "When an injured cormorant does approach humans, it is usually an animal in extreme distress that has lost its natural shyness," the statement said. WATCH: How researchers restored a thriving habitat for Atlantic puffins in Maine A cormorant is a large bird with a long neck, wedge-shaped head and a distinctive sharp beak with a hooked tip. A fishhook in the bird's beak would be extremely dangerous for the animal. Infections, pain and even starvation are possible, the firefighter department said. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now