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Brazil heron takes flight after plastic cup gotten rid of from throat

A heron took flight in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, stretching its wings and skyrocketing over a river after vets waited from nearcertain death by removing a plastic cup attached to its neck and blocking its throat.

The mission to save the bird prompted a protest in Brazil over the effect of plastic pollution on wildlife in a city renowned for its forested mountains neglecting a dynamic beach metropolis.

As its cage opened, the slender heron thought twice for a minute before stepping out and jumping into the air, its white-gray wings bring it over the river in Rio's Recreio dos Bandeirantes area.

God prepared, it will not find any plastic or cups on the way, stated Jeferson Pires, a veterinary biologist at a wildlife center who initially spotted the unfortunate animal this month and published about its dilemma on social networks.

The logo of the popular 200-ml (6.7-oz) guarana fruit-flavored drink was plainly visible on the heron's throat before it was captured last Friday. Video revealed it struggling in vain to choose the cup off with its orange beak.

What we saw today with this heron, over these two weeks, is just how much these animals are impacted by plastic, stated ecologist Isabelle de Loys after the bird was released.

The blockage was preventing it from eating, and would most likely trigger starvation in a matter of days without surgical intervention, Pires stated.

The meat-eating heron was seen at one point throwing up a fish it could not swallow due to the fact that of the cup. Pires said lesions on the bird's long neck were probably due to such stopped working efforts to eat, leaving it somewhat underweight.

Following Pires' initial posts, the heron ended up being an ecological symbol. Its legend gathered protection from major papers and broadcasters in Brazil, and sparked outrage online over the damage caused by single-use plastics.

After the cup was surgically removed, Pires said he was excited to launch the stylish bird back into nature.

We saw no reason to keep holding her, he stated.

The bird, understood to researchers as a Cocoi heron, the biggest species of heron found in Latin America, is carefully associated to the fantastic blue heron.

With their habitat covering Panama to the southern idea of South America, the birds weigh up to 3 kg

(source: Reuters)