“A BLACK-FOOTED ALBATROSS was recently rescued from Long Beach, Wash.,” VIRGINIA HUANG, M.D., of the WILDLIFE CENTER OF THE NORTH COAST (www.coastwildlife.org) told the Ear. “She had injuries to her wing and foot from fishing line entanglement.” The recovering albatross is pictured above.

According to the Audubon Society (http://tinyurl.com/bfalbatross): “Black-footed Albatrosses are smaller than other albatross species, but their wingspans can still reach up to 88 inches (over 7 feet). On average, they weigh 6.2 pounds and measure 32 inches long … In summer, this albatross spreads across the northern Pacific into the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea,” and enjoys exotic goodies like flying fish and their eggs.

“DR. BRAD POPE, our wonderful vet, performed surgery on her to repair the cut tendons in her foot,” Virginia added. “SHARNELLE FEE [director of WCNC] says she is quite feisty and doing well after her surgery. She was banded on some island in the South Pacific on June 16, 1997, which makes her 13 years old!”