Volunteer crawls through mud to rescue trapped gull in Qingdao

A volunteer wildlife conservationist in Qingdao, Shandong province, recently crawled through thick coastal mud to rescue a seabird trapped at an estuary, turning a perilous shoreline into a moment of quiet heroism.

Huang Qiang, 44, a volunteer with the Chengyang Wildlife Protection Society, lay flat against the slick mud and moved forward inch by inch on his hands and knees with a safety rope tied around his waist, according to a 40-second video clip released by the society.

About 100 meters ahead of him, a black-headed gull floundered, pinned helplessly to the mud by a balloon string wrapped around its body and wings.

After nearly half an hour of careful and exhausting movement, Huang finally reached the bird and freed it from the string.

The rescue took place on Feb 22 at the Baisha-Moshui River estuary in Qingdao's Chengyang district.

Huang said he and his colleague, Lan Jizhen, rushed to the site after receiving a report about the trapped bird. They first attempted to rescue it using a drone, but strong coastal winds forced them to rethink.

With the tide rising and seawater threatening to drown the gull, Huang decided to try to walk toward the bird. A few steps revealed walking to be impossible as the mud was so soft that his feet sank with every stride. "I had no choice but to crawl forward," Huang said.

Cradling the weakened gull with one hand and supporting himself with the other, Huang slowly made his way back across the mud. The bird was later taken to an animal rescue station for observation.

"Fortunately, there were no visible external injuries," Huang said. "But it was extremely weak after struggling for so long and was unable to fly."

After it had recovered, the gull was released back into the wild on Sunday, according to the society.

A truck driver by profession, Huang has volunteered in wildlife protection since 2016 and frequently takes part in animal rescue operations. In January 2022, he was honored by local authorities as a Model Citizen for his long-term dedication to conservation.

Speaking about the rescue, Huang said he did what he should. "It's our duty as volunteers," he said. "Every rescue is different; we have to adapt and find solutions, no matter how difficult the situation."