Shaquile Simpson used a slice of pizza to rescue a seagull tangled in fishing line on a Santa Cruz beach.
The rescue, captured on video posted to X on Tuesday, shows Simpson, surrounded by a flock of seagulls, slowly approaching one bird that was struggling to walk across the sand. Simpson coaxed the injured fowl closer step by step with the slice of pie, eventually getting near enough to hold the bird down and begin removing the fishing line that had wrapped from its head to its tail feathers.
Simpson’s wife, Cloey Stiers, joined in to help with the operation as he carefully unwound the line, according to the video. The bird snapped at him during the process, but Simpson continued until he finally removed the hook lodged inside the seagull’s beak. The clip ended with the seagull running across the sand and flying off into the wild blue, free from its entanglements.
The video has drawn tens of thousands of views, with social media users celebrating the rescue.
“Loved seeing how calm and gentle he was throughout the whole thing. Dude definitely knew what he was doing with that seagull,” one person wrote.
“Best thing I’ve seen on the internet today. He was so calm. I could watch this over and over. Hope many blessings come to those that helped,” another person added.
Heather Smith of Santa Cruz Native Animal Rescue, when speaking with The California Post, wanted to reiterate that people who find an injured bird should contact her organization. Smith said fishing tackle entanglement ranks among the top three problems they receive calls about in the area, given their coastal location.
“We do ask if people get a bird on the line, to slowly reel it in and contact us,” she said, noting the concern for infections that can happen when people remove a hook themselves.
Smith also said her organization would love to recruit the couple who helped rescue the seagull.
“Always looking for compassionate people like these two and [am] extending an invitation for them to come and volunteer and get them on our rescue team,” she shared.
The rescue highlights a persistent hazard for coastal wildlife. Fishing line and hooks frequently ensnare birds in beach communities, creating life-threatening situations that require human intervention. The Santa Cruz area, with its popular fishing spots and heavy tourist traffic, sees particularly high rates of such incidents according to the rescue organization’s call volume.
Simpson’s improvised pizza lure proved effective where direct approach might have spooked the injured bird, allowing the critical moments of close contact needed to perform the extraction.