Heartbreaking photo shows a duck entangled in a plastic bottle ring before it died of starvation

Rescuers from the Darling Range Wildlife Shelter in Perth found the duck
Tragically the duck had been caught in the plastic ring for a week and died
The organisation has urged residents to always cut plastic rings found in bottles

By Eliza Mcphee For Daily Mail Australia

Published: 07:45 BST, 6 July 2021 | Updated: 07:47 BST, 6 July 2021

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A duck has tragically died from starvation after becoming entangled in a plastic bottle ring.

Rescuers from the Darling Range Wildlife Shelter in Perth managed to find the duck but after having had the plastic stuck around his neck for a week the animal had become extremely sick.

'He was very thin, very weak and likely had severe metabolic issues from a week of starving,' the group shared in a Facebook post.

The rescue organisation urged the community to be more responsible with waste, especially plastics.

Rescuers from the Darling Range Wildlife Shelter in Perth managed to find the duck but after having had the plastic stuck around his neck for a week the animal had become extremely sick

One volunteer for the wildlife rescue group visited the lake where the duck was found and spent the day collecting bags of rubbish to prevent any other animals from being harmed.

'RIP gorgeous duck. We wish your life wasn't shortened by our carelessness,' the group said.

Shoppers are urged to chop off the plastic rings that are found on plastic bottles as they can often end up around the necks of helpless animals.

It's estimated that around one million seabirds die from plastic each year, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

At the end of last year a wildlife ranger managed to rescue a penguin that had also had plastic stuck around its neck during a live-streamed broadcast.

Phillip Island Nature Parks ranger Jordan sprung into action during the penguin parade stream in November.

The popular sunset stream shows fans around the world thousands of penguins waddling to their homes along the beach during breeding season.

Fans were unable to attend the daily sunset parade due to coronavirus restrictions, so animal lovers tune in online each night to watch the penguins' cute display.

Jordan noticed one penguin during the live stream was struggling to catch up with the rest of the group and was able to get to the animal in time to cut it free.