(KRON) -- Park officials in Marin County are warning of the dangers of not packing out all fishing gear after a young waterbird was recently found injured.

The juvenile pied-billed grebe tried to swallow fishing tackle at Stafford Lake Park and ended up with a hook piercing its eyelid and cheek, according to Marin County Parks. Rangers responded to the injured bird and were able to safely remove the hook. • (Marin County Parks) • (Marin County Parks)

After receiving the OK from Marin Humane, the rangers released it back into the wild. Pied-billed grebes are year-round residents in the Bay Area.

“Watching it swim away was the best reward for our team!” park officials wrote on a social media post.

The post reminds people that lost fishing gear can harm wildlife. “Always pack it out!”

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