As if fans of actor Tyler Hynes needed any more reason to love him, the Hallmark Channel superstar left thousands swooning — and even “bawling” — over his efforts to rescue a bird in a video posted to Instagram on September 1, 2024.
Hynes — who will appear later this year “The Groomsmen” trilogy on Hallmark+ and in Hallmark Channel’s highly-anticipated movies “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” and the “Three Wise Men and a Boy” sequel — encouraged his fans to “be kind” in the caption of his video, which showed him patiently working to set a seagull free after it got tangled up in fishing wire.
Tyler Hynes Encourages Followers to ‘Pick Up After Yourselves’ to Protect Wildlife
The video of Hynes, a native of Toronto, was taken along the shoreline of a lake in Canada, likely where he and a friend purchased a lakeside cottage in 2021, per Southern Living. The actor, who shared their renovation progress in 2022, told the outlet their goal was to “create a place where our families and friends can have a little place to escape to without having to travel.”
The video footage Hynes posted on September 1 shows him walking to the muddy shoreline in black shorts and matching Crocs, carrying a pair of scissors. At the water’s edge, he kneels down to help the scared and stuck bird. Despite it flapping its wings in fear, Hynes gains its trust as he gently cuts away fishing line wrapped around the bird’s webbed foot.
At one point, the bird — likely a herring gull, the most common type of seagull in Canada, per the Canadian Wildlife Federation — calms down and watches patiently as Hynes snips away at the fishing line. Once it is free, the gull is seen happily swimming away.
In the comment section of his post, Hynes wrote, “To those who pick up after yourselves this long weekend, thank you 🤍🙏🏻😊 they appreciate it.”
In June, experts from the Wildlife Rescue Association of British Columbia told CTV News that they’d seen a significant rise in birds getting entangled or injured by fishing gear carelessly discarded by people.
“At a lot of lakes, it really (is) easy to dispose of your fishing line, there are special bins set up,” the group’s executive director, Linda Bakker, told the outlet. “If it does wash up on the shore or you notice it somewhere, please pick it up and take it out, even if not yours.”
The same problem is happening along shorelines in the United States, according to Save Coastal Wildlife, from birds suffering “crippling injuries” by getting tangled up in fishing line or even dying from swallowing or being cut by loose tackle and hooks.
Tyler Hynes Receives Thousands of ‘Likes’ & Comments on Bird Rescue Post
Fans and famous friends were in awe of the Hynes’ act of kindness, and flooded his video with over 1,300 comments within hours of its posting, including many who said they were brought to tears watching his video.
One wrote, “The way she/he was looking at you I started bawling. 🙏🏻 ❤️. Thank you”
Another commented, “Even animals sense your kindness a.d good soul. 👏👏made me cry. ❤️❤️❤️”
“That was one of the most touching things I have ever seen,” someone else wrote. “I had tears in my eyes. You are awesome. What an amazing thing that you did.”
Many fans declared Hynes an “amazing human” and a “real life hero” for bravely approaching and working with the entangled bird despite its initial anxiety.
“Not all hero’s wear capes,” someone wrote. “This proves one also wears crocs! Even in his fear…… that bird knew he could trust you and you would help him! Thank you for being ……YOU!!!!! 😍🥰♥️😍”
Some people said they couldn’t stop thinking about Hynes’ video, including one who wrote, “I’ve been coming back to this all day!! The way it’s talking to you as you approach, so scared and in distress. Then, you can see the moments when it calms down and knows that you’re there to help. Thank you for sharing this🙏🏻 🚯”
“You’re an actual angel,” another fan commented. “Thank you for helping that bird. 🤍”
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