A sight that haunts the soul: a stray mother cat, her neck ensnared in a discarded, tightening fishing net, and entangled in those same nylon threads is her tiny kitten. As the mother moves to find food, her baby dangles precariously, trapped by the very cord that is slowly choking her.

This is the cruel reality of “ghost gear”—human debris that continues to kill long after it’s been thrown away. The kitten cries out, unable to break free, while the mother bears the agonizing weight of her offspring pulling against her wounded neck. Every step she takes is a painful choice between her own survival and the safety of her child. They are literally bound together by a death trap, waiting for a compassionate hand to cut the ties that bind them.