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Caught
in the Act On
March 18th I opened a cage door in the PAWS Wildlife
Rehabilitation Center exam room and beheld a very
sad sight. A large, majestic bird was huddled at
the back of the cage looking anything but dignified.
Ordinarily standing over three feet tall, the bird
had compressed himself to less than a foot in height.
He held his right wing at an odd angle, and it
was clear that this was due to a physical impairment
rather than a conscious choice. Although it was
not the most flattering pose in which to see the “official
bird of Seattle," the beauty of his breeding
plumage and his striking yellow beak and eyes still
momentarily took my breath away. When I looked
in his eyes, I wondered what he must have been
feeling. His body language was easy enough to interpret—he
was afraid—but I believe I sensed a fair
amount of confusion as well. This was understandable
considering the series of events that had led to
the bird being admitted to PAWS. Two days earlier
this Great Blue Heron had started the day off with
a little fishing, but by the end of the day it
was him, not the fish who had been caught. Many
people enjoy creating and maintaining decorative
ponds in their yards. Many also enjoy stocking
these ponds with colorful, expensive fish. In turn,
many species of wildlife enjoy visiting these ponds
and eating these colorful, expensive fish. This
is just what the heron who became known as PAWS
case #06-0249 was attempting to do on March 16
th when he ran into trouble. It makes no difference
to a heron whether a fish is found in a large lake
or a small puddle. It also makes no difference
to the bird whether a fish was free or cost several
hundred dollars. But it does tend to make a great
deal of difference to the person who purchased
the fish for several hundred dollars, and these
individuals are wise to take steps to exclude herons,
raccoons, and other fish-eaters from their ponds.
However, some methods of exclusion are better than
others. The pond that heron 06-0249 visited had
a nearly invisible web of monofilament fishing
line strung over the top of it. As the heron attempted
to catch a meal, his right wing became entangled
in the fishing line. He remained by the pond, struggling
to free himself until a neighbor came to his rescue
the next day. By
the time the heron arrived at PAWS he was exhausted.
The droop in his right wing along with damaged
primary feathers gave the staff cause for concern,
but no broken bones were detected during the bird’s initial examination. It was believed
that he had strained the wing muscles and joints
during his struggle, and he was prescribed cage
rest to allow any swelling or irritation to subside.
The wing was wrapped so it would remain immobilized
while healing. By March 24 th, the heron’s
wing wrap was removed, and he was able to hold
his wing in a normal position without assistance.
On March 25 th the bird was moved into a larger,
outdoor cage and he wasted no time demonstrating
his flight capabilities. He graduated to the flight
pen and was put on the fast track to release. Release day came on March 30 th. The heron stood on a high perch and watched me as I carried a large pet carrier into his cage. I then exited and returned with a long-handled net. Recognizing the net, the heron began to fly back and forth overhead, doing his best to stay out of reach. With the cage to contain him, the heron did not evade capture for long. After giving him a quick examination and removing his in-house identification band, I placed the heron in a carrier and loaded him into a truck for the trip to the release site.
At the release site, I set the carrier in a tree-lined
clearing next to the Puyallup River. After letting
the heron rest for a few moments, I opened the carrier
door. He was sitting very much like he had been the
first time I saw him, hunkered down and looking afraid
and miserable. I moved to the back of the carrier,
and with a little prodding the heron exited and took
flight. He appeared to more than quadruple in size
as his long legs and neck stretched out and his wings
reached their full six-foot span. As he gained altitude,
his neck slowly pulled back into the familiar “S” shape
that his species prefers while in flight. His fearful
demeanor having been replaced by one of confidence,
the heron continued to gain altitude and then circled
off to the east. He seemed to be flying with purpose
as he disappeared from sight, and I wondered if he
had a particular destination in mind. If he did,
it would remain his secret. My direct involvement
in his life had come to an end.
Thirteen animals were released between March 1st and April 1st, 2006. Thanks to all of you for helping to make these releases possible! Wildlife Releases: March 1 - April 1, 2006
40
wild animals have been released since the beginning
of 2006. All rights reserved. ©2006 Progressive Animal Welfare Society |
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