Someone saw a bird hanging upside down for hours in Florida. See what set it straight
Talk about making things right.
A bird got a second chance at life when it was rescued from a tree in East Naples earlier this month.
According to a Wednesday Facebook post from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, a concerned bystander spotted something hanging upside down from a branch of a tall tree.
The person called the nearby conservancy, which has an animal hospital on site.
Two volunteers came out to assess the situation and identified the unfortunate creature as a crested caracara, which looks like a hawk but is actually a type of falcon. Unlike say, an owl or bat, this species isn’t known for naturally being in this position.
In the FB post, which includes a video, you can see the fine-feathered friend dangling by its foot from a branch at least 40 feet up.
After scoping out the scene, the animal hospital workers decided to call in the professionals, the post said.
Dylan Jaques, who works at Homegrown Tree Care, told the Miami Herald that he rescued the poor creature by scaling the tree, cutting off the branch with a handsaw, and carefully lowering the bird to the ground.
“It was alert, but out of energy,” said Jaques of his save. “It tried to fly away, but couldn’t.”
He said the claw had gotten stuck on a string line, a tool left over by construction workers building a nearby fence.
Jaques doesn’t think the caracara could have lasted another night. The landscaping expert said it had already been in that predicament for roughly 24 hours.
“Someone spotted it from their back patio and figured it was clutching prey, but when it was still there the next day, it was clear something was wrong,” he said.
Amazingly, the little guy or gal is OK and still rehabbing at the wildlife hospital.
“Surprisingly alert upon arrival and responsive, we see a full recovery in this caracara’s near future!” concluded the conservancy’s post.
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This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 4:41 PM.
