“I was just stunned …”
When retired animal rescuer Susan Hicks heard a sudden crash from inside her home, her first thought was that something terrible had happened. She hurried outside and was met with a heartbreaking scene.
“At first I thought it was gone because of the way it was lying there,” Hicks recalled in a video for The Dodo. “But as I got closer, I realized it was still alive.”
A hawk had flown directly into her house, hitting it with alarming force. The bird appeared dazed and possibly hurt. Without hesitation, Hicks removed her jacket, gently wrapped the hawk, and lifted him up. Despite his ordeal, he remained fairly calm in her arms. Hicks was astonished to suddenly find herself rescuing an animal again after more than three decades in retirement.
“I couldn’t believe he survived the impact,” she said. “I thought for sure one of his wings was broken.”
Hicks contacted Project Wildlife, whose staff quickly stepped in to examine the injured hawk. After assessing him, they decided he needed time to recover and brought him back to their facility for care.
While Hicks worried about his condition, her fears were eased when she learned he was healing well. Two weeks later, Project Wildlife returned to release the hawk right outside Hicks’ home—just a few feet from where he had originally crashed.
“Watching him fly free again, strong and healthy, was such a rewarding moment,” Hicks said.