While scrolling through Facebook one day, a volunteer wildlife rescuer named Tracy came across a troubling post in a local group. A man in Palm Bay had discovered a hawk sitting on the ground that couldn’t fly and appeared to be in serious trouble.
The man knew the bird needed help but wasn’t sure what to do.
Tracy immediately suggested calling a wildlife rescue hotline. When no one answered, she decided not to wait — she jumped into her car and drove straight to the scene.
Something Was Very Wrong
When Tracy arrived, the hawk was still alive but behaving strangely. The bird was lying flat on its chest and barely moving.
At first, she couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
As she leaned in to examine the hawk more closely, she reached out to gently move one of its wings — and suddenly felt something move near her hand.
A Shocking Discovery
What Tracy thought was just an injured bird turned out to be something much more complicated.
Wrapped tightly around the hawk’s neck and wing was a snake.
The discovery was startling, but Tracy knew she had to act quickly.
Working carefully, she used both hands to gently begin unwrapping the snake from the hawk’s body.
A Delicate Rescue
It’s not clear how long the snake had been entangled with the hawk. The situation may have started when the hawk attempted to catch the snake as prey — only for the struggle to trap both animals.
Tracy carefully removed the snake, making sure neither animal was harmed during the process.
Once the snake was fully untangled, something incredible happened.
The hawk suddenly regained its strength and flew away powerfully into the sky.
The snake, meanwhile, appeared unharmed and was released back into the wild.
Helping When Nature Goes Wrong
The rescue was later shared by WILD Florida Rescue, whose volunteers usually try not to interfere with natural wildlife interactions.
However, in unusual cases like this — where both animals were stuck in a dangerous situation — stepping in was the right call.
Thanks to Tracy’s quick thinking and calm response, both creatures were able to go free.
And although she hopes she never encounters a rescue quite like this again, Tracy says she’d do it again without hesitation if an animal needed help. 🦅🐍