In August, a game warden in Pennsylvania responded to an urgent call about an animal trapped in a manure pit on a local farm. As he approached the unpleasant site, he discovered a distressed red-tailed hawk struggling in the muck.
The officer carefully placed the bird into a carrier and transported her to the Raven Ridge Wildlife Center, where animal experts were ready to assist.
“I could smell her before I even saw her,” recalled rehabilitator Tracie Young in a statement to The Dodo. The team allowed the hawk to rest in a quarantine area for a few days before tackling the delicate job of cleaning the manure from her feathers. They provided her with pain relief, fluids, antibiotics, and plenty of food, which she eagerly consumed.
After several baths, the hawk’s feathers regained their luster, and she began to exhibit her vibrant energy once more. “The incredible transformation we observed within just 24 hours was truly astonishing,” Raven Ridge shared in a Facebook post. “The once miserable bird was now radiant and full of life.”
Before long, the hawk was ready for her release back into the wild. As Young watched the bird take flight, she wished she could convey to her that everything would be alright.
“You want to tell them, ‘Do you see now why we did what we had to do?’” Young expressed. “I know you were upset, but our goal was always to get you back in the sky again.”