Miracle Bird

In our wildlife hospital the fight for survival can produce some amazing stories.

We receive many common species of birds of prey in the Kathryn G. Favre Wildlife Hospital at World Bird Sanctuary--Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, etc.  These may be common species, but many of them have very individual spirits and some have an uncommon, almost miraculous story.

When you think about a 2 lb. bird being plowed over and dragged under a large truck, or in some cases even a train, you might wonder how any of them survive.  But here at the

World Bird Sanctuary we are always amazed at the fighting spirit exhibited by some of these pint sized survivors.  I would like to share a recent miracle story with you.

As I am writing I can hear patient # 050811 flapping around in her hospital stall.  She is a Red-tailed Hawk that was admitted over four weeks ago.  For these last four weeks our volunteers and staff have hand fed this bird and washed her tail each day.  She could not stand – she was paralyzed.  She could not move to eat her food on her own or get her tail out of the way when she went to the bathroom.  But she could always move her feet a little, and seemed to have an unending will to live.  Somehow it seemed she knew we were trying to help.

All of the staff and volunteers at the hospital have fallen in love with her; some volunteers have offered to work late and come in more often if it might help this bird, but we always do the best we can – the rest is up to the bird.  We wondered when, if ever, would she be ready to stand?

Most likely, she was hit by a car and had spinal bruising.  We believed that inflammation in the area exerted pressure on the spine which resulted in paralysis.  The x-rays taken of her legs and hip area showed no signs of fractures.

 Patient #050811 standing for the first time after 4 weeks of care for paralysis.

 On June 14^th she stood for the first time in four weeks, and since then has been making remarkable progress.  We hope to move her outside next week and release this miracle bird by August.  I hope some of this bird's "can-do" attitude has rubbed off on me.

Success stories such as this one are what keep all of us here at the Kathryn G. Favre Hospital motivated.

The costs of caring for this bird, and the many other patients who enter our hospital each year, are totally funded by private and corporate donations.  The average cost to care for a bird is in excess of $1,000.  You can be a part of one of these miracles by opting to be a Return To The Wild sponsor.  Just click here for the details.

Submitted by Joe Hoffmann, Sanctuary Manager.