A tree climber's timely response helped save a predatory bird from a precarious — and potentially fatal — situation.
According to Fox 10 News, the Orange Beach Wildlife Center in Alabama received reports late at night from concerned residents that a local osprey affectionately known as Big Guy was entangled in fishing line on a tree.
Knowing that standard procedure for such a situation would be impossible to accomplish in the dark, the wildlife center called on Phillip Kabatt of Spar Land and Tree Management to do the job.
Kabatt scaled the tree and secured the branch the bird was stuck on. He then cut the limb down and lowered it to the OBWC team waiting below.
"We are so thankful for Phillip and his quick response," the organization's Instagram post said. "If it wasn't for him, the bird would have had to sit there all night before rescuing."
The OBWC rescue crew freed Big Guy from the fishing line and took him to their facility, where they needed to remove one hook from the osprey's wing and another from his talons. The latter required anesthesia, as pictures show that the hook was firmly embedded in the claw and drew blood. Once Big Guy received a shot of antibiotics and recovered for a few hours, he was released.
Despite the happy ending, the incident is yet another reminder of the harm littering can cause. While there are plenty of stories of people saving animals from garbage — including the ones about a seal caught in a fishing line or crab trapped in an old balloon — there are countless other creatures that aren't lucky enough to have a good Samaritan nearby.
"In this area, it's very common," Julie Lesznar, a wildlife rehabilitation specialist at the Orange Beach Wildlife Center, told Fox 10 News. "We get probably close to about a hundred birds a year in this situation. If it's not an osprey, it's a pelican or a great blue heron or something like that."
Luckily for Big Guy, members of the community stepped in and stepped up.
"It was amazing to watch it go back," Lesznar said. "The homeowners were also there, and they took some videos and pictures, and it was just a happy ending."
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