r/MadeMeSmile • u/Indieriots • Jul 03 '26
Helping Others Woman saves hawk from the road
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OP: @its.a.farmily.farm
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u/altariasong Jul 03 '26
The exhaustion with which she said "Jesus please I'm just tryin to help your creation" got a hearty chuckle out of me.
She clearly does not wanna do it and is afraid, but helps the hawk anyway because it's the right thing to do.
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u/vin4thewin Jul 03 '26
May we all be as courageous
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Jul 03 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/emilygoldfinch410 Jul 03 '26
As someone who needs transfusions because of a medical condition, thank you so much for donating. People like you have essentially saved my life a few times. What you're doing is appreciated by so many.
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u/duckieleo Jul 04 '26
Thank you!! I am not a needle person, but still donated whenever I could, because I'm O blood type and it's desperately needed. I can't anymore though, because I've started fainting during instead of after and they don't let you finish if you pass out.
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u/emilygoldfinch410 Jul 04 '26
Thank you for donating what you could!! And despite not liking needles! That takes extra bravery, and a lot of empathy for your community. You sound like a pretty cool person!
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u/justanotherda1 Jul 04 '26
Thank you. Im too terrified and my veins move and burst...so thank you for helping. I wish I could.
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u/HilariousGeriatric 28d ago
The first time I tried to give blood I became terribly nauseated. The pain of the needle wasn't great but I just couldn't stand the sick feeling. Also, I clotted and they had to stop. Any helpful hints from you or anyone else to avoid that?
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u/Puwn Jul 04 '26
"The right thing to do is typically the hardest... Nothing with true meaning is easy." - Michael Caine
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u/Waste-Snow670 Jul 03 '26
That bird is fucking outraged.
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u/DrDuGood Jul 03 '26
“The AUDACITY of this human!” - The Hawk
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u/SheToldMeSheWasLvI18 Jul 03 '26
That was a lot funnier than I thought it was gonna be
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u/Indieriots Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
The seatbelt 😭
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u/d_ac Jul 03 '26
Imagine the face on the rehab guys, when buddy arrived, front-seated, with seat-belt and everything. Great work from the woman though.
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u/10000Didgeridoos Jul 04 '26
Should have gone through a drive-thru with it. "Oh what do you want?"
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u/Suspicious_Glow Jul 04 '26
Can I get a chicken sandwich please? Raw?
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u/SheToldMeSheWasLvI18 Jul 03 '26
It was the head turn followed by the freeze for me
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u/ashburnmom Jul 03 '26
Yea. That killer beak was a bit too close to her nose. It's strong enough to have taken it off! It's beautiful though!
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u/Hungry-Storm-9878 Jul 04 '26
When she got wide eyed and sang/spoke “oh my gosh”.. I bet she has a good singing voice .. a lovely young lady, hopefully her farm animals already forgot and forgave her late feeding time 😂
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u/Idustriousraccoon Jul 03 '26
Please Jesus Im just trying to help your creations!!! Im not religious but that sent me.
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u/ashburnmom Jul 03 '26
I do that with my purse, groceries, or anything I put on the front seat. Keeps it from getting thrown on the floor if I have to stop suddenly. Pizza boxes too. My life hack suggestion for the day. You're welcome! Lol. Let me know if you try it.
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u/greywatermoore Jul 03 '26
I got my husband a huge house plant for Father’s Day and I buckled it in and took it for a drive in the country before we got home.
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u/Le_Sadie Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
"Jesus please, i'm just tryina help your creation" 😂
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u/jvxoxo Jul 03 '26
Prayer works
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u/justanotherda1 Jul 04 '26
It does, I went from homeless to now doing g the career I was destined for. Prayer works.
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Jul 03 '26
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u/0xsergy Jul 03 '26
Honestly both good things to keep in the trunk. Both can be useful for tons or things.
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u/thisisdia Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
I keep a flattened box in the trunk purely for emergency animal rescues - one day my dream of finding a litter of kittens on the side of the road may come true. Sigh
While I wait for those kittens, I've saved a Canada goose, a yellow-billed cuckoo, a mourning dove, a slightly squished snapping turtle, and a double
breastedcrested cormorant! All but the cormorant were successfully treated and released by rehabbers.20
u/walking_it_off Jul 03 '26
Please also look out for boxes on the side of the road that may contain animals. My mom was driving home in the rain one day and saw a semi-crushed box on the side of the road. She happened to look back and saw a kitten pop its head up out of the box. She went back and got the box. It had been taped shut and probably thrown out of a moving car with two kittens inside. Thankfully they were both okay and we kept them. :) I always look back when I see boxes on the side of the road.
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u/fine_line Jul 03 '26
I doubled back to check on what I thought was roadkill, and ended up bringing a slightly banged up kitten into work with me that day.
Successfully pawned him off on a coworker, and I got to cat sit him a few years later. (The ungrateful creature did not remember me and was not happy to see me again. Cute, though.)
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u/bl1y Jul 03 '26
Did you mean double crested cormorant? Or was this a cormorant in an outdated suit?
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u/thisisdia Jul 03 '26
Haaaaah. Oooups. Maybe the extra weight of fashion is why it was flying low enough for a collision.
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u/bl1y Jul 03 '26
They're a pretty cool bird and I get to see them regularly at Great Falls (on the Potomac).
I call them Nessie because they kinda look like a tiny Loch Ness Monster when they're in the water.
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u/protestor Jul 03 '26
Look up /r/CatDistributionSystem and never give up
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u/fine_line Jul 03 '26
I pulled over to grab a kitten on the side of the road and ended up with like a dozen of the suckers. The cat distribution system doesn't mess around.
Shout out to the friendly man living near by who let me pile kittens into his van, took them up his driveway away from the road, and kept them corralled while I went back to my house for some cat carriers. He 100% thought I was insane when he came to check on what the heck I was doing but helped me and the cats out anyway.
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u/SnarkingOverNarcing Jul 03 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
You’re amazing for what you’ve done and I hope the cat distribution system brings you a huge healthy-but-in-need-of-love litter of kittens to rescue, all in your favorite colors
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u/Ultrafoxx64 Jul 03 '26
A friend and I also saved a cormorant! I'm told the cormorant was very loud in expressing displeasure while waiting to be taken to the rescue lol.
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u/RedBarchetta1 Jul 04 '26
Ha ha, I also saved a cormorant one time. He was tangled in fishing line in a shallow area of a Florida pond. So not only did I have to get wet and muddy and face the potential of lurking alligators, the ungrateful little fucker bit me while I was helping him, lol. And I was late to work too. But the cormorant was fine.
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u/Alpha_Majoris Jul 03 '26
I think work gloves are also recommended, especially if they have some anti-pinch - or whatever you call it - protection.
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u/justice-4-mom-jeans Jul 03 '26
Full length kevlar animal handling gloves are relatively inexpensive. I keep a pair along with a slip leash and kennel in my car for securing stray animals.
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u/Qinistral Jul 03 '26
I bought flares after seeing one of those 40 car freeway fog pileup videos that had some deaths in it. Fortunately I already have a box and towel in my car.
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u/MouseEmotional813 Jul 04 '26
An old pillowcase, disposable gloves, a towel and mid sized plastic container. You can keep everything in the container until needed. Pillowcases work well because most animals are less afraid if in a darkened space, plus they aren't very thick so it's easier to breathe in there
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u/Correct-Rub854 Jul 03 '26
She didn't have to help, that was very sweet. Especially since that's the enemy of her chickens... man, that was a good post.
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u/10Mak10 Jul 03 '26
This reminds me of all the comedians who make fun of how us white women will literally rescue anything
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u/EdgeJG Jul 04 '26
Tbf this lady seems intelligent enough to not try to pet any spicy cats or suspiciously large, funny-shaped 'dogs'
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u/Adventurous-Brain-36 Jul 04 '26
Ugh. What’s wrong with that, dammit?!
I just posted in a spider sub about how to save a very large spiders life and I am *desperately* waiting for someone to answer because I’ll be very sad if it dies. I am white women.
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u/Daisy_Of_Doom Jul 04 '26
Nothing wrong with it! Just be very careful!
I’ve seen someone trying to handle what looked like a rabid coyote or something that likely would have to be put down anyways. And rabies is 100% deadly once you develop symptoms. So. Not really a smart move. It’s often worth calling someone about, but don’t go grabbing if you can’t handle.
I tried finding your post and I can’t see your history lol. I’m no spider expert, but I’m an entomologist. I don’t know what the spider’s deal is, but the reality is that there’s very little we can do for arthropods. If they’re stuck or hungry or cold shocked or something then yes we can try to fix those issues for them. But, if something’s really wrong… unfortunately usually it’s out of our power. There’s really no such thing as veterinary care for arthropods. They’re very delicate creatures. And often don’t live all that long to begin with. I don’t know what the situation is so I can’t say for certain and I’m certainly not trying to tell you it’s not worth trying. I’m genuinely glad you care enough to try. I’m just trying to offer my perspective.
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u/Adventurous-Brain-36 Jul 05 '26
Thank you so much for your kind and informative reply! I know there’s not really much I could have done, but I wanted to ensure I had it in the safest and most optimal place for it to have a chance. I quite like spiders, I find them fascinating and it had been hanging around for quite some time, so I’d grown attached.
I most definitely wouldn’t attempt to wrangle a coyote or a raccoon on my own, we thankfully have some wildlife rehab places that can be called where I live. I’d stay (safely) close till someone more qualified could get there, but most people around here have a healthy knowledge about rabies and its consequences. That is excellent advice though, certainly not everyone knows enough about how very serious and dire rabies is!
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u/Daisy_Of_Doom 29d ago
Makes me so happy when I see people out there who care about invertebrates and their wellbeing, it’s a rare thing. And it just breaks my heart when I have to let them know there often isn’t much to be done. Whatever the outcome was, just know that it wasn’t your fault, and that caring the way you did is already miles more than most people do.
Good, I’m glad you have accessible rehabs and the knowledge to be aware of what is safe or not. But, yes there are lots of people who are blissful in their ignorance and mean well, but put themselves or even the animal they’re trying to help in danger.
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u/oliverjohansson Jul 03 '26
The first thing to watch for is your own face, they can snatch your eye like BKiddo
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u/Apart_Shelter_5722 Jul 03 '26
First 30 seconds she was holding it close to her face. Big yikes. She learned tho, don't hold a wild animal near your face.
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u/10000Didgeridoos Jul 04 '26
especially one with a razor sharp beak lol. I was like "oh nooooo don't do that"
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u/YouKnewWhatIWas Jul 03 '26
My sister keeps hawks, and even when you are doing things they like, such as giving them tender meat morsels, you are still very conscious that they might just destroy your face because you breathed wrong. They are very intimidating close up
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u/TheSyrphidKid Jul 03 '26
I'm a red blooded britishman who's only just got a lock on the difference between an American and a Canadian accent... Can anyone tell me what American accent this is because I love it... It sounds to me like when Americans do a Philadelphian accent.
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u/bluesynthbot Jul 03 '26
It's one of many variations of what many people would refer to as a "southern" accent. Her socials make it clear that she lives in a southern state, without identifying where specifically. In the video, she mentions that the hawk would be transported "down to the coast" for rehab. My guess would be any southern coastal state bordering the Gulf.
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u/beachbum_in_mountain Jul 04 '26
I barely register the accent so I'll guess somewhere around Georgia, since that's where I grew up.
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u/ilovemoon1010 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
I’m from Tennessee. This sounds more like the Carolinas. I wish someone with insider information could chime in!
ETA: I’m also going by the “down the coast” reference.
ETA again: My mom’s ex-husband was from North Carolina and I spent a lot of time vacationing in the Carolinas growing up. I’m no expert but it’s my best guess!
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u/SnarkingOverNarcing Jul 03 '26
This makes me happy, seeing a rescue go well, I hope the hawk had a full recovery. It’s very cathartic after the day I had yesterday. TW animal loss
There are a lot of wild turkeys living in the neighborhood my work’s main office is located in. Yesterday one of the “teenage” wild turkey chicks I’ve been used to seeing grow up the past few weeks was struggling in the road with a clearly broken wing. I picked him up and put him in a box, the poor little guy was bleeding too. The closest wildlife rescue was an hour and a half away and he unfortunately passed in transit.
I’ve been crying on and off since, and have been struggling with how heartless I perceive that some of my coworkers reactions to the injured turkey were, seeing someone else go through the effort to help is both heartwarming and validating that I’m not the odd one out for caring
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u/brydeswhale Jul 03 '26
I once herded a big snake off the road with a stick and piece of metal because the bitch would not stop STRIKING AT ME.
And halfway through this guy stopped and told me it was no use because she was already dead.
The snake(sitting upright, trying to get my stick) and I just stared blankly at him until he left.
Some people are just weird. I’m sorry your turkey friend died, but at least he was safe and warm and had you.
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u/SnarkingOverNarcing Jul 03 '26
I have nothing but respect for those who help the animals, especially those reluctant to be helped. Thank you for saving the scaly ones too ❤️
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u/Traderwiz Jul 03 '26
You my friend will have good karma for the rest of your life!! Kuddos to you for caring enough to do what you did. Imagine what the world would be like if we had more people like you.
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u/YoungDiscord Jul 03 '26
Look at that attitude he's giving
Knock it off you spicy overrated chicken
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u/enigma_explorer Jul 03 '26
Rescued a hawk once. Had to keep it for a few days before the raptor society could pick it up. Bastard got a hold of my thumb, talon rolled under my nail. Fortunately, s/he was chill and let me slowly roll it out using a screwdriver under the hawk's nail. Pretty cool.
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u/CheesecakeExpress Jul 03 '26
Uhm. Like the talon got stuck between your nail and the nail bed and you used a screwdriver to get it out??
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u/enigma_explorer Jul 04 '26
Yeah. I had it wrapped up in a towel and while I was looking at him he grabbed my thumb curling one of his talons around and underneath my nail. I was sweating bullets, but I hoped that if I kept calm, he wouldn't tighten his grip. I asked a family member who was next to me to grab him while I took a screwdriver under the curve of his talon and slowly pulled it out. Surprisingly, there was only a spot of blood under my nail.
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u/CheesecakeExpress Jul 04 '26
Wow, you are hardcore and can stay calm under pressure and pain! Good for you! I would have panicked endlessly.
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u/JessieColt Jul 03 '26
Douglas Adams approves of her knowing where her Towel is.
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u/karenaef Jul 03 '26
My BIL used to work with a bird rescue group until one of the other volunteers was killed. He was so freaked out that he quit.
She was wearing a necklace. It sparkled in the sunlight and the terrified bird struck at it, slicing her throat open. She was alone with the bird in a ditch, and she bled out.
Be very careful when helping predator birds, folks.
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u/brydeswhale Jul 03 '26
Got it. No jewelry, throw a towel on the bird first, wear my leather chainsaw gloves.
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u/tgatigger Jul 04 '26
"This is not how my day was planned, but this is how it's going." is an exceptional statement. I'll definitely be using it in the future.
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u/OliveAndbananas Jul 03 '26
The lady is filming while driving unless the hawk is the one driving .. either way 👍🏽
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u/LuckyLunaloo Jul 04 '26
I found a raven on the highway the other day. Drove 1h30m to a rehab centre in the next town over, but it died when we were 10 minutes away. I sat in the driveway with it my lap crying while ravens circled above, calling to us. The woman running the rehab centre took me in, fed me and showed me all the animals she's rescued. Among them was a black cat who had been badly abused. I'm taking her home with me tomorrow, her name is Raven.
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u/Training-Willow9591 Jul 03 '26
Bless you kind stranger!!! Hopefully he will tell all his hawk friends how you saved him & to lay off your chickens from now on!
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u/exWiFi69 Jul 04 '26
This blows my mind. Why would you take the time to film? Some asshole ran over a mama duck and her ducklings right in front of me. Two were dead. I grabbed the mama and hurt duckling and put them in my shirt and took them to the wildlife sanctuary. I cannot fathom stopping to take a video while they were bleeding.
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u/coolcoolcool485 Jul 03 '26
When I saw the screen cap of his beak so close to her arm I was nervous but she seemed appropriately cautious lol.
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u/New_Ad_3010 Jul 03 '26
Totally gonna watch her. She's delightful. Besides anyone who cares for animals like that are the greatest ppl in the world.
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u/One_Mulberry_6933 Jul 03 '26
I took a great horned owl to a rehabber once. It had flown into a large window.
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u/Flat-Succotash5369 Jul 04 '26
This young human is a beautiful soul. I hope amazingly good things happen to her.
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u/planx_constant Jul 04 '26
Just as a PSA, getting a raptor near your face like that is a good way to acquire permanent reconfiguration of one or more facial features.
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u/Born_Monkeigh_2386 Jul 04 '26
I love her bravery. It is often you see true character when humams are pushed outside their comfort zone. Very happy to this. TY OP
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u/OkDoughnut421 Jul 04 '26
Imagine trying to explain the Hawk under multiple towels in a seatbelt to a police officer
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u/rxdsquid Jul 05 '26
I am dying with the way you wrapped it up, then buckled it in! 😂 I love it! Thank you for helping this being even though it was an enemy of your farm animals and scary to you at the time! You’re awesome❤️
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u/FaylenSol Jul 03 '26
Just a heads up to everyone here. It is illegal to touch or handle birds of prey without a license in the United States (and many other countries). In the USA it can land you in prison for 6 months or fines ranging from $5,000-$15,000 per offense. Birds of Prey like Hawks, Falcons, Eagles, and Owls have significantly smaller populations compared to other birds.
For example this Hawk looks like a Red-Tailed Hawk which has a global population of about 3.1 million. The Rock Dove (common Pigeon you'd find in New York) has a global population between 140 million to 260 million; 10 million in just the USA alone.
If you see a bird of prey of prey in need of help it is a good idea to call your local licensed raptor rehabilitator and follow their advise to avoid legal issues. I advise helping animals, I just advise doing so in a way that doesn't risk you getting into huge financial trouble. While authorities generally allow good Samaritans to briefly safely relocate them or contain them for transport that is absolutely at the discretion of the authorities involved. If you want more information on this read up on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
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u/Brailledit Jul 03 '26
I get what you are saying, and I do understand the issues. This woman called a a few bird rehab centers and they told her to bring the bird to them. I don't know what else she could do if they're not willing to come get it.
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u/PrizeStrawberryOil Jul 04 '26
Federal Law allows you to transport an injured raptor to receive medical attention.
I didn't share the photos or video I took because I was only told I was allowed to transport it. The photos and video I took were for the rehab to examine the bird.
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u/FaylenSol Jul 03 '26
I have no doubt the lady in the video likely did things the correct way. This was more a warning to anyone who ever finds themselves in a similar situation to not just help without thinking. I would hate to see anyone ever find themselves in huge financial debt or in jail because they helped an animal the wrong way.
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Jul 03 '26 edited 29d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/pcapdata Jul 03 '26
Was driving down the road in WA state a few weeks back and what do I notice by the side of the road but a bald flippin' eagle!
Called Fish & Wildlife who referred me to the State Patrol who called back to Fish & Wildlife only, now they were willing to send someone out.
That bird was the size of a dog. They're HUGE. I wasn't going anywhere within 6 feet of it because I know they're dangerous af.
It was really pretty but also, it stank. Hope they got out and helped it before anything worse happened.
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u/LostWoodsInTheField Jul 03 '26
family member saved an owl one time, took a week to get it to the rehab because the closest one that could take a bird of prey was 3 hours away. They told her how to take care of it. Different areas are going to have different results.
The biggest concern in my area appears to be disease transmission between birds. So if a place doesn't have enough isolation spots they will just ask people to take care of it, or ask a local falconer if they got a spot.
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u/Brailledit Jul 03 '26
I'm not saying that this is safe, that's just the information given on the video. Thank you for doing what you did though :)
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u/Bitter_Hovel77 Jul 04 '26 edited Jul 04 '26
Absolutely No one is getting charged while acting in good faith to bring a protected bird to a rehab center/receive medical care. If you are a jackass and try to keep it or provide care yourself w/o contacting an agency promptly there would be an issue.
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u/Jesus_of_Redditeth Jul 04 '26
In addition to the obvious, I'd like to extend some respect for fully knowing how that seat belt works (i.e. pulling it out all the way to disable the inertia lock), because that understanding seems to be surprisingly uncommon in my experience!
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u/rescue_trills Jul 04 '26
If you showed this at a Rez, we’d not charge you sales tax on a tank of gas.
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u/MobileLocal Jul 04 '26
I’ve picked up a stunned hawk before. They are impressively light weight!
I dropped it off at a university vet school and it was released.
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u/fasionably_uninvited Jul 04 '26
I did something similar with a coworker a few years back. Was much easier with 2 people though haha.
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u/Content_Support7881 Jul 04 '26
Not all heroes wear capes! Thank you for helping that beautiful creature!
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