Ruffled�Feathers Parrot�Sanctuary Inc.

�I was actually out picking up an earlier goose from surgery � from a vet that helps us � when I got this call about an injured heron rescue that needed a ride. I won�t go too deep into it, but let�s just say another vet wasted my entire day and made that poor goose suffer until Friday, when a good vet could fit us in. Acted like I was doing something shady. A needed wing surgery I offered to pay for? Yeah, not that shady. ?


I was treated pretty horribly. Not the first time either� but it will be the last. I just can�t, in good conscience, recommend them anymore. I�d hate for someone I sent there to be treated the way I was.

Meeting Fish & Wildlife Mid-Rescue
Anyway, the Fish & Wildlife officer was pretty far out; however, he was willing to meet halfway, which is kind of our routine at this point. I�ve probably helped them with half a dozen different things already this year�and I swear, at least a few were herons. Seems like I�ve had a lot of herons already this year�


Therefore, in Shepherdsville, I transferred this one from the storage tote he was in and wrapped him up in my patented sheet burrito. He thought I was a little nuts sitting that burrito on my front seat�especially since the cab cage was already occupied by our one-winged wonder goose. But hey, no problems on the ride home. Not my first rodeo. ?


The officer didn�t want to have to put the heron down if there was a chance it could recover. He thought it might just be a dislocated leg�but I think it was a lot more than that. I couldn�t examine it too well on my own, but I did find what looked like a gunshot wound.


And for the life of me, I cannot imagine why anyone would shoot one of these birds but it happens all the time. What�because they�re stealing fish?? We had one here once swiping koi from our pond. Did I shoot it? No. I built a pergola over the pond and threw up a shade cloth. Boom. Problem solved. Now they can�t even see the pond from above. Bonus: it keeps the sun off the water and cuts down algae. Win-win. But I�m not gonna lie�that pergola was a pain to build. Younger me was definitely in better shape. ?


The heron got our usual �one-night-only� bucket of fish and shrimp, and it did eat. But I never saw it stand. Even when I helped, tried to get it upright on what I hoped was the good leg. I don�t think it actually had a good leg. One looked dislocated, and the other�the one the officer thought was dislocated�was just flat-out broken. And let�s not forget the whole possibly being shot thing. That couldn�t have helped.


To my surprise, it made it through the night. So I got it delivered and even got updates on some of my recent favorites I�d taken out there. I�ll go update their posts too, but quick highlights: the opossum with the horrible face injury is healing beautifully. So beautifully, in fact�she had babies! And they�re all doing great. ?


The four newborn raccoons are thriving�chittering nonstop and eating like little fuzzy garbage vacuums. I think they already have about a dozen newborns this year, which tells me� 2025 is gonna be wild.


Although a lot of folks around here talk bad about Fish & Wildlife, honestly? I don�t get it. It�s not their job to rehab. They�ve got wildlife crimes to investigate and laws to enforce�and probably not nearly enough staff to go around. I�ve never had a bad experience with them. In my experience, they�ve always seemed like good folks�just trying to protect our critters. If they were out here running injured animals all over the state full-time, they wouldn�t have time to do their actual job.


But hey, nobody ever really wants to hear how I feel about things. ?


Thanks for reading this injured heron rescue story � and enjoy your day, y�all. ?

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