Birds do look magnificent in the air, even from afar. More than their mighty and colorful feathers, they are truly a symbol of freedom.
They can just fly wherever they want with nothing to stop them.
When they land, though, predator becomes prey.
Though birds are agile, there are some animals that are extremely good at camouflaging themselves in order to sneak up on their prey.
Thankfully, there are a couple of things that can protect birds from an oncoming attack. Of course, their wings (to fly away), their beak (to poke the enemy), and their feet (to run for flightless birds or claw predators).
Unfortunately, the bird in this story lacks the last one.
Her feet were knuckling.
She is a Northern Mockingbird and because of her foot condition, she can’t open them to stand or perch. In order to walk, she must stand on the tips of her toes which were all curled under.
Every move gave her nothing but further damage and injuries.
It’s too much pain for a bird of her size. Just imagine the everyday struggle of this little bird, it must’ve been really a challenge for it to be as mobilized as her fellow winged animals.
Thankfully, she landed in the right facility and with the right people.
She was brought to the California Wildlife Center after being rescued from the wild. Her feet were both deformed, all curled down and pinned to the ground.
The kind veterinary staff stepped into action to put an end to the bird’s agony.
They made her “snowshoes”!
Yes, the ones that you wear to walk on thick layers of ice during winter. Although it was summer when they crafted them, the vets knew the shoes would save her.
The “snowshoes” are specially designed to help the bird get back on her feet by making them lie flat. The hope is it will realign her tiny feet back to their normal shape.
This is not the first time a bird has had to sport some cute kicks.
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According to Dr. Lorraine Barbosa:
“In this particular case, the bird had the shoes on for one week. We will generally keep the shoes on for 5-7 days (depending on the severity of the knuckling) then remove them and see if the bird maintains its digits in correct positioning without the shoes.”
And they were not disappointed with the results!
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In just a week, the Northern Mockingbird’s feet were no longer knuckled. They’re back to the original form.
Dr. Lorraine Barbosa also added:
“The birds generally tolerate the shoes very well, walking fairly normally with them on, and in cases where they have only one foot with a shoe and the other without, they will even perch on ropes or branches.”
After being given the green bill of health, they eventually released the bird back into the wild where she can continue living freely as she’s supposed to be.
We can’t thank the California Wildlife Center enough for all the hard work they’re putting in to preserve and protect wildlife creatures like this Northern Mockingbird.
To know more about the California Wildlife Center and to see more of their rescue stories, you can visit their website.
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