“It was flopping around a little bit, and I asked the
wildlife rehabilitation person what I should do,” Guetzke said.
Guetzke was called to a county road in the town of Jackson
in Washington County to help a red-tailed hawk that was stuck in a power line
35 feet off the ground. Guetzke de-energized the line and, with advice from
Wanakia Wildlife’s rehabilitation expert Marty Thompson, freed the bird’s stuck
talon.
“He was able to throw a blanket over the bird and get her
down, and once he got her down I pretty much whisked her away,” Thompson said.
After its rescue, Dr. Molly Lien of Brook-Falls Veterinary
Hospital worked with Thompson to assess the bird’s condition.
“In the case
of this red-tailed hawk, she had pretty significant wounds on one of her legs,
so we had to do a few surgeries to close those wounds and get them to heal
properly,” Lien said.
The hawk
spent her time at Wanakia Wildlife as her injuries healed.
After eight weeks of recovery, the hawk was ready to leave. Those who were involved in the rescue and rehabilitation process gathered
June 27 at the spot where the bird was found and watched her fly
away.
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| Guetzke, Thompson and Lien |
“They’re
heroes,” said Thompson of Guetzke, Lien and the sheriff who responded to the
call and stayed there until the hawk was brought down from the power line. “It
took everybody to all work together for the cause of one bird to get her back
out. It is just amazing.”
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