I've been a volunteer with Toronto Wildlife Centre for almost eight years and have had the opportunity to experience things that I won't ever forget. While I love providing hands-on care for animals at the hospital, being able to contribute by participating in rescues and releases is where my heart lies.
Of all the animals we find in distress in the wild, I'm probably most affected by the innocent lives that are on the verge of being destroyed by garbage that has not be properly discarded. Probably because it is so debilitating, and so senseless.
This young Wood Duck, still not old enough to fly, was found by some local birders at a pond in Oshawa and reported to Toronto Wildlife Centre. He had something protruding from his mouth. It turns out that someone's mesh bag that at one time contained garlic was lodged in his throat. Had the "GARLIC" tag not been sticking out of his mouth, nobody would have known that this bird was suffering. He would have died a slow and painful death.
Although he was still with his mother and sister in the pond, other birds were starting to pick on him, and he was having difficulty eating.
I met up with TWC's rescue team and, after an extremely tricky and exhausting rescue (it's amazing how fast and camouflaged these little guys are in high grass!) we were able to capture this duck.
Once back at the Centre he was examined and we learned that surgery was not required. A slow and delicate extraction process, some rest, and a good meal and we were able to release this duck back to his home and family.
He was one of the lucky ones.
Please discard your garbage properly. Throwing it in the right bin is part of it, but there's more you can do. If you've ever been to a landfill you may have witnessed birds, mammals and rodents sifting through torn garbage bags. Our garbage may still be accessible to wildlife long after it leaves our homes. String and fishing line can get wrapped around wings or ingested, so cut it up before tossing. Plastic fast food drinking cups are inviting for skunks and other animals, who squeeze their head through the hole in the lid to get the last few drops of liquid, but they can't remove the lid afterwards. Also very damaging are the plastic six-pack rings. All of this should be cut up before discarding. It only takes a few extra seconds but very well worth the effort.
Here are a few "before and after" photos of this very lucky duck. Thank you to Toronto Wildlife Centre for all of the great experiences you've given me, and for helping this Wood Duck get back to his family.
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| Wood Duck after having ingested mesh Garlic bag that was not properly discarded. |
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| Sarrah releasing the Wood Duck |
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| Enjoying Freedom! |
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| Have you seen my Mom? |
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| A very happy ending for Mom (right) and Son! |
