Great Egret Rescue – California Wildlife Encounters

Today I received a unique rescue call for a Great Egret that was seen gasping for air because it had a fish stuck in its throat for at least 2 days. The caller stated that she tried for 2 days to get help but no one was available until she was put in contact with me. Laura Morin and myself responded immediately to the rural location. Once on scene, the frightened egret panicked and flew across to another property. This made the challenging rescue much more difficult because the flighted egret was out in an open field. I then slowly and methodically stalked the egret. I used the birds blind side to my advantage and was able to safely capture the injured egret. I quickly did a field assessment and noted severe lacerations on the egrets mouth, neck and esophagus. These open wounds were caused by the catfishes sharp spiny 2 inch long barbs that impaled the egrets throat. We then rushed the egret to Animal Medical Center in Auburn for treatment. The ArmOR Hand Animal Handling Gloves made this rescue possible and provided the needed protection against the sharp beak of the egret. These beaks can do a considerable amount of damage and protection is needed.