- November 18, 2024
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A young sandhill crane struck by car July 11 got a quick rescue after someone called the Sheriff’s Office to report the injured bird.
Agricultural and Ranch Deputy Steve Williams — who helped rescue a distressed raccoon exactly one month earlier, on June 11 — took the call and drove out to Grand Reserve Drive in Bunnell to help the crane, which lay in the grass alongside the road with what looked like a broken leg, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
He approached the bird cautiously, and it folded its wings and lay down in the grass. Williams said he “believed that the young bird knew he was there to help, as the bird did not offer any resistance as he picked it up,” according to the press release.
Williams placed the bird in a large cage he uses in his duties as the agency's Agricultural and Ranch deputy, then called the East Coast Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Port Orange.
The rehab center’s owner, Sherriann Wentworth, met with Williams and took the bird to the center to nurse it back to health.
“We are fortunate to have Deputy Williams as our agricultural and ranch officer, along with people like Ms. Wentworth who make themselves available to respond and rescue distressed and injured animals from what often can be a case of certain death,” Sheriff James L. Manfre said in the news release.
To report injured wildlife, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 352-732-1225 during normal business hours, or 888-404-3922 at night or on the weekends.
For more information on East Coast Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, visit eastcoastwildliferehab.com.
