CROW continues to treat hawk saved from vehicle grill
A red-shouldered hawk that was admitted to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife Visitor Center on Sanibel last month after getting stuck in the grill of a moving truck continues to receive treatment.
On Sept. 30, the juvenile hawk was rushed to CROW after being freed from the grill by the driver. According to officials, the truck was traveling across Alligator Alley in the Everglades the day before when it struck the bird. The driver was unaware anything was in the truck’s grill until the next day.
“The next morning when he went to leave, he saw the feathers in the grill,” Kyle Abbott, a CROW veterinary intern, said.
Believing the hawk was dead, the driver tried to remove it and realized it was alive.
“He had to cut part of the grill plate off from underneath it,” he said of what it took to free it.
The hawk was dull and quiet upon arrival, raising questions about neurological issues.
“He was trying to bite us, but he wasn’t able to fully stand on his own,” Abbott said.
Once the hawk was stabilized, CROW was able to determine his injuries.
“We found he had fractured his forearm,” he said of the left wing.
“The fracture was in a difficult place to get it,” Abbott added.
The hawk underwent surgery on Oct. 1, then was placed in a body wrap to minimize movement. A split was used to stabilize the break, followed with pain medication, an anti-inflammatory and antibiotics.
“We placed metal pins into both of the bones,” he said.
A third cross pin was also used, which helps to keep the other pins aligned.
“His neurological status improved,” Abbott said.
On Oct. 4, staff began physical therapy on the injured wing, with sessions planned every other day. Physical therapy is important to prevent contracture and to maintain muscles needed for flight.
“We try and do physical therapy as soon as we can,” he said.
The hawk began eating on its own a few days later.
“He is eating great,” Abbott said on Oct. 8. “Most of the swelling has gone down.”
Bandage changes and physical therapy were now held every three days.
However, a second surgery had to be performed on Oct. 16 to reset the pins after recent radiographs revealed that the fracture sites were still unstable and had not started to form a bony callous. The hawk was again placed within a body wrap to help minimize movement of the wing, according to officials.
His condition remained guarded, but should improve once the bony callous forms.
Abbott explained that injuries to birds are typically from “glancing blows” of moving vehicles, not getting stuck in their grill. However, hawks do like to hunt in the low grasses found along roads.
He recommended being cautious, specially in the evening hours when wildlife may be out.