The Osprey who was impaled by fishing hooks and left dangling from a power line has been released. Several weeks ago, an adult Osprey was found dangling from a power line in Mattapoisett. He was 20 feet up and had one end of a fishing lure through his foot and the other end lodged deep into his left pectoral muscle. The entanglement caused him to become stuck upside down on the line and he was left struggling to free himself. After a significant rescue effort, he was brought to our hospital for treatment.
Once in care, the Osprey received emergency surgery to remove the hooks and close the large wounds they left behind. He was initially in critical condition, but after two long weeks of cage rest, antibiotics, pain medications, assisted feedings, and wound management his condition began to improve. Shortly after, he was deemed strong enough to move to the outdoor flight cage and begin to spread his wings again. Before long he was flying and eating on his own. This morning he received his final veterinary exam and was cleared for release.
Wildlife care in Massachusetts is often a team effort, and this was no exception. Multiple agencies jumped in to help this bird and together we were able to give him a second chance in the wild. We would like to thank Massachusetts Environmental Police for transporting him, Town of Mattapoisett Department of Natural Resource Officers Mark Patnaude and Marc Folco for responding and freeing him, and Eversource MA for assisting with the rescue and making sure both people and animals were safe throughout the effort.
We are very grateful for the happy ending on this one, but please remember to clean up your fishing tackle because not all animals get this lucky.