Our own staff veterinarian Dr. Rebecca Duerr was on The Today Show to talk about Bird Rescue’s care of injured baby herons from an unfortunate situation in Oakland, CA involving the trimming of ficus trees that disrupted an urban rookery.
We are proud to have reached out to the proprietor of the tree-trimming business, Ernesto Pulido, early on in this case. Mr. Pulido was contrite and offered remuneration for the cost of the birds’ care, which included surgical procedures.
In mid-May, we invited Mr. Pulido to our San Francisco Bay center to check in on these animals — an invitation he quickly accepted. It was a wonderful meeting; we believe this situation can serve as a powerful cautionary tale on the consequences of tree-trimming in the spring, when nesting is in high gear.
Meanwhile, the injured birds are doing well at our center and are nearing a release date.
More: Director’s note on the Oakland heron incident