One day, Reed, the Red-tailed Hawk, swooped down to catch a mouse near the road when, “bam!” he was hit by a car! Reed suffered a broken ulna (wing bone) that left him unable to fly and in a lot of pain.

Reed was rescued and treated in our Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Our volunteer veterinarian, orthopedic specialist Dr. Holly Pollard-Wright, performed surgery here at WHS to surgically stabilize Reed’s broken wing. After several weeks of treatment, which included medication for pain and infection, and eventually, physical therapy, Reed was moved to an outside aviary for flight conditioning.

After a few weeks of exercise, Reed’s wing was completely healed and he had regained his muscle-tone and strength. He was released in his familiar home range, and our wildlife rehabilitators cheered when he soared into the skies, strong and free again!