MARSHFIELD, WI (OnFocus) – As Melissa and Jim Gwiazda of Marshfield Monarchs were out looking for milkweed to feed to caterpillars, they stumbled upon a baby hawk in need of help.
The hawk, on the brink of starvation, was wandering through a field near his home which Melissa suspects was bulldozed.
The Gwiazdas drove the red-tailed hawk to Raptor Education Group Inc. in Antigo where he has begun his rehabilitation.
Marge Gibson of REGI said Pepe is doing well in captivity after coming into the facility in pretty rough shape.
“Pepe is still here and doing really well and will probably be released this fall,” Gibson said. “He tangled with a skunk and we’re so pleased that [Melissa and Jim] were able to catch him and transport him here. They saved his life and he’s doing well.”
Melissa said they have a plan in place for releasing Pepe back to his family.
“We should be getting to hopefully bring him home soon and release him,” Gwiazda said. “We want to release at our wastewater habitat as we think we MAY have found the rest of his family there.”
You too can help injured, sick or vulnerable birds. REGI is always looking for volunteers to transport birds to the REGI facility in Antigo from areas throughout Wisconsin. In a January interview with OnFocus, Gibson said they rely on the public as government agencies pull funding.
“We’re so grateful to the public,” Marge said. “More and more, we count on them because agencies are pulling financing. A lot of it falls to private sector, including us. We count on the public to fill in and help us.”
Visit http://www.raptoreducationgroup.org/ to learn more about REGI and how to help birds in your area.
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