Rescued Osprey Succumbs To Injuries

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Cartoons depict firefighters rescuing stranded cats from trees, but recently, the U.S. Naval Academy's "Fighting 46" fire department found itself on a similar call, except it was for a frightened osprey.

The poor bird had become entangled in fishing wire and ultimately trapped in a tree along the Severn River on Greenbury Point. A boater noticed the bird's plight and eventually, Nancy McDonald was notified. McDonald is a volunteer transporter for the Owl Moon Raptor Center in Boyds. When she finally located the bird, she found it hanging by its feet at least 20 feet up in the air and she instantly was alarmed.

"I was afraid that we had gotten there too late, then all of a sudden it began flapping its wings,” McDonald told WTOP.

She asked the Fighting 46 for help and five firefighters with Rescue Engine 47 showed up with a chainsaw. It took two hours, but they eventually were able cut down the dead tree, angling it to where the tree would land on soft grass and keep the bird safe at the top of the tree. Once the young osprey was within arm's reach, McDonald moved in. It was being treated for wounds on its wings and left leg caused by the fishing line at Owl Moon Raptor Center, but sadly, the center announced that the bird succumbed to its injuries.

They were hoping to release it back into the wild to find its parents so it could migrate southward and were optimistic about her prognosis.

"Unfortunately, there was more to her condition than was visible, and sadly she died suddenly and unexpectedly this morning (Aug. 13). Her symptoms, which came on rapidly, indicated she suffered from a condition called Capture Myopathy. Capture Myopathy occurs in wild and domestic animals as a result of extreme exertion, struggle or stress. In wild animals, it is often a result of human trapping or capture but can be the result of other causes of extreme muscle exertion and stress, such as entanglement. Severe muscle damage results from a build-up of lactic acid, which in turn causes elevated respiratory, heart rate and body temperature, and ultimately death," the center shared on its Facebook page.