Osprey slowly recovering after being shot at in West Miami-Dade

WEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – An osprey that came in to a Miami-Dade County rehabilitation center a few weeks after being shot at was supposed to be released Thursday morning. However, the poor injured bird is still not fully recuperated.

According to officials, the osprey was found in a West Miami-Dade backyard near Zoo Miami after it had been shot in its left wing.

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Thankfully, Wildlife Rescue of Miami-Dade stepped in to save it.

“I don’t know why someone would shoot an osprey,” said a wildlife official. “The only thing I can think of is someone would confuse it with a bird that’s predating on their live stock.”

Currently, the wildlife rescue rehabilitation center has two osprey who are both recovering. The birds are kept in a special large cage with a pool with live fish in it.

The first step of recovery is an x-ray.

“The ulna just beyond the elbow was broken, so we wrapped it to immobilize it just like putting a cast on somebody’s arm,” explained Brown. “We left it there for several weeks, and then we took it off. Then, we let it start flying. It was flying beautifully until today.”

Unfortunately, Brown says the osprey can’t get off the ground. Therefore, doctors need to reassess the injuries.

There is no timeline on this type of rehabilitation, so, as far as when the ospreys will be released, it remains unclear.

However, they need to be released by water, so, when able to, they’ll be able to fly off near feeding estates.


About the Author:

Annaliese Garcia joined Local 10 News in January 2020. Born and raised in Miami, she graduated from the University of Miami, where she studied broadcast journalism. She began her career at Univision. Before arriving at Local 10, she was with NBC2 (WBBH-TV) covering Southwest Florida. She's glad to be back in Miami!