Organization Helps Rehab Bird of Prey - Dallas, TX

Even a vulture deserved a little compassion at the holidays, said Kathy Weston Milacek of the DFW Wildlife Coalition recently after the bird was being treated by a Southlake, Texas vet for injuries sustained following being shot with an arrow.

"Luckily Animal Control was able to dart it and take it in for rehab," she said. "Sounds like 'the Dude' as he's been named, will make a full recovery and be back cleaning up our dead debris and roadkill in no time."

As of Dec. 22 the bird was still recuperating in the rehabilitation facility.

The Coalition (DFWwildlife.org) is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and specializes in wildlife conflict solutions and referrals with the motto "Sharing Our Cities and Backyards."

They may be contacted at 972-234-WILD (9453).

On Dec. 21 Inga Bowyer, president of GermanDeli.com in Fort Worth reported that the American Black vulture was "in the good hands of Dr. Greg Moore" at Southlake Vet Clinic who is a federally-permitted U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service bird rehabilitator.

"A staffer there told me he (the bird) looked pretty pathetic when he came into the clinic with both an arrow and a dart," said Bowyer. "However, they said he's recovering nicely and should go on to enjoy a nice, normal vulture life once he is rehabilitated and set free."

The week of the 21st the Coalition's hotline volunteer and wildlife artist Mary Anne Whittle, took a call from Bowyer in Southlake who had the vulture with an arrow through it, yet the bird was able to stand and still fly.

"She asked our advice on getting it some help and Mary Anne gave her options and we asked her to provide an update on its progress," explained Milacek. "We received a series of emails from Inga updating us on the vulture, which she has named 'the Dude.'"

Bowyer and her neighbor Mel were keeping track of the vulture.

"It's nice to know there are kind people locally that will watch out for an injured vulture for days and ensure that it gets the help it needs," wrote Milacek.

The game warden had said initially that he might stop by to get the injured bird off the roof when the vulture was shot but also said that he doubted there was any way to rescue it..

"I guess some idiot 'sportsman' can pat himself on the back for scoring a direct hit on a defenseless creature," said Bowyer. "I named him 'the Dude' and he hung around for about two hours after his fellow buzzards flew away. It was about 3 p.m. when he said goodbye (before he flew to another spot)."

The bird was perched on one of Bowyer's pipes on her roof and she took a few more photos of him from the backyard.

"Maybe he was annoyed with my paparazzi behavior, because with lots of flapping of wings he flew off to the south. I ran to the front of the house but couldn't see him anywhere," wrote Bowyer. " I checked neighbors' roofs and trees, but he was nowhere to be seen. I suspect hunger may have prompted him to move elsewhere."

Before the vulture rescue, Bowyer said she thought flying was probably "the best shot he has of getting the arrow dislodged without human intervention."

Earlier that afternoon two other vultures had joined the bird about two hours, according to Bowyer.

"He left about one hour after they flew away," she stated. "When he left he flew south and I couldn't see where he went. When he flew away the arrow was still in him."

The bird seems like he's on the mend.

"I suspect the vulture will do really well," Bowyer wrote to the Coalition. "Meanwhile my friends and I have fantasized what we'd like to do with the creep that used this hapless bird for target practice. Every scenario we dream about ends with him being fed to a vulture...assuming a vulture would be willing to stoop so low as to chomp on the carcass of such a lowlife."

"We really appreciate caring residents like Inga who care enough to keep track of an injured vulture for days until it could finally get the help it needed," said Milacek. "In fact, Inga was so appreciative of our support, that she's allowing us to place DFW Wildlife donation boxes at her store."

One day Bowyer saw "a gorgeous buzzard swooping gracefully" over her house several times.

"I wondered if 'the Dude' had already been released and was stopping by to say 'Howdy' to me," she said.