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Great Blue Heron saved by Oakland County Sheriff deputies
A call for help in Oakland County had search and rescue crews rushing to Lake Louise — but it wasn’t a person who needed saving.
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - The Oakland County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue Team (SSRT) had an urgent call this weekend to help - but it wasn't a person who needed saving, it was a Great Blue Heron.
The majestic bird was trapped after getting its wings wrapped up in fishing line on Lake Louise, near Glass Road.
Around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, residents heard a bird squawking and called the sheriff for help. The SSRT arrived and deployed a boat onto the lake. As they neared the tree line, they discovered the bird was a Great Blue Heron.
What they're saying:
"It had become entangled and then snared in a fishing line," Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "More than likely it would’ve perished without being taken care of."
The team got close and was able to untangle the heron while using a blue covering to rescue the bird.
But this beautiful creature wasn't going down easily - it resisted capture for a while.
After a quick check-up, the bird was determined not to be hurt but it did have a lot of attitude.
The heron was set free and swam off thanks to the deputies' efforts.
The SSRT cleared out the fishing line to prevent another close call.
"It helps both our wildlife but also the community. There’s a great deal of anxiety and concern when they see some animal in distress and what we don’t want someone that’s not trained or capable of trying to go out on the ice for example to try to rescue an animal or approach an animal that may because of its fear state could possibly injure somebody," Bouchard said.
Oakland County has almost 400 lakes – meaning this won't be the last animal rescue for the SSRT.
The Source: FOX 2 spoke with the sheriff for details on the rescue.