We all make mistakes—even our feathered friends. Sometimes you get yourself into a literal sticky situation and need a kind stranger to help you. That’s exactly what happened to a young hawk. In Arizona, a man named Gregory “Greg” Scott Schriner can be seen working to remove cactus spines that are stuck in the bird’s feathers. Though it took place on October 24, 2015, a video of the rescue has just recently gone viral on Reddit.
Over about two and a half minutes, Schriner uses a knife to calmly and efficiently scrape the spines. He holds the bird’s beak so that it can’t get away while shucking a group of needles from underneath the creature’s head and another from its wing. As he works, he narrates what he’s doing to the camera. “Here you go, buddy,” the man says quietly after removing more of the spines.
As the video progresses, you think that all of the spines have been removed; but, as Schriner examines the hawk—picking out a single spine or two—another cluster appears on the feathers on its back. It’s undoubtedly painful, and in the end, not all the needles were removed. But it’s clear Schriner provided immense relief, and the creature flies away as soon as it’s set free.
Reddit users applauded the man for being gentle and helping the bird. Others were amazed it remained so calm. “I’d expect them to fight but sometimes animals know we are trying to help…” one commenter wrote. “I helped band birds in college,” another user replied. “It doesn't work as well on raptors, but in the beginning the guy has the hawk on its back. This causes tonic immobility, which is like a hypnotic state that disorients and effectively paralyzes birds.”
If this video’s resurgence proves anything, it’s that kindness is always cool and always worth sharing.
Source: Man helps a young hawk covered in cactus bristles and having difficulty flying; Brave man removes cactus thorns from injured hawk
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