Paying keen attention to our surroundings can often yield remarkable miracles.
When Imgur user jevausie left her downtown Louisville office one day, she spotted something peculiar.
A tiny bird, all on its own, was standing quite still against her office building's exterior wall.
She inched herself closer to the bird, trying to see if it would fly away, but it didn't move a muscle. From this strange behavior, she discerned it was likely a baby who'd fallen out of its nest, and desperately needed help.
This diligent animal lover immediately called Raptor Rehab, a nearby birds of prey rescue facility. A volunteer instructed her to wrap the baby bird in a soft blanket, and bring it to their facility at once. So, she did as she was told, gifting this baby bird safe haven from the mean city streets.
Once at the rescue, she learned that this bird was, in fact, a young male American kestrel. The rescue even honored her with the opportunity to name him. She chose a strong name: Viktor.
The rescue then started Viktor down his long rehabilitating road toward re-release back into the wild.
Keep scrolling to learn more about this amazing bird rescue!
One day, when Imgur user jevausie left her office, a strange sight caught her eye.
A little fledgling — some sort of bird of prey — had nestled itself against her office building's exterior wall, all alone amidst the hustle and bustle of downtown Louisville.
As this curious young woman inched herself closer to the bird, it made no real effort to fly away.
So, she called Raptor Rehab, optimistic they'd help her figure out what to do.
After consulting with professionals about the situation, they instructed her to wrap him in something cozy, and bring him over to their facility right away.
Because his current surroundings were busy with all sorts of moving people, cars, feral cats, and who knows what other sorts of predators, being at their birds of prey rescue facility was this little bird's best chance at survival.
Following her marching orders, his rescuer promptly wrapped him in a blanket, and cozied him up in her dog's extra car crate.
While he didn't seem injured, he was certainly terrified during the drive.
He laid on his side for most of the journey, "playing dead" to dissuade predatory attack.
Once this bird made it safely to the rescue, volunteers accurately identified him as a young male American kestrel.
They even let his rescuer name him. She chose, Viktor — after Viktor Krum of the Harry Potter book series.
Safe and sound at the bird sanctuary, little Viktor started loosening up a bit — even trying to befriend the bird illustration on this volunteer's shirt.
The rescue soon paired him with a few other American kestrels, Pinky Lee and Jack, who would act as Viktor's foster family.
These two had once been pets. However, their original owner turned them over to the rescue when they became too much for him.
By the time they'd made it to the rescue, though, they were already human-imprinted, so they'll likely live the rest of their lives at the sanctuary rather than in the wild.
And so, Viktor began his new life at the sanctuary, building up strength each day to, in due time, make his way back out into the wild.
Thanks to one passerby's keen eye, this little American kestrel escaped a terrible fate.
What do you think of this bird rescue? Have you ever helped a struggling animal? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
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