provided to The Santiva Chronicle
A juvenile Common Gallinule that came to the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel Island as a chick with a severe eye infection in May has been released back into the yard where it was originally found.
Fort Myers resident Joyce Stefano rescued the Common Gallinule, along with three of its siblings. While they all suffered an eye infection that was obscuring their vision, there was one that unfortunately did not survive, and one with a persistent infection that took longer to heal.
On August 24, the last of these siblings at CROW had grown into a healthy, fully flighted juvenile believed to be able to survive independently in the wild. Stefano was present for all of the Common Gallinule sibling releases in Fort Myers.
“I had a wonderful experience letting the rehabbed birds go,” says Stefano. “I’m so happy … [CROW] brought them back all healed up!”
Juvenile Common Gallinules are commonly found around freshwater marshes, ponds, and wetlands, where they swim among reeds and aquatic plants.
CROW has been saving wildlife since 1968. Community members who find injured or sick wildlife are encouraged to call CROW at (239) 472-3644 ext. 222. Learn more at crowclinic.org.