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Mostly Cloudy Teaming up to save an animal’s life
When Arlene Zuckerman headed back toward the Long Island Rail Road station after visiting her parents in Valley Stream on July 17, she did not expect to see a bird measuring three-and-a-half feet in length come crashing to the pavement.
“I checked it out and found that the bird had crawled under a car,” she said. “It was bleeding badly.”
The Audubon Society member said she wasn’t scared to handle the rescue of the blue heron, a bird she would later carry in spite of its bone being exposed. Instead, she was surprised at how long it took her to find help for the creature, as the police did nor arrive at the scene until she called 911 for the third time.
Zuckerman said she hopes the public will show more care for injured wildlife, and local law enforcement and medical officials added that awareness needs to be spread about animal rescue procedures in the area.
Officer Chris Boccio, a six-year veteran at the Nassau County Police Department’s 5th Precinct, said Zuckerman did the right thing when she called 911 upon finding the heron. However, Zuckerman said she was dismayed at the initial responses she received from operators before Boccio was sent, which included being put on hold long enough to be disconnected.
“Luckily, I got a hold of a passionate, patient police officer, but it is hard to get someone to help,” she said. “This bird would have died terribly. There’s quite a lot of wildlife in Valley Stream, and we need people to be more compassionate.”
Boccio responded to Zuckerman’s third call and took the bird to Central Veterinary Associates in Valley Stream, where Dr. Ernest Vine and Dr. Leah Ottenbreit performed surgery on the heron with the advisement of Dr. John Charos, director of avian and exotics medicine. Charos said the bird sustained two broken bones and a compound fracture. Though pins were used to try to “save the wing,” Charos said it needed to be amputated last weekend.
