CROW admits 5,000th patient of 2019, a hawk showing effects of poisoning

SANIBEL, Fla. -- The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) says they're taken in their 5,000th animal rescue of the year, an 11% increase in total patients over last year.

CROW says the red-shouldered hawk was found sitting under a hedge, unable to flay and brought into their clinic on Friday.

A veterinarian says the hawk showed "a classic sign of anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning.” The bird received a blood transfusion from another current patient in the clinic and is expected to fully recover.

Staff says red-shouldered hawks have frequented the wildlife hospital in 2019 with 94 individuals admitted.

“The number of patients admitted to our hospital continues to grow year after year,” says Alison Charney Hussey, executive director for CROW. “We continue to need the support of our community. As a nonprofit, we rely on grants, donations from the public, money raised through our Visitor Education Center and our fundraising events to ensure we are able to provide top-notch medical care to each and every animal that comes through our doors.”