New York bird hospital saves creatures from urban life

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New York bird hospital saves creatures from urban life.
Olivia Snarski fills out a form for an inured bird brought to the Wild Bird Fund, a non-profit animal medical group, for sick, injured or orphaned wildlife in New York City, US, on June 14, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS

NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Olivia Snarski was cleaning out the apartment of a friend who had recently died when she found a bird lying against a wall with a broken bone.

Snarski brought the injured bird to The Wild Bird Fund on Manhattan's Upper West Side.

"There is so much death in the world and I just wish that we all can help one another and inconvenience ourselves more often," said Olivia Snarski.

The organization has been treating sick and injured birds since 2005.

Most are brought in by Good Samaritans like Snarski, said Eugene Oda who examines incoming birds.

"Right now it's baby bird season and it's very, very hard for us. We get over 50 birds a day. People find all these baby birds on the ground."

Inside the small facility, a team of staff and volunteers tends to hundreds of birds every day, providing food, medicine, care and cleaning.

Common city birds like pigeons and sparrows, are treated alongside falcons, ducks, and a single white swan.

"They do need help out there. The city life is extremely dangerous. There is so much danger out there that birds can get into," said Eugene Oda.

At last check, Snarski's bird was on the mend.

Hopefully, it will be among the hundreds of healed birds released back into the wilds of New York City.

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