When Wildlife Changes Your Plans

Ever hear that saying, “If you wanna make God laugh, tell Him your plans?” … Well, that was our day on Friday. (This critter is going to be the death of me.)

This time of year we are slammed with just about every type of critter, and Friday was no exception. We started our day early and had just finished our second job. On our way to the third job, out of nowhere, a Pileated Woodpecker flew across the front of the truck!

Thankfully, it wasn’t a busy road, so we pulled over and found the bird just sitting there looking around in the grass. After making a few calls, we were able to get the Wildlife Center in York, Maine to take him.

We secured the bird, and he got to ride shotgun! As you can imagine, out went the rest of our well-made plans for the day.

We always tell our customers—the only consistency when dealing with wildlife is that there is NONE!

The Center for Wildlife in York, ME is an amazing facility, and the staff couldn’t be nicer. They are a non-profit organization whose mission is to build a sustainable future for wildlife in our community through medical treatment, rehabilitation, educational outreach, research, and conservation activities. They host events, tours, and educational programs—it really is a great place to visit.

They took the bird directly out back to examine him while we filled out the necessary forms. We were given a slip with his ID number (which allows you to follow his progress), and they even discussed the ability for us to take him back to where the incident occurred to re-release him in familiar surroundings. What a great idea!

After a short visit and finishing the paperwork, we wished the critter well and went on our way. We checked in on him this weekend, and at that point he was alert and bouncing around his new environment—so fingers crossed!

If you are interested in donating to this great organization, visit them online. If you want to learn more about the Critter Getters at Advanced Wildlife Control, visit our About Us page.