In late January, the staff at Pelican Harbor Seabird Station were alerted to a disturbing incident: a woman had witnessed a fisherman throw a large rock at a Great White Heron that had attempted to steal his fish. The large white bird was later found hiding in the grass near the water, its right wing drooping and bleeding heavily.
X-rays revealed a fractured humerus with two breaks, prompting swift emergency surgery. The bone fragments were expected to take several weeks to heal.
Now, after several months of recovery, the bird has been set free.
Video footage that Pelican Harbor shared with New Times shows the moment the elegant bird steps out of its cage and takes flight near Key Biscayne, finally free again.
The Great White Heron lives primarily in mangroves, tidal shallows, and coastal ponds in peninsular Florida. The majestic bird is known for having the "largest, heaviest bills," typically a distinct yellow-orange color, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Under Florida law, any person who intentionally commits an act against an animal that "results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering" commits aggravated animal cruelty — a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
On February 7, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) arrested 34-year-old Edgar Estuardo Valenzuela for injuring the bird. He was charged with offenses involving harm to federally protected wildlife after admitting to hurling rocks at the heron, according to FWC officials.
Valenzuela, who was an undocumented immigrant, was reportedly deported back to Guatemala by immigration officials, according to Local 10.
