Today (Dec. 3) at noon, a peregrine falcon who was shot in the wing will take flight once again, after an 18-month struggle to survive.
Haya came to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in June of 2011 with a fractured bone in her wing, the result of a gunshot wound. By her markings, the falcon was identified as Haya, who made her nest beneath Oakland’s Fruitvale Bridge, with her mate Hiko and two chicks.
Haya’s fractured wing was repaired by Dr. Shannon Riggs, but it was only the beginning of her troubles – she developed a serious bone infection, had multiple surgeries and molted a completely new set of feathers.
Ten days after she was brought into Lindsay, one of Haya’s chicks, Marina, was also admitted. She had also been shot in the wing. Her fractured bone was successfully pinned together and she recovered well.
After her struggles, master falconer Jim DeRoque worked with Haya for many hours to prepare her for release.
Today, all of that effort comes to fruition at Point Pinole Regional Park as the staff and a collection of well-wishers gather to release Haya back into the skies, and wish her a safe journey. One that is hopefully free this time from random acts of human violence.
