When this orphaned baby pigeon was brought into a parks department office, the woman who accepted the hatchling did the right thing and contacted animal control—but unfortunately, animal-control officers didn't do the right thing. Although they said they'd come get the bird, they didn't show up. So the tenacious lady made another smart move: She called PETA.

The little one was lethargic, having been without his parents for so long, so PETA's caseworker quickly called the agency responsible for rescue and rehabilitation for animal control and had it expedite care. You'll be glad to know that the pigeon was successfully rehabbed. His future looks bright—or, as the caseworker put it, "He is going to be a rock star among pigeons."

What You Can Do

If you want to be a rock star among pigeons (or any other animals), all you have to do is be ready to offer assistance when they're in trouble—and don't give up until they receive the help they need.

When a resident at an apartment complex in Indianapolis spotted two baby birds trapped inside a dryer vent on the outside of one of the buildings, one fledgling was already dead but the other was alive and chirping.

The resident called PETA for help, and we immediately got in touch with the complex's after-hours emergency maintenance crew. Personnel rushed to the building to remove the vent's cover, and within 45 minutes of the resident's worried call, the little fledgling was free. The mother had stood nearby watching, and the reunited birds hopped away together.

No one can be sure how the birds became stuck in the dryer vent, but it's likely that the cover had fallen off and the mother bird had built a nest inside. When the maintenance team replaced the cover, it had unknowingly trapped the baby birds.

PETA's national-pager carriers often get these types of calls. Mother animals have their babies in unexpected places, and when people do home repairs, they can trap animals without meaning to. While completing your summer around-the-house list, watch out for wildlife, and if you do see any animals who may have become trapped, call animal control, wildlife rehabilitators, or PETA for help.

Here are six really good reasons why PETA's dog park was temporarily closed yesterday:
 

 
Sorry, curious canines—no duckling sniffing for you!

PETA's headquarters and adjacent dog park overlook the Elizabeth River, which is home to all sorts of wildlife, including ducks, geese, egrets, cormorants, ospreys, muskrats, and even the occasional dolphin pod. Right now, we're in the thick of baby-duck and -goose season, so we're extra vigilant. A sign on the road leading to PETA's headquarters warns drivers to slow down and keep an eye out for goslings, who frequently cross the road with their parents. And if some baby ducks want to catch some rays on the dog park dock, we're happy to transform it into a duck park for the afternoon.

Got wildlife babies? See our tips for ensuring their safe transition to wildlife adulthood. 
 

Written by Alisa Mullins