ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WWJ) – A sandhill crane with an injured beak has found a new home at the Detroit Zoo.
The Detroit Zoological Society says the crane was recently found in Commerce Township with a piece of rubber band tightly wrapped around his lower beak.
Officials say the rubber band cut off blood supply to the area, causing the beak to crack and break off.
“This is one of the harmful effects of human-created pollution in these birds’ natural habitat,” DZS officials said.
Unable to eat on his own, it was determined the sandhill crane would die if returned to the wild.
DZS staff say they plan to develop a prosthetic beak for the bird, but in the meantime, he has learned a new way to eat his special diet – something they say he wouldn’t be able to do if released back into the wild.
DZS veterinarians also discovered buckshot in one of the bird’s legs.
“Sandhill cranes were once at risk of extinction due to hunting, habitat loss and low reproduction rates,” officials said.
The society says they oppose a proposed recreational hunting season of cranes in Michigan because “it could jeopardize the continued recovery of these birds, which are part of the natural ecosystem and popular with birdwatchers.”
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Since his rescue in September, the bird has undergone quite the transformation, according to the DZS.
“He represents an iconic, native Michigan species and we can’t wait to see him join the two other sandhill cranes here at the Zoo,” said DZS Associate Curator of Birds Bonnie Van Dam.
The crane has joined two others at the zoo who were rescued with injuries in the wild.
One of the previously rescued cranes was found as a chick in 2002 with a wing problem and rescuers determined he would not survive in the wild.
The other crane was rescued in 2015 with a badly injured wing, leading to a required amputation of the wing tip, which left him unable to fly.
The three cranes will be visible in the American Grasslands habitat near Buddy’s Pizza, when weather permits, the DZS says.
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