A peregrine falcon dubbed “Swifty” has become a celebrity of sorts after he crash-landed at a Taylor Swift concert.
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Taylor was about to open her set at Accor Stadium in Australia in Feb. when the bird of prey quite literally fell out of the sky, according to Jess Crause, a wildlife rehabilitator with the Sydney Wildlife Rescue. Venue staff assumed he was suffering from heat exhaustion. So they offered him water and thought he’d fly away after resting—but he didn’t. So they called the wildlife rescue for help.
Jess answered the call and headed to the stadium where she was met by “friendly” Taylor Swift fans who were eager to see her work. Dressed in protective gear, she carefully wrangled the dangerous raptor and got him into a cage as quickly as possible.
“Swifty could not fly, so he was not too difficult to contain,” said Jess. “I used a large towel and made sure to cover the body, feet, and head.”
Peregrine Falcon Rescued From Taylor Swift Concert is Recuperating At a Wildlife Hospital
Fortunately, the human Swifties were kind enough to leave the struggling peregrine falcon alone, and the music hadn’t started yet. So he wasn’t overly stressed. Jess also did a quick check of the bird and didn’t see any noticeable fractures or wounds. He did look obviously dehydrated, but Jess felt confident that he would be okay.
“I was really glad that he was contained and leaving that environment,” she continued. “I was relieved he was caught before any music started and before the stadium was at capacity.”
After leaving the Taylor Swift concert, Jess took Swifty to the Taronga Wildlife Hospital where vets gave him a full checkup. They confirmed that he didn’t have any major injuries. However, they decided that he needed to spend some time in a rehabilitation aviary’s intensive care unit.
According to the publication, the peregrine falcon will return to the wild once vets believe he’s fully recuperated.
“Well done to Jess, the Accor team for their ‘swift’ actions to find assistance for their much-loved local pest controller and to Dr Emma from The Wild Vet (who also happens to be a Sydney Wildlife Rescue member) for assessing the falcon straight away on a Friday evening,” the rescue wrote on its Facebook page.
“He is now being cared for at Taronga Wildlife Hospital Sydney,” it added, “where his specific housing and dietary needs are being met, as well as receiving expert veterinary care.”
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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