American Kestrel found inside Winnipeg City Hall
A wild bird found its way into a Winnipeg City Hall stairwell Saturday, before it was safely rescued and removed by animal service crews.
In a video taken by City of Winnipeg Animal Services, a young American Kestrel can be seen on the steps inside the Susan A. Thompson Building. An animal services officer then captures the bird in his net.
Animal Services general manager Leland Gordon said he doesn’t know how the bird got into the building, but he’s glad crews were able to take care of it.
“We don't think it was in that that stairwell for a long time because so many people use the stairwells at these buildings,” Gordon told CTV News.
The bird was transported to Pembina Veterinary Hospital to be examined, before it was taken in by the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
“(The American Kestrel is) what we would consider in an immature or teenage stage where they're learning to fly, but they're not the best at it, and they're still learning how to hunt,” said Lisa Tretiak, Prairie Wildife Rehabilitation Centre president and co-founder.
Tretiak said the centre’s goal is to have the bird gain weight before it can be released.
“Right now, it’s weighing about 90 grams,” she said. “And we would like it to weigh much higher than that, closer to 120 g.”
When asked whether American Kestrels are native to the downtown Winnipeg area, Tretiak said it’s not uncommon.
“We do tend to see the kestrels on the outskirts … or areas to the outside of Winnipeg,” she said. “Downtown is a little bit different for us, but it's not to say that they aren't nesting in and around that area.
“They do like old trees and old buildings that they can sort of nest in holes and cavities,” said Tretiak.
If people see animals in places they don’t belong, Tretiak said they should start by calling or texting the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
“The more information we can get, the faster we can get help for that animal,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
3 injured after man with knife enters Montreal-area mosque
Three men were injured after trying to subdue a man armed with a knife during afternoon prayers at a Montreal-area mosque Friday afternoon.
Police arrest 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole Porsche and ran over its owner
Police have arrested an 18-year-old woman who allegedly stole a Porsche and then ran over its owner in an incident that was captured on video.
Woman nearly shut out of mother's estate sues brother in B.C. Supreme Court – and wins
Since she was a young girl growing up in Vancouver, Ginny Lam says her mom Yat Hei Law made it very clear she favoured her son William, because he was her male heir.
Teen arrested in New Brunswick after emergency alert; 5 people in custody
A 15-year-old boy who was the subject of an emergency alert in New Brunswick has been arrested.
Kamala Harris tells Oprah any intruder to her home is 'getting shot'
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday issued a warning to any potential home intruder: 'If somebody breaks in my house, they're getting shot.'
'We're still pushing hard': Search for missing Manitoba boy continues, RCMP find tracks
The search for a missing six-year-old boy in Shamattawa is continuing Friday as RCMP hope recent tips can help lead to a happy conclusion.
On the trail of the mystery woman whose company licensed exploding pagers
What Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono, 49, the Italian-Hungarian CEO and owner of Hungary-based BAC Consulting, says she hasn't done is make the exploding pagers that killed 12 people and wounded more than 2,000 in Lebanon this week.
Four dead in northern Ontario house fire
Emergency crews in northern Ontario found the bodies of four people inside a home where a fire broke out Thursday night.
Top Hezbollah commander among 14 killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Friday, vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.