MALIBU—A baby northern mockingbird with injured feet was rescued from Malibu by the California Wildlife Center last month and she has since made a full recovery because of a pair of tiny bird shoes.
The bird suffered from an unspecified injury that was causing her feet to buckle – forcing her to hobble about—walking on the tips of her toes and causing further damage.
The chick was examined by staff at the California Wildlife Center and upon their assessment, they discovered the tips of her toes were curled beneath her feet, rendering her unable to stand or perch – something apparently common in young birds, according to the CWC.
The Center’s staff concocted a pair of corrective “snowshoes” using cardboard and tape, which retrained the chick’s feet to open and allowed the injuries to her toes to heal.
The chick was more susceptible to injury upon being forced to stand on her toes, but has made a full recovery since being equipped with corrective shoes.
The chick is “snowshoe-free” the Center wrote and has since been released back into the wild.
Canyon News reached out to the CWC for comment, but did not hear back before print.
