Upper Gwynedd Police Rescue Injured Hawk from Wissahickon Trail

Keith Heffintrayer | North Penn Now•

There’s an old trope about firefighters rescuing cats from trees, but in recent years, members of the Upper Gwynedd Police Department have become the true guardians of local pet and wildlife welfare.

There was that time Officer Yin Young used wire cutters to free a deer that became ensnared in a fence on Marylyns Lane. And who could forget Officer Dana Hallam and members of the township’s public works department spending six hours working to free a family of ducklings who had fallen into a storm pipe at the intersection of Haines Drive and Paddock Circle.

Most recently, the department received attention when Officers Toro and Gill, joined by Sgt. Gillen, worked together to free a blind and deaf dog named Penny from an underground cistern on Green Street. And of course, Upper Gwynedd Police Chief David Duffy recently manifested his canine adoration into a pair of new police canine units (with the help of the community).

"In Upper Gwynedd, we pride ourselves on being a service-oriented police department,” said Duffy. "Like most of our residents, our officers respect and care about the welfare of animals, both domestic and wild. When we have a chance to help an animal, it is an extension of our service oriented approach to policing.”

In fact, Duffy added, the Upper Gwynedd Police Department maintains a Pet Registry so residents can supply information that could help locale their lost animals. Officer Brian Whisler is the department's "Pet Detective," he said — and has the badge to prove it.

On Thursday afternoon, their love for animals and wildlife again came in handy, after a concerned citizen reported an injured bird on the Wissahickon Trail. Officers were able to locate an injured hawk near the intersection of North Wales Road and Moyer Boulevard, and with assistance from the township public works department and guidance from Aark Wildlife Rescue, the wounded hawk was safely contained until Aark volunteers could retrieve and care for the bird.

"I was the one who responded to the call about the hawk. An easy way to tell that a wild animal is in distress is that it does not attempt to flee or defend itself when a person gets closer to it,” said Duffy. "However, I still caution against trying to touch or pick it up. There are specialists — Aark Wildlife Rescue and others — that can do that while keeping the animal and themselves safe. I was very glad to get an update from Aark this morning that the hawk is recovering in their care.”

Police are using the incident as an opportunity to remind residents that if they see an animal in distress, they should call 9-1-1 instead of approaching the wounded animal.

"We will do our best to help,” police said.

Just another day in the office. Now if they could only figure out how to transport an escaped emu without destroying the back of their patrol car…