ELGIN, Texas — Beryl did not only cause damage to people’s homes, but also affected much of the wildlife on the Texas coast.
This week, the Austin Wildlife Rescue lent a helping hand to Houston by taking in 60 birds displaced by Beryl.
“It’s been a wild few days,” Jules Maron, the executive director of the Austin Wildlife Rescue, said.
The rescue took in 30 Egrets and 30 Mississippi Kites, both migratory birds of prey that come through Texas and eventually travel down to Central and South America. Beryl knocked out their nesting sites, also called “rookeries,” in Houston.
“They’re a bit frazzled,” Maron said. “They’ve been through a lot. They went through a hurricane, then they, you know, went through being in a box for a couple hours for transport.”
Each of the baby birds are anywhere from two weeks to five weeks old. They’ll stay with the rescue until they are ready to be released back into the wild. The egrets will go out first in mid to late August, and the Mississippi Kites will fly out in September.
But taking care of these extra birds in addition to the 1,600 other animals they have on site will come at a cost. The rescue said it’s going to cost about $30,000 to feed and care for them.
“We’re just giving a lot of extra TLC to these particular animals because one, they’ve been through a major traumatic event with falling from nests, getting blown out of the nest, and then they had to take really long transportation drive over here,” Maron said.
When the baby birds first got to the rescue, they were given extra fluids and feedings to make up for the trauma they experienced.
Maron said it’s been hectic because the birds came at their busiest time of the year.
“By the time we reach June and July, we have almost every kind of species here, because our major releases don't typically start taking place until late July and August,” Maron said.
To help with the cost associated with the extra care, the rescue started a fundraiser with a goal of raising $30,000. The community has already donated more than $25,000.
“It’s just great to have such a community and have such great neighbors here in Texas,” Maron said.
The Austin Wildlife Rescue is still looking for more help at this time. Anyone who wants to donate can do so through the fundraiser page on its website.