toronto bird rescue

Toronto vets painstakingly rescue teeny bird caught in painful trap

A teeny tiny sparrow has a long road of recovery in front of it after being found stuck in a painful trap at a Toronto car dealership.

The poor bird was discovered stuck to a glue trap by employees of the dealership and was subsequently brought to the Toronto Wildlife Centre, where an intricate process involving sand and a spoolie brush freed the animal from its adhesive prison. 

The sparrow had extensive plumage damage due to its exposure to the glue trap, and even once freed from its bonds, it was still covered in sticky residue that posed further risks to the bird's health and ability to fly.

A sand bath was used to rid the glue remnants, which avoids putting excess stress on the bird, likely already shaken from the experience.

Special eye drops were administered to the bird before the sand was gently brushed on the sparrow's remaining feathers. This application was repeated until the glue was removed from the bird's little body.

With many feathers partially or completely ripped off, the little baby will now spend a large chunk of time recovering at the centre's aviary and growing back its damaged plumage.

A video documenting this process shows just how teeny the bird is, barely bigger than the vet tech's hand. 

The clip was shared on the centre's Twitter account, with many people in the comments section applauding the staff's devotion and decrying glue traps.

A few commenters have even suggested that the traps be banned outright for the slow, agonizing deaths their victims often suffer.

Glue traps are considered incredibly inhumane as the animals that get stuck to them typically die by starvation or suffocation, often suffering needlessly in the process.

The pest control method has been outlawed in countries like Ireland and New Zealand, as well as some parts of Australia, though they remain common in Canada despite ethical concerns.

Lead photo by

Toronto Wildlife Centre


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