Talk about an Achilles beak!
As our slideshow (above) shows, wildlife lovers Anne-Katrin Titze and Ed Bahlman, regulars in these pages, made a heroic rescue of a beloved swan yesterday after the bird swallowed a fish hook.
Titze and Bahlman, who have long crusaded against illegal fishing in the park, said they discovered the waterfowl — whom they’ve named Achilles after the almost-indestructable Greek mythological figure — at around 9 am.
The bird was unable to drink or feed because of the hook, and attached line, inside his (her?) mouth.
Fortunately, Titze is a trained wildlife rehabilitator — and she seems to always have a pair of needle-nose pliers handy. Within minutes, with Bahlman serving as nurse, Titze had removed the pernicious plug.
“It was so deep into Achilles’s upper palate that Ed had to turn Achilles over so I could get a firm grip,” Titze told us. “The bird was in a great deal of pain.”
Within minutes after the surgery, the bird was back on her (his?) feet and flying away.
“We watched in amazement” as Achilles flew off to fight another day, Titze said.
