IDAHO -- On the job for less than a year, Pocatello Animal Services Officer Franci Turner had the opportunity to write a new chapter in local animal rescue recently. She removed a hawk from a residence and then released it into the wild.
The bird somehow flew down the chimney at a home in the Satterfield area about two weeks ago and was trapped in the fireplace. It was calm enough not to panic while Turner netted it.
“I had never come across a situation like this before and, since I was the only officer on scene, was not 100 percent sure of what to do,” Turner said. “I called a co-worker just to find out the correct procedure. I was surprised at just how it behaved.”
The chimney was closed, so the hawk was able to come down, but it could not get back up.
After putting the animal in a carrier and having it examined at the shelter, she released it, saying it was uninjured and quickly flew away. And while she could not tell the exact species of hawk, she did say it was mostly white with some black feathers.
“It was a very good feeling to capture it without incident,” said Turner, who until a year ago was a corrections officer working at the Pocatello Women’s Prison. “I was able to open the doors and windows of the home and turn out all of the lights. That was a calming influence, too, and the bird was relatively easy to net.”
An animal lover who claims her hiring as an animal control officer was a “step up,” not only in pay but in job satisfaction, Turner added that in her relatively short tenure she has seen a lot, including animal abuse, creatures in traps and snakes in homes.
And while animals are her top priority, she also has to deal with many human owners of pets who have become involved with the law. She especially remembers a women who had more than 30 cats in her home.
“I may have worked in the prison, but these people are locked up,” she said. “Here, I have to deal with people who are not behind bars. Many of these folks sincerely want the best for their pets, but often do not know how to properly care for them, especially in cases where there are too many in the home or on the property.”
Her most vivid memory, though, is not a pleasant one. She related how her office was involved in the incident in Holbrook, Idaho, where three adults were murdered and many fighting dogs were left starving and abused.
“Oh my gosh, it was just horrible,” she said. “The people being killed and how those animals were treated was just terrible. I really love this job, and I really, really love animals, but things like this are so heartbreaking.”
Turner revealed that while these particular incidents are few and far between, they do stay on her mind. The joy she finds in her daily routine and being able to play with the shelter’s canines every day before her shift begins compensate for the bad.
“I love all the animals we take care of here, but I am partial to dogs,” she admits. “I think I have a special connection with them. But no matter what kind of creature we are able to rescue — dogs, cats, horses, birds or whatever — it’s what we do and when it can be done without injuring or euthanizing the animals, it’s a very good feeling.”
(Idaho State Journal - June 3, 2013)
