GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Deputies in north Florida helped out a bird of prey who had the tables turned on it by a snake.
According to a video posted by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday, deputies Chris Dasher and Luis Forero responded after receiving a call about an injured hawk in a roadway.
After arriving, the deputies realized that the bird “was being strangled by a snake and that death for the hawk was imminent.”
“The hawk is still alive. It’s moving its head, still blinking,” Dasher can be heard saying in the video. “It’s wrapped up (by the snake) pretty good.”
Forero worked on untangling the snake, which appeared to be a black racer, from the neck of the hawk.
The deputies pinned the snake’s head to the pavement, but the reptile proved to be a determined predator. Forero is finally able to unwrap the snake from the hawk’s neck. The bird took off immediately, flying down the street, the video shows.
“Good job, Louie,” Dasher said. “Everybody wins.”
Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson Jr. praised the deputies for going “above and beyond” for an incident that was outside “the normal scope of duty.
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