On Monday, hundreds of birds were discovered in an Oklahoma City shopping center parking lot after hail storms over the weekend.
Dozens of the birds, the majority of which were identified as Purple Martins, had already died. However, the injured birds were sent to WildCare Oklahoma, an animal medical and rehabilitation center in Noble.
According to a post on the organization’s Facebook Page, WildCare had admitted 112 birds on Monday to its rehabilitation program. WildCare employees received three waves of injured birds from the Purple Martin colony, examining and forming care plans for each bird.
WildCare Medical Director and Staff Veterinarian Kyle Abbott said in a video posted to Facebook, some of the bird's injuries were too extensive for such small animals. Abbott said every adult bird that entered WildCare’s admission room had severe fractures, and those who couldn’t be helped were properly euthanized to avoid unnecessary suffering.
Along with the Purple Martins, WildCare also received two Great-tailed Grackles that were injured after the storms.
A fundraiser toward food for the admitted birds was posted to WildCare’s Facebook page, which now totals nearly $2,000.