July 1st Apollo 3 is Rescued at Second Time
July 01, 2013 - Etobicoke - William Osler
Tracy Simpson Reports:
I thank you for your patience as I am continuing to catch up on all of the past stories at the William Osler Hospital watch. On the holiday Monday July 1st, I arrived at the hospital and found Apollo 3 in the same spot that Bruce had left him the night before at close of watch. He was on the low roof of the Medical Center and spent the bulk of the morning running the edge, jumping back out of sight and then coming to the edge again. He wanted to fly but was holding back. His three siblings, Maverick, Aura and Blizzard, each took turns flying down to visit and encourage him which incurred a reprimand by Chessie. She didn’t want her kids on that low rooftop but was allowing it so long as Apollo 3 had yet to fly. By the afternoon he finally took a flight that took him around low over the emergency entrance and over the mechanical area on the south side. I did not see where he landed but I could tell that it was low and down at the southwest corner. I circled the hospital several times to no avail and waited for the parents to give me some kind of a clue. Both Hurricane and Chessie were paying great attention to the southwest corner and so I returned to check it out. There was a chance that the male could have ended up on the mechanical roof on the south side and so I contacted security for assistance. They were amazing in helping me by checking out areas on their rounds that were blind spots to me on the ground. We were able to locate Apollo 3 and seeing him closely now it was clear that the left wing was drooping seriously. I rescued him from the southwest corner of the hospital and contacted Mark Nash regarding setting up a vet visit for him. Mark Heaton of the OMNR was notified and we were off to the raptor centre for the night. The other three siblings were flying very well. As I was leaving, Hurricane was sitting above Apollo 3’s last known location with Blizzard and Maverick nearby. Aura was in the tower with Chessie watching from afar. Many thanks to the folks in security that helped make this rescue possible. Were it not for their assistance I might not have found him so readily. Also, a big thank you to Winston who joined me for the evening watch and was instrumental in helping to find and rescue Apollo 3. We will keep you updated as to his condition and the results of his vet visit.