in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 10 ,2 02 0 | 22 Interlocking & Concrete Specialists • Pebble Concrete • Stamped Concrete • Interlocking • Flagstone • Walkways • Garage Floors • Patios • Driveways • Curbs (French) Call Mario 905.842.7171 sunmarlandscape.com TM DE RANGO PHARMACY INC 2501 Third Line | 905-465-3000 Open 24 hours | 7 Days a Week DE RANGO PHARMACY INC 478 Dundas Street West | 905-257-9737 Canada Post www.shoppersdrugmart.ca Fabio De Rango Pharmacist/Owner Voted Oakville's Favourite Pharmacist & Pharmacy • Patient Counselling • Complete Diabetic Care • Home Visits • Consultations • Free RX Delivery • Patient Counselling • Complete Diabetic Care • Home Visits • Pharmacogenetics • Free RX Delivery An Award Winning Oakville Pharmacy PLATINUMWINNER Pharmacist - Fabio De Rango Drug Store/ Pharmacy Open 24 hours | 7 Days a Week An Oakville man went above and beyond to res- cue a Great Blue Heron which was entangled in a kite string at a local park. On Friday, Aug. 21 at around 8 a.m., Chris Smith and his girlfriend, April Aultman, were fishing at Lion's Valley Park when they noticed the large bird dangling from the middle of a kite string that was caught between two large trees on either side of the Sixteen Mile Creek. The trapped heron was approximately 50 feet off the ground. "At first I thought it had already passed away, but as we got closer it started flapping around," said Smith. "I had my fishing rod, so I put a big lure on and tried casting overtop of the kite line hoping I could pull it down, but it just snapped my fishing line." At this point Smith, who as luck would have it is a trained arborist, went home to get his special tree climbing gear. He then returned and began to scale one of the massive trees the kite string was caught in. Smith says he had to climb about 75 feet up this tree to get to the string so he could cut it. While the bird was still ensnared by the string, it now had some freedom to glide to a tree on the other side of the creek and rest. Smith then climbed down from the first tree, crossed the creek and climbed about 25 feet up this second tree to where the heron was now perched. He was able to severe the remaining kite string, which was wrapped around the heron's wing, and get the bird to the ground where members of the Oakville and Milton Humane Society were now waiting to examine it. "It was very tiring," said Smith. "As the day progressed it got hotter and hotter, so I was pretty exhausted by the end of it. With both trees, there was maybe an hour and a half of climbing in total. I knew that time was definitely going to be a factor in how well this bird did, especially with the heat, so I just did the best I could and went as fast as I could." Smith said the bird was in much better condition than he thought it would be given the circumstanc- es. He said that once it was on the ground the heron got up and began to move its wings. Oakville and Milton Humane Society animal protective services officer Brad Fielding said the her- on had no obvious exter- nal injuries. An attempt was made to release the bird, but it would not fly away and has since been taken to the To- ronto Wildlife Centre to recover. "It might have torn something, depending on how long it was up there struggling," said Fielding. "It could have been up there all night." Smith says he's glad he was able to get this animal some help noting he felt it was just something that he had to do. "I'm fortunate enough to have the skill set to do something like that," said Smith. "How do you walk away when you're in a position where you can do some- thing to help?" The humane society is reminding residents to call 905-845-1551 whenever they see a sick or injured animal. ARBORIST GOES ABOVE AND BEYOND TO SAVE HERON Local arborist Chris Smith had to scale two trees to save a Great Blue Heron, which was tangled in a kite string about 50 feet off the ground at Lion's Valley Park. April Aultman photo DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com NEWS BIRD WAS TANGLED IN KITE STRING ABOUT 50 FEET OFF THE GROUND Kim MacKay, B.A., Sales Representative (905) 599-9745 Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Brokerage www.kimmackay.ca Check out this larger-than-average property in desirable West Oakville, south of QEW. Extra wide lot across the back - 82.49ft - for a total site size of 8352.79sqft.Solid brick bungalow, has lots of potential. Renovate or build new! Private backyard. Double wide,mutual driveway. Thomas Blakelock school district.Call Kim for details (905)599-9745. Love where you live! Just Listed! 556 Sherin Drive - $998,000 kmackay@royallepage.ca