Terry Heitz/Avian Haven via AP
A roadrunner rests at Avian Haven, a bird rehab facility on Nov. 14, 2021 in Freedom, Maine. The bird hitched a ride in the storage area of a moving van from Las Vegas to Westbrook, Maine.
Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021 | 5 p.m.
A roadrunner that stowed away in a moving van in Las Vegas and made a cross-country journey to Maine has been returned home.
The bird, which ended up in Westbrook, Maine, on Nov. 13, landed this afternoon at McCarran International Airport on a flight arranged by a bird rescue group.
A man and his son were unloading the van at a storage facility when they discovered the roadrunner and called Avian Haven, a rehabilitation center in Freedom, Maine.
The group kept the bird at its facility, feeding him mice and live superworms until he was strong enough for the trip home. He had lost weight during his four-day road trip.
The staff drove the roadrunner three hours to Boston Logan International Airport for his direct flight to Las Vegas. They put some frozen mice in his cage to hold him over on the trip and gave him an injection of water to keep him hydrated.
Once he landed, the Nevada Department of Wildlife picked him up and took him back to the neighborhood where he had hopped on the moving van.
“He hesitated for a moment but then when he made his move, he was so fast,” said Doug Nielsen, a spokesman for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. “All you get is a blur."
The Nevada Department of Wildlife had consulted with biologists and wildlife rehabilitationists and determined that going as close to his normal territory was best, Nielsen said.
“Moving animals is not always the best choice as it seems like on the surface,” Nielsen said. “Luckily this roadrunner story ended where it began, but it’s not always the answer. ... It’s a case by case basis.”
Nielsen discouraged people from trying to move wildlife on their own, as it can cause serious problems to native species. Raccoons, for example, which are not native to the area, were brought in by someone and now there is a large raccoon population near the Las Vegas Wash, Nielsen said.
“We express thanks to Avian Haven, the wildlife rehabilitation facility in Freedom, Maine, that provided care for the bird and facilitated its return,” Nielsen said.
