Snark, Critic and Pop!

Ah, how we all dread the scariest words in the English language – “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.”  But cute, 11-year old girls saving an endangered bird from a cat and releasing it safely into the wild is a story we can all get behind, right?  If ye be so naive, check this news story out: 

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (WUSA) — Eleven-year-old aspiring veterinarian, Skylar Capo, sprang into action the second she learned that a baby woodpecker in her Dad’s backyard was about to be eaten by the family cat.

“I’ve just always loved animals,” said Skylar Capo. “I couldn’t stand to watch it be eaten.”

Skylar couldn’t find the woodpecker’s mother, so she brought it to her own mother, Alison Capo, who agreed to take it home.

. . . But on the drive home, the Capo family stopped at a Lowes in Fredericksburg and they brought the bird inside because of the heat. That’s when they were confronted by a fellow shopper who said she worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

 . . . roughly two weeks later, that same woman from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service showed up at Capo’s front door. This time, Capo says the woman was accompanied by a state trooper.  Capo refused to accept a citation, but was later mailed a notice to appear in U.S. District Court for unlawfully taking a migratory bird.  She’s also been slapped with a $535 fine.

. . . “Kids should be able to save a baby bird and not end up going home crying because their mom has to pay $535. I just think that’s crazy,” said Skylar.

If convicted, Capo could face up to a year behind bars.

Fortunately, a little sanity was restored, and the Fish and Wildlife Service have apologized for issuing the citation.