A mother faces a $535 fine and possible jail time because her 11-year old daughter saved a baby woodpecker from the family cat.

UPDATE: Govt. Rips Up $535 Ticket Mom Got After Daughter Saved Woodpecker

WUSA reports that the girl, who hopes to grow up to become a veterinarian, snatched up the woodpecker when she saw the cat about to pounce on it in her dad’s backyard. Unable to find the bird’s mother, she asked her mom if she could take it home and nurse it back to health and release it. The mother agreed and when they were driving home, they stopped off with the bird at Lowe’s so it could cool down in the air-conditioned store. That’s where they were spotted by another shopper, who shakingly raised her badge and said she was with the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service.

The woman told them that the woodpecker was a protected migratory bird and it was illegal to take or transport it. When the family returned home, they let the bird go and reported it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Two weeks later, the same woman from Lowe’s showed up at their door with a state trooper. They later mailed her a notice to appear in court for unlawfully taking a migratory bird. The letter also contained 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,” the 11-year old girl told WUSA. “I think that’s just crazy.”

Takeaway: Don’t lift a finger for another creature, because you might get fined.
Takeaway 2: If you want to grow up and get paid to take care of animals, it’s never too early to start learning the laws governing them.

Woodpecker-Saving Daughter Costs Mom $500, Possible Jail Time [WUSA9] (Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)

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