Bad News about Hans

I got the call this morning from the Florida Wildlife Hospital about Hans.  They had to put him down.  It became apparent that he had a defect in his legs that was preventing him from gripping with his talons.  An x-ray revealed that the joints in the hips were malformed and he was not able to use his talons properly.  This explains why Hans was lying down on the branch as you can see in the photo the day I found him on the ground.  He probably couldn't grip the branch properly.  My theory is that this is probably what caused him to fall out the tree.  Many thanks to the Florida Wildlife Hospital for all that they do to help these guys!