Cane Island Residents Rally to Save Bird Injured by Pickleball
- ncookclark
- Jun 2
- 3 min read
KATY MAGAZINE NEWS
June 2, 2025
By Natalie Cook Clark
Last month the Cane Island community in Katy rallied to support and ultimately save a bird who got a what is believed to be a pickleball stuck on its beak. Katy is full of wildlife and this serves as a reminder for residents to be careful about what they leave out in the open where wildlife could think it’s food.
Close to a Month Residents have Tracked this Bird
On Sunday, May 4 residents in Cane Island, a Katy community, began reporting on social media the sighting of a bird in distress. The bird was believed to be a Blue Heron and appeared to have some kind of ball stuck on it beak.
“Neighbors immediately started suggesting local organizations, and I also posted about the situation in the Southeast Texas Snake ID group, which is great for rescue referrals,” says Cane Island resident Aubrie Johnson. “We contacted multiple groups. Some said they could help if the bird was captured, but no one was available to come out and trap it.”
At that point residents stepped up to try and help. Many tried to approach the bird with towels and blankets.
“My husband tried one evening, bit the bird was still flying and eating, so we couldn’t get close,” says Johnson. “He wasn’t injured, just limited by the ball stuck on his beak.”
Throughout the month, the neighborhood came together with many people giving real-time updates by sharing sightings and what contacts they have reached out to.
Last Wednesday Tony Benetz, a local resident was driving home near Highway 90, slightly to the west of Katy High School when he saw a parked car with flashers on and a bike. He pulled over and saw a couple cautiously approaching a bird and he knew this was the bird he’d been following on social media.
The couple, Gonzalo and his wife Karina had trapped the bird in a towel to where only its beak was out. Benetz offered his help to get the ball off, which having played pickleball he felt that was what it was.
“It was really stuck,” describes Benetz. “I tried one more time and thankfully it came off.”
Gonzalo and Karina took the bird back to their place where is rested the night in their backyard. The bird didn’t appear injured but was very weak, like from restricted nutrients.
The next morning, they released the bird back to a pond and checked in later that day to see it was doing well.
“Honestly, when I came up on this and knew I had to help,” says Benetz. “The couple, Gonzalo and Karina were the real heroes.”
Katy is full of wildlife, and this is a lesson to many to be aware of what is left outside.
“I don’t think this was trash,” says Benetz. “I think this ball got away from someone.”
Like many local communities, Cane Island has a community pickleball court.
“Simply put: pick up after yourself,” says Johnson. “This bird could’ve died because of a stray pickleball. We always try to clean up trash when walking with our kids and teach them to respect the environment. A small act—like tossing away a piece of litter—can save an animal’s life. It’s easy and it matters.”
“I’m hoping that with the amount of people that were posting about this that maybe this will bring awareness so if people are out make sure you collect everything because you never know what a bird will think will be food,” says Benetz.
