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| Man who ran over bird’s nest drives across Texas to save only intact egg | Man who ran over bird’s nest drives across Texas to save only intact egg |
| (2 months later) | |
| Roadrunner hatchling named Miles was driven 660 miles in total before dying at wildlife rescue center several days later | Roadrunner hatchling named Miles was driven 660 miles in total before dying at wildlife rescue center several days later |
| A man was clearing land in the west Texas city of Odessa when he realized he had made a horrible mistake: he ran over a bird’s nest and smashed the eggs inside. | A man was clearing land in the west Texas city of Odessa when he realized he had made a horrible mistake: he ran over a bird’s nest and smashed the eggs inside. |
| But one egg remained intact, and he went to extraordinary lengths to try to save it in a saga that has captured national US media attention. | But one egg remained intact, and he went to extraordinary lengths to try to save it in a saga that has captured national US media attention. |
| Handling the surviving egg with great care, he held it in his hands to keep it warm – and he drove 500 miles to his home in Lufkin on the opposite side of the state. | Handling the surviving egg with great care, he held it in his hands to keep it warm – and he drove 500 miles to his home in Lufkin on the opposite side of the state. |
| The journey took 11 hours. | The journey took 11 hours. |
| On the night of 30 May, the egg hatched. After scrambling to find a place close by that could suitably care for the bird, the man concluded there were none. So the man’s wife drove 160 miles to a non-profit bird rescue center on the outskirts of Dallas in Hutchins, Texas. | On the night of 30 May, the egg hatched. After scrambling to find a place close by that could suitably care for the bird, the man concluded there were none. So the man’s wife drove 160 miles to a non-profit bird rescue center on the outskirts of Dallas in Hutchins, Texas. |
| The bird’s savior handed a box holding a small, newly born roadrunner to a volunteer at Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, the facility said in a Facebook post. | The bird’s savior handed a box holding a small, newly born roadrunner to a volunteer at Rogers Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, the facility said in a Facebook post. |
| The volunteer – 70-year-old retired attorney Paula Hagan – was shocked by the lengths the couple went to in order to save this animal, she told the Washington Post. | The volunteer – 70-year-old retired attorney Paula Hagan – was shocked by the lengths the couple went to in order to save this animal, she told the Washington Post. |
| “I just couldn’t believe it. It just tells me they’re both very kindhearted,” Hagan said, according to the Post. | “I just couldn’t believe it. It just tells me they’re both very kindhearted,” Hagan said, according to the Post. |
| Despite great efforts to save him, the roadrunner Miles died at the center a few days later, the Post’s report said. | Despite great efforts to save him, the roadrunner Miles died at the center a few days later, the Post’s report said. |
| The Post recounted how Miles eventually stopped being able to eat and failed to gain the weight, which is not unusual for hatchlings. | The Post recounted how Miles eventually stopped being able to eat and failed to gain the weight, which is not unusual for hatchlings. |
| The roadrunner was reportedly named after the 1980s country song Miles and Miles of Texas by Red Steagall – a reference the pilgrimage he made to the rehab center before getting a few more days of life. | The roadrunner was reportedly named after the 1980s country song Miles and Miles of Texas by Red Steagall – a reference the pilgrimage he made to the rehab center before getting a few more days of life. |
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| For volunteers like Hagan, Miles and the efforts by the couple who tried to save the roadrunner provided motivation to continue doing animal rescue work. | For volunteers like Hagan, Miles and the efforts by the couple who tried to save the roadrunner provided motivation to continue doing animal rescue work. |
| Many of the birds that the Rogers center receives are like Miles. They arrive with life-threatening injuries from animal attacks or are orphaned. They also endure natural as well as human-made disasters, abuse and automobile strikes, and most survive. | Many of the birds that the Rogers center receives are like Miles. They arrive with life-threatening injuries from animal attacks or are orphaned. They also endure natural as well as human-made disasters, abuse and automobile strikes, and most survive. |
| Even though Miles lived only briefly, Hagan told the Washington Post: “Working there, volunteering there, renews my faith in humanity. It’s just very moving to me to see how kindhearted they are.” | Even though Miles lived only briefly, Hagan told the Washington Post: “Working there, volunteering there, renews my faith in humanity. It’s just very moving to me to see how kindhearted they are.” |