Wildlife photographers go to great lengths to get a rare shot. But as the Polish Krzysztof Chomich is a true lover of the local fauna and flora, he did not hesitate to throw himself in the marshy mud up to his neck. He did this to help a creature he had spotted far out in the swamp.
Homich often visits the swamps to take unique photos, as they are home to many beautiful birds. That day, he was accompanying a colleague on an excursion in the countryside near Swinoujscie.
While filming the footage, the photographer surprised a large bird in the swamp, entangled in the oily mud, far from shore. The footage was also shot using a drone, and it was this technique that helped the man see that the bird needed help.
The drowning bird was obviously unable to get out on its own. So the man made the desperate decision to cross the swamp on foot to help her.
His friend Chomich tied a rope around him, but it’s unclear if he would have pulled the photographer out had he started to sink away from the shore, so the act was well and truly heroic.
The rescuer managed to reach the bird safely, freeing it and dragging it to shore. The bird was then so exhausted that it did not want to defend itself, which made it easier for it. They put him in a bag and took him to the animal protection center.
There they washed him off with a garden hose, and Khomich finally realized who he had saved – it was a white-tailed eagle. According to experts, the eagle was very young, no more than six months old.
The bird is listed in the Red Book as a « vulnerable species », so the photographer’s act was doubly valuable.The eagle was christened Icarus and is currently being rehabilitated in the reserve before being released into the wild.
