Rescuers in Stony Brook race to save animals trapped in pond mud

Support provided by Northwell’s Mather Hospital, which delivers the five-star difference in exceptional care and is ranked by Medicare in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for overall clinical performance and patient experience.

Animal rescue workers and other volunteers from the community are working in what’s left of Mill Pond in Stony Brook to rescue dozens of animals stuck in the thick mud and fighting to survive in wake of Monday’s powerful storm.

At least three stranded turtles — among them an 80-pound snapping turtle estimated to be more than 60 years old — have been saved. Ducklings were reunited with their mother, while other birds and even some fish have been removed from harm’s way.

“We are here to be boots on the ground and help any animal … in distress, stuck, starving, or injured,” Strong Island Animal Rescue League said in a Facebook post. “There will be tons of cases like this and we are so happy about all the offers to help us help the animals.”

Thousands of fish, birds, turtles and other animals were killed early Monday when Harbor Road collapsed and the pond was sent spewing into the salt water of Stony Brook Harbor. Many others have died in the mud.

DEC warns rescuers not to relocate fish from pond disaster in Stony Brook

Pitching in on the rescue effort have been Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico and Councilmember Jonathon Kornreich.

“It may not seem like much, but it reminded me of that old story which you may have heard about the girl who was walking out on the beach after a storm, which washed thousands of starfish ashore,” Kornreich said. “She was trying to get them back into the water before they died in the sun, and someone approached her and asked, ‘With all these thousands of starfish dying here, what difference do you think it will make if you can save a few?’

“The girl showed him the one in her hands and said, ‘I don’t know, but it makes a difference to this one,'” the councilman said.

GLI photojournalist Andrew Theodorakis was back at the park Wednesday, capturing photos of the rescue and devastation. Scroll down to view all the photos.

Supervisor hospitalized for bee stings

Panico added in a Facebook post, “It is sad to think that a pond once teeming with an abundance of aquatic wildlife was now reduced to less than a handful of creatures to be saved.”

Panico said he was stung by yellow jacket bees numerous times during the rescue effort on Tuesday, and needed to be treated in Stony Brook University Hospital’s emergency room for an allergic reaction after his face and neck began to swell. He was released and feeling better.