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\"Though we can't be sure what happened, usually these type of injuries are because a prey animal -- such as a squirrel or rat -- bit at bird to try and defend itself,\" Horvath explained.

The firefighter and wildlife rehabilitator took the hawk to his home on Long Island today, where he and his wife, Cathy Horvath, run a non-profit animal rescue practice called Wildlife in Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation.

Up-close look at rescue of red-tailed hawk by Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator & #FDNY FF Horvath & #Ladder1 pic.twitter.com/1YrJUJEuuV

— FDNY (@FDNY) January 7, 2016

The couple has saved and nurtured all kinds of native New York State animals, including rabbits, opossums and foxes, Bobby Horvath said.

\"We're going to take care of the hawk and patch him up,\" he said. \"Once he's all better and the infection is gone, we can release him back to the wild.\"

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