Animal welfare

Grey heron saved thanks to six children from Ardales who called the Guardia Civil

The children, all under 12 years of age, found the bird, which was unable to fly away on its own, and followed the police's instructions

Ardales

01/10/2026 Actualizado a las 21:23h.

The afternoon was shaping up to be just another ordinary one for Jordi, Israel, Edu, Gonzalo, Alexis and Ale. The six friends, all under the ... age of 12, had gone down to a small cottage near their homes in Ardales, as they had done many times before. From a distance, they spotted a large bird. They thought that it would take flight and disappear as they got closer, but it turned out the bird could barely move.

It was a grey heron and something wasn't quite right. "They got closer and saw that it couldn't walk or do anything," Nuria González, Jordi's mum, tells SUR. Far from trying to catch it or just leaving it there, the children started thinking about how they could help. Jordi and Gonzalo made a decision that later surprised even their own families: directly call the Guardia Civil.

On the other end of the line, the officers began to guide them. They gave them a number so they could send a video of the bird to get a better idea of its condition. While waiting for help to arrive, the children followed the Guardia Civil's instructions to keep the heron calm.

When Nuria's husband left the house and saw the Guardia Civil with the children, his first reaction was to think that "they had done something again", a mischief, when they had, in fact, done everything they could to help an animal.

Upon arrival, the Guardia Civil took the grey heron to the vet. The children, too preoccupied with the bird's well-being, did not take any photos with the police to boast about their adventure.

For Nuria González, that story is a source of pride not only for her son, but for all the members of the gang, who have been friends for years. What struck her most was the ease with which they dealt with a situation that none of them had ever experienced before. "They've sorted out the problem quicker than an adult would," she says.

Jordi, Israel, Edu, Gonzalo, Alexis and Ale have since gone back to their usual routine. The heron, on the other hand, was able to receive the help it needed thanks to a decision that was as simple as it was wise: stop, realise that the bird needed help and pick up the phone.

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