PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 31, 2025
It was a sad ending to an otherwise uplifting tale about a loon rescued earlier this month on East Pond in Smithfield. The loon, taken to Avian Haven, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Freedom, died seven days later after the Dec. 7 rescue. It was emaciated, suffering from a lung infection and had the beginnings of frostbite, according to Avian Executive Director Barb Haney.