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Dealing with wild bird As Veterinary surgeons we do see a few wild avian patients brought in for treatment. Certainly in the last year or so these have been increasing in number due to a ‘friendly agreement’ with the local council. The services offered are comparable to that of our other avian patients. The issue is far less emotive and decisions can be made easier as there are sound goals that need to be achieved. Any wildlife casualty will end up with one of three results: - Successful treatment and release into the wild. Successful treatment and use in a captive breeding project (unusual unless endangered). Euthanasia. The ultimate aim of all treatment is to return the bird to the wild as quickly as possible. It is a risky process that requires a degree of thought prior to release. Firstly the bird has to be critically assessed to determine the extent of it’s problems. Then a plan of what treatment is required can be organised, this may mean immediate euthanasia if the prognosis is poor or the bird cannot regain full function in the wild. Any individual can be negligent to a wild bird if it is released in an unfit state and would suffer and die as a result of the release. This may seem harsh but if a bird is unable to fly, catch prey or is overly humanised it will fail to survive and will be ‘cat food’. The bird might be treatable but if it cannot be released then the ethics of forcing a wild animal to remain captive for the rest of it’s life is in question, unless it is producing offspring for the intention of subsequent release. Recent RSPCA campaigns against the ‘picking up’ of wild birds is very true. A handreared wild dove or starling is unlikely to survive in the wild. These are best moved quickly to a safe location for their parents to find them and rear them. Taking them into captivity is giving them certain death, either before or after release. Once a critical assessment is made and the bird may be suitable for release, the question then has to be asked; who will rehabilitate the bird during it’s recovery? This is time consuming and important. A suitable ‘hotel’ has to be found so the bird can regain strength, learn to feed in a natural way and aquire a fear of humans, dogs and cats. The next question is one of if the bird is suitable for release, how and where will it happen? This is vitally important, releasing a bird to the wrong environment could lead to it’s death due to lack of food sources, lack of protection, excessive competition from the same species or other species, or death due to infectious diseases it had not previously been exposed to in the wild. It’s release could also lead to the death of other birds in the wild due to additional competition, lack of food sources, or infectious diseases introduced from the bird whilst in captivity or from it’s original environment to which the local population was not exposed. It is also important to understand the bird’s biology. There is little point releasing a bird which is highly territorial into an already occupied area, or releasing one which should have migrated three months previous!! Having mentioned all the pitfalls, why even bother?? Well despite trying to avoid the involvement of emotions, when casualties are brought in as a result of a car accident or fishing line, most people start to feel some guilt! Careful selection of these cases mean that the bird’s that are treated generally wind up being released. The selection of cases has two main reasons, firstly it prevents suffering of the wild avian patients, but it also ensures our limited resources are channelled to the most appropriate cases. Swindon council has now started a small budget to assist in offsetting the cost, mostly the bill is firmly at the Drove’s feet. The other reason is one of building up experience. Life saving procedures or techniques can be used or operating technique developed whilst trying to save wild birds, once perfected then these techniques can benefit pet birds, who will at last (hopefully!) pay for treatment. Currently all the fracture repair techniques, the use of introsseous and intravenous fluid therapy techniques, intubation and confidence with anaesthetised patients all developed from the use in wild patients. As a result our abilities to deal with avian problems are advancing as well as doing some good for the local wild bird population. I thank the local council workers and their patients for providing a valuable, enjoyable, rewarding side to veterinary practice. |