Yep, the poor lacerated-cornea red tail who’d healed weeks ago FINALLY flew the coop, after a two-week “rain delay.” He wasted no time bolting from the box and kept soaring farther and farther from me when I tried to “stalk” him for a decent post-release photo. Below is the best I could manage, but I’m not complaining; his flight was strong, straight and utterly gorgeous to behold.
This means the red tail whose wing fracture healed weeks ago finally has his time in the flight pen. Recall, if you will, that his fracture was pretty close to the joint so we’re not sure he’ll be able to fly but he’ll have several weeks to test his ability in the raptor flight.
And now for the promised rant. LWR received a call early in the week about a barred owl a few hours’ drive away. It took all day but with the help of WREN (Wildlife Resources Education Network, a volunteer transport coordination group), one of our stalwart transporters picked up the bird and got it to LWR late that night. Why the haste? We discovered that the bird had been held illegally for TWO WEEKS with a broken wing because the finder “didn’t want him euthanized.” But she was scared of him, so these are the conditions he lived in for two weeks:
The transporter said the steak in the bottom of the pen was crawling with maggots and there was moldy bread in there, as well.
And when the poor owl reached LWR, his right wing was so badly broken that it faced upside down—see the post-euthanasia photo below.
And when the poor owl reached LWR, his right wing was so badly broken that it faced upside down—see the post-euthanasia photo below.
And he’d been in so much pain for two weeks that he’d begun to self-mutilate, gnawing at his own wing trying to stop the source of the pain.
All because some fool “didn’t want him euthanized.”
People, let me explain something to you: Euthanasia is often the kindest, most humane option we can offer badly injured wildlife. This bird’s suffering could have been ended two weeks earlier; instead, he sat in filth and agony until rescued and brought to LWR, where his suffering ended immediately.
If wildlife can’t be “fixed”, at least a properly licensed rehabber has the means to end its suffering quickly and humanely. Don’t fall into the “I’ll save it” trap and keep injured wildlife for days or weeks before contacting a rehabber—by the time you do, a fracture that might have been fixable earlier may be past repair now, or systemic infection may have set in or maggots may have infested the wound to the point that the tissue has been totally consumed down to the bone. Yes, I’ve seen all these conditions, and they all required euthanasia—and all might have been “fixable” had the wildlife been brought in earlier.
Time is of the essence with injured wildlife. Would you sit for days or weeks with an ill or injured pet or child before seeking treatment? Of course not! So why would any sane person think that was a viable option for wildlife?
Contrast the above disaster with this red shoulder hit by a college student. The bird flew out in front of her in the rain; she couldn’t brake in time. She called LWR almost immediately afterward and because it was near dark, raining heavily and she was a couple of hours away, I explained how to secure the bird overnight. She didn’t need to be driving in the dark on rainy, unfamiliar roads. The next morning she had the bird to LWR ASAP. She didn’t ask on the phone if it could be fixed or what I’d do with the bird; she just did the right thing and brought the bird. As it turned out, he had a nasty open wing fracture, with a good two inches of bone exposed. When I showed her the wound and explained he’d require euthanasia, she accepted it with a simple, “I was hoping for a better outcome but I understand.” And she still made a donation to LWR. THIS is the type of young person who gives me some small hope for our future.
People, let me explain something to you: Euthanasia is often the kindest, most humane option we can offer badly injured wildlife. This bird’s suffering could have been ended two weeks earlier; instead, he sat in filth and agony until rescued and brought to LWR, where his suffering ended immediately.
If wildlife can’t be “fixed”, at least a properly licensed rehabber has the means to end its suffering quickly and humanely. Don’t fall into the “I’ll save it” trap and keep injured wildlife for days or weeks before contacting a rehabber—by the time you do, a fracture that might have been fixable earlier may be past repair now, or systemic infection may have set in or maggots may have infested the wound to the point that the tissue has been totally consumed down to the bone. Yes, I’ve seen all these conditions, and they all required euthanasia—and all might have been “fixable” had the wildlife been brought in earlier.
Time is of the essence with injured wildlife. Would you sit for days or weeks with an ill or injured pet or child before seeking treatment? Of course not! So why would any sane person think that was a viable option for wildlife?
Contrast the above disaster with this red shoulder hit by a college student. The bird flew out in front of her in the rain; she couldn’t brake in time. She called LWR almost immediately afterward and because it was near dark, raining heavily and she was a couple of hours away, I explained how to secure the bird overnight. She didn’t need to be driving in the dark on rainy, unfamiliar roads. The next morning she had the bird to LWR ASAP. She didn’t ask on the phone if it could be fixed or what I’d do with the bird; she just did the right thing and brought the bird. As it turned out, he had a nasty open wing fracture, with a good two inches of bone exposed. When I showed her the wound and explained he’d require euthanasia, she accepted it with a simple, “I was hoping for a better outcome but I understand.” And she still made a donation to LWR. THIS is the type of young person who gives me some small hope for our future.
And earlier this afternoon, the area FWS agent called with a HBC hawk—it was found by the roadside and seemed unable to fly. This didn’t bode well, I feared, but when he showed up, the red shoulder actually had only a minor ding on his foot and the tip of his beak had been peeled, exposing the softer keratin beneath. He’s still woozy and reluctant to perch but is well-fleshed and otherwise healthy-looking. No fractures, amazingly.
But the beak worried me; I didn’t want it to break in the wild and cause the bird problems. I consulted with colleague Kathryn Dudeck of Chattahoochee Nature Center, and after seeing a photo of his beak, she recommended just trimming the exposed softer portion and then seeing if he can tear into a rat or mouse. If so, he’s good to go; if not he’ll stay at LWR till the beak tip grows back. The trim was no problem at all, partially because the poor fellow is still a bit discombobulated. But it will be tomorrow before we try feeding; head traumas never eat when they’re still woozy.
Pre-trim
Post-trim
Hope y’all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and if I can offer a recommendation, spend “Black Friday” in nature’s majesty and not in stores fighting crowds of crazed bargain hunters.
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