Wildlife casualties.

[farthing]

We don't really do wildlife but on the odd occasion help out if we can and help other rescues too.
Our first causality of the year was a swan! We got a call from a local wildlife rescue asking if we could assess it because it was stuck in someone's garden and it would be a couple of hours before they got over. It was a fairly young bird, last years hatch, and was injured in some way but couldn't tell how. Anyway, we threw a towel over it, Mike carried it as I controlled its head, we are used to carrying Xander the gander, so this was just a bigger version, and put it in a dog carrier in the van. We took it across to the rescue and it looks like its legs aren't working. I don't know how it's doing but we are hoping it's just trauma after a bad fall ( looks like it hit a pylon).
On Thursday we were handed a hedgehog buy our local farmer. It has been wandering about during the day for about 2 weeks, I know nursing females do this but otherwise if out during the day the hog is ill. It is very thin and it's eyes are dull/ lifeless. It's in a small hutch with food and water, passed a very soft, pasty coloured dropping which isn't normal. I'll get it to the vet this week but they are hard to examine.
We have a flock of white doves which were relocated to us from an industrial site a year ago, they are breeding and other than feeding them, they fly free and live a natural life. On friday I found a 2 week old chick running around harassing the adults for food, which is not normal, it also has a huge scar on its head. I have to assume it has either been abandoned or it's parent has been killed..... Now I'm now trying to hand rear it.
Finally we were at a fund raiser on Friday evening, held for us at a social club, at the end as people were leaving a lady came in an told us there was a pigeon, which wasn't moving away from people. So home we came with a young wood pigeon with a wound on its neck and obviously stunned. It was very quiet yesterday but looks a lot brighter this morning so hopefully once it is recover can also be released.
As I said, we don't do wildlife!

[angieh]

Good to hear the efforts you go to to help wildlife, farthing. Sorry to hear about the hog, doesn't sound good. Hope the birds recover and can be released.

[PoshPuss]

You do a marvellous job farthing, more power to your elbow! Hope they raised pots of cash for you.
Best wishes to your birds and the hog, I'm hoping for full recoveries. x

[fecto's mum]

Wow, very busy person on the wildlife Farthing. I hope the hedgehog makes it. I've handreared one in the past, along with 2 squirrels, 2 kittens and a lamb all at the same time. What sort of bird is the chick, is it a dove? OH handrears pigeons sometimes by putting the food in his mouth and letting the chick take it from there like the mother would! Not my choice!! Sometimes other pigeons will kill a squab, maybe that's what has happened to your chick. I don't know about doves but pigeons can be horrible to young birds. For someone who 'doesn't do wildlife' you are doing a stunning job!

[truthisouthere]

How are they all now, farthing?
Yes, hedgehog sounds bad, dangerously dehydrated, I'd be surprised if it made it this far.. By the time they are desperate enough to be found wandering around in the daytime they often pass on in the blink of an eye..
Wood pigeons are quite hardy, but also can be a little bit on the daft side, bless them. I had one last month with a damaged wing, lost 6 of it's primary flight feathers, strapped it up and released it, (it now visits parents who funnily enough have just moved near me!).

You're doing a grand job farthing.

[farthing]

Sadly the swan had to be PTS, it's back legs just wouldn't work although no obvious fractures were found.
The wood pigeon died too.
The hedgehog is doing well, eating and now making a nest rather than just lying in the hutch.
Our white dove, called Peewee, is feeding itself now so the next step is to give it some flying lessons.

[angieh]

Mixed results are normal I guess, pluses and minuses. Sad about the swan and the wood pigeon but very good news about the hedgehog and fingers crossed for the dove.

[truthisouthere]

Thanks for the update. Poor Wood piji and swan, you just don't know so often when you take a casualty in which way they'll go, it's all in the lap of the Gods, all you can do is do your best. So glad hedgehog and 'Peewee' are both thriving and showing natural survival behaviour now. Isn't it lovely when hedgehogs make a nest, they get quite snuggled and cosy in it. Have you tried introducing live mealworms yet these really help build up 'hogs fast but they are a little on the expensive side.