I’m licensed to cope with almost all of the widespread species we have now in Bundaberg however I additionally maintain a specialist allow for raptors, or as they’re extra generally identified, birds of prey.
This contains eagles, hawks, falcons and owls, simply to call a couple of. I’ve reared a number of of the smaller raptors like Nankeen Kestrels, Collared Sparrowhawks and two species of owl.
I’ve at all times been restricted in my services so I typically triage birds that are available in and ship them on to others who’ve the very giant services required to look after these birds.
A number of days in the past I obtained a name for a wedge-tailed eagle.
They are our largest chook of prey and one of many largest on this planet.
They weigh from two to just about six kilograms and the physique will be simply over a metre lengthy.
The wingspan file for this species was 2.84 metres, or 9 foot 4 inches within the old scale.
The feminine is the bigger of the species.
They are a generalist feeder and can eat almost something. Birds, reptiles and mammals make up the majority of the weight-reduction plan with plenty of that being carrion.
When the decision got here for this eagle, I used to be advised that the land proprietor had been capable of walk proper as much as it.
That will not be an excellent signal and advised me that there was a serious challenge with this chook. By the time I pulled as much as the property gate, they’d caught the chook and had been there to satisfy me.
I wasted no time and transferred the chook to my crate and headed again in to Bundy and straight in to the Bundaberg Emergency Animal Hospital.
I obtained the chook out of my crate and we put the chook beneath with fuel so we might assess it.
The first issues we discovered had been that it was a young chook and that it was fairly underweight.
We might discover no apparent indicators of damage however one wing was a priority as we discovered a big lump.
We then x-rayed the wings.
Sadly, that was when the issue was discovered.
The chook had a fractured left humerus (the bone between the shoulder and elbow) and it was an old break.
The lump we had discovered was the bones within the mistaken position and so they had partially healed over.
The x-rays had been despatched to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for evaluation and recommendation as they typically cope with giant birds of prey.
The recommendation we obtained was devastating.
The damage was not repairable.
The chook’s physique situation and the damage meant that nothing may very well be executed.
He was put to sleep.
I want to thank the employees on the Bundaberg Emergency Animal Hospital and I want to thank the gentleman who phoned this chook in.
It was not the result we had been hoping for however not less than that magnificent chook didn’t die a gradual demise from hunger within the bush.
