Crow surveys domain Photo Courtesy of Fred Voetsch, AcclaimImages.com
Words For Wildlife by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
THE TIPSY CROW
Perhaps one of the most miraculous recoveries I have ever experienced was that of a large Crow. He was found on the side of the highway by a young girl. It had apparently been hit by a car, had a concussion, and was blind, disoriented and mouth breathing. When a bird is in severe stress it holds its beak open continuously to breath “Mouth Breathing”.
All of these are serious signs that indicate the chances of survival are greatly reduced but I agreed to pick up the bird if it made it through the night. Birds like most animals should be kept in a dark, quiet warm place when in stress. I instructed the people not to try to give the bird water other than in a dish as it is extremely easy to drown a bird trying to give water with an eyedropper. I suggested they see if it would take any worms or Purina Cat chow. Believe it or not Purina Cat Chow is a great food for many animals including all birds that eat meat or insects. It needs to be softened with water but provides a good protein source until natural food sources can be reintroduced.
It made it through the night and the next morning I met this totally blind full grown Crow for the first time. His breathing had returned to normal, his mouth was closed, and he was willing to take food. I took him with me and arranged for him to get a steroid injection. The steroid helps reduce swelling which in some cases can be the cause of blindness if a concussion has incurred. It is particularly important to administer this treatment within the first 48 hours for it to be most effective. In the Crows case it was quite effective as his vision came back in one eye.
About a week later his vision returned to the other eye but he was still totally disoriented and unable to balance. He was in a large cage with branches and he looked like a drunken sailor as he kept falling over forward when he tried to leap onto a branch. He was also unable to fly.
I had that Crow for several months and slowly his balance returned. Unfortunately, every time I let him out of his cage to see if he could fly he just walked in circles. I was convinced he was going to become a permanent resident. In the case of animals too handicapped to be released the Arkansas Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Association provides them a permanent home. The organization also utilizes these animals as mentors for other animals in rehabilitation to reduce human contact. Under a special Exhibitors License they can also be used as educational animals that are allowed to be exhibited at schools and other public events for educational purposes. State law requires that under normal circumstances a wild animal in rehabilitation is not allowed to be displayed publicly so to limit its exposure and “imprinting” with humans.
Slowly but surely that crazy Crow started to learn to walk in bigger and bigger circles. He seemed happy in his cage and ate well seeming to enjoy my company. I started putting his cage outside during the day so he could get fresh air and interact with the wild neighborhood birds.
They tell you in rehab class that most animals will tell you when they are ready to leave. The Crow sure did! One day he suddenly started rattling his cage, turning over his dish and making every kind of noise and mess he could think up. He had been a quiet Gentleman with divine manners until then. I let him out of the cage inside the rehabilitation facility and for the first time since arriving he was able to fly up onto a countertop. Until that moment he had only been able to flutter down to the ground.
I kept him overnight one more day to make sure he had a good meal and released him late the next afternoon. They tell you early evening is the best time to release a bird as it gives them the night to rest before waking up in the morning to resume their normal foraging activities without the stress or confusion of the release to deal with.
The Crow stood on the ground in front of me a full five minutes apparently preparing a flight plan. He’d look left and right, then up and down, and finally gave me a quizzical look as if to say “You Coming?” He took off and flew high up into a large oak tree but had somewhat of a crash landing as he ended up hanging upside down by one foot. About the time I was convinced I had prematurely released him, he released his hold and in a beautiful arching flight landed perfectly on another tree limb.
I felt like a NASA engineer after a successful moon landing as I watched him proclaim to the neighborhood he was back in action.
HAWK UPDATE
The Red Tailed hawk mentioned in last weeks story has been unbandage and his broken wing seems to have mended well. It will be several weeks before he is given the chance to start rebuilding flight muscle, but so far so good.
SPECIAL THANK YOU
I would like to thank several individuals and organizations for their help this past year. Tim Judd and Merial Corporation has donated a two year supply of Heartguard heartworm preventative for all of the 8 wolves in my care. Dr. Meenen at Prairie Creek Veterinary Hospital in Rogers, Dr. Davis at Davis Animal Hospital in Springdale, Dr. McClean at Huntsville Veterinary Clinic, and Dr. Marvin at Bellevue Animal Clinic in Little Rock, have all assisted me with emergency treatment, consulting and services for my wildlife patients. I have also received a number of donations from my readers, Thank you to all on behalf of the animals.
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
