Injured Crow - did I do the right thing? (1 Viewer)

[lisahm]

What an awful morning! When I got into work today there was a crow being pinned to the ground by another crow and a magpie and they were pulling its feathers out and it looked in a terrible state. I scared them away and it moved off into the corner. I went into my office and watched from the window and they came back and they started attacking it again so I went back out to scare them and I managed to pick the bird up and put it in a computer paper box. I tried the RSPB but they just gave me a number from a localish sanctuary that is now closed. Colleagues suggested see what a vet says and the first local one I tried said bring it in and we will have a look. Another colleague then said you know they will just kill it don’t you so we started googling sanctuaries again but they nearest wildlife one I could find was over an hour away but a friend messaged me to say she had heard of them collecting wildlife from some distance before through a volunteer network. I rang them and told them my tale and how I had already spoke to a vet, they said take it to the vet has planned and if it stands any chance tell them we will collect it as we have space. So I did as instructed and took it to the vet and they seemed nice and I stressed how willing the sanctuary is to collect animals and they said yeah they had experience of that sanctuary doing so. I called the vets back just now for an update hoping against hope it was on way to shelter but they said it had, had a wound on its wing and it was broken so they had to put it down as would have no quality of life. But can’t broken wings heal? Isn’t that what sanctuaries do nurse back from things like that ?

I feel like I sent it to die basically, it was such a lovely thing and could move and was conscious etc. I keep feeling I should have begged someone to drive the hour plus journey as the sanctuary might have acted differently. Like you hear of ppl nursing sick birds and then them being friends for life. I just hate to think I could have done more or made the wrong call. Has anyone got any experience of a bird's wing healing? Just wondering so I can have a plan for the future should I see birds in distress

 

[delia todd]

Hi lisahm and a warm welcome to you from all the Staff and Moderators. We have some general guidelines here for the care of injured and baby birds.

Unfortunately by the time you first scared the birds away it was probably too late to save him; he would have already been very weak by that stage, which is why the other birds thought there was an easy meal on hand for their young ones. The second attack would have really sealed his fate.

The vet was probably very correct in putting him down. No it is not always possible to repair a fracture in the wing, it depends just where it is and there may be more than one too. There is also a long healing time and this can distress wild birds as well. It usually is best to leave nature to get on with it. Only interfere if the damage is caused by humans.

I'm sure you will enjoy it here and I look forward to hearing your news.

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum. I think you did your best. Having been attacked so badly, the crow didn’t stand a chance.

 

[Thotmosis]

I saw a crow today with a baby duck in his beak. Then he dropped it and my wife was in total shock, “Let’s save the little duck!”. I took a look at the poor little duck, no chance. So i took my wife and said that’s nature. When i looked around the big crow was feasting on the little duck. Crows are like this, they eat little ducks. That’s nature…

 

[01101001]

What an awful morning! When I got into work today there was a crow being pinned to the ground by another crow and a magpie and they were pulling its feathers out and it looked in a terrible state. I scared them away and it moved off into the corner. I went into my office and watched from the window and they came back and they started attacking it again so I went back out to scare them and I managed to pick the bird up and put it in a computer paper box. I tried the RSPB but they just gave me a number from a localish sanctuary that is now closed. Colleagues suggested see what a vet says and the first local one I tried said bring it in and we will have a look. Another colleague then said you know they will just kill it don’t you so we started googling sanctuaries again but they nearest wildlife one I could find was over an hour away but a friend messaged me to say she had heard of them collecting wildlife from some distance before through a volunteer network. I rang them and told them my tale and how I had already spoke to a vet, they said take it to the vet has planned and if it stands any chance tell them we will collect it as we have space. So I did as instructed and took it to the vet and they seemed nice and I stressed how willing the sanctuary is to collect animals and they said yeah they had experience of that sanctuary doing so. I called the vets back just now for an update hoping against hope it was on way to shelter but they said it had, had a wound on its wing and it was broken so they had to put it down as would have no quality of life. But can’t broken wings heal? Isn’t that what sanctuaries do nurse back from things like that ?

I feel like I sent it to die basically, it was such a lovely thing and could move and was conscious etc. I keep feeling I should have begged someone to drive the hour plus journey as the sanctuary might have acted differently. Like you hear of ppl nursing sick birds and then them being friends for life. I just hate to think I could have done more or made the wrong call. Has anyone got any experience of a bird's wing healing? Just wondering so I can have a plan for the future should I see birds in distress

They do the same to cats with broken paws. There was no way you could know that they would do that. I believe it depends on the people running the place, possibly also on the human-determined value of the species in question.

 

[delia todd]

They do the same to cats with broken paws.

Gosh!!! They wouldn't do that over here Karol. Except in special circumstances (gangrene, cancer with secondaries in the lung etc) There'd be an uproar.

 

[Pijjincambs]

What an awful morning! When I got into work today there was a crow being pinned to the ground by another crow

Poor thing, thank you for caring about it. It's upsetting when it gets taken out of your hands like that I know. I have taken in birds with injured wings and sometimes they can be rehabbed with rest or a splint, but other times the fractures are too complex. The worst thing is that fractures often break through their terribly thin skin and then it's a disaster. They can of course amputate and the bird can live in a sanctuary, but whether that is ideal is a matter of opinion so you did your best. It is also possible for more complex surgery to be done but that can be too expensive to be realistic for rescues unfortunately.

I have a jackdaw with a dropped wing at my house today, we are hoping to get him to a vet tomorrow. I've felt the wing and no obvious wounds or big fractures so fingers crossed for the poor thing.

At these times just reassure yourself that it didn't die a horrible painful death and could go peacefully. Everything has to eat of course and I don't deter animals from ordinary hunting, but that sort of thing is difficult to witness.

It is also remarkable how lucid an animal can appear when they are horribly injured. I took in a wood pigeon that was so awake and strong considering it was about 80% covered in devastating bleeding injuries having been hit by a car, it genuinely seemed like it might come back from it, but of course it didn't, it was impossible. Must be the adrenaline I guess!

 

[Tired]

One issue with cases like this is that, if a bird is injured badly enough to be permanently unreleasable, it would have to go to a sanctuary of some sort to have any chance at a good quality of life. They can't live good lives in pet homes the way something very small, like an anole lizard, would be able to. Sadly, there are a lot of injured birds and other animals, and very few available spaces in any given sanctuary, so a lot of animals are euthanized simply for lack of anywhere that can take them. A bit like cats and dogs at animal shelters, except that wild animals can't be adopted out.

An issue with specifically birds is that their bones are hollow and fragile. A broken bone is likely to be quite badly broken, so, although some can heal, they're more likely to have a serious fracture. With animals, particularly with wild animals, there has to be a decision made about if trying to treat a serious injury is the right thing to do. Animals don't understand why they're in pain, don't understand that the pain is likely to be temporary, and don't understand that the terrifying giant creatures handling them are trying to help. If an animal's chances of recovery are slim, euthanasia can often be a kinder option than putting it through severe pain and stress on some narrow chance that it might not die.

You did the best you could. It was going to die either way- at least you got it a quicker death.