Young Conservationists
  • Home
  • About
  • Project Ideas
    • Submissions
  • Blog
  • Photo Album
  • Links
    • Wildlife Rehabilitators
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Young Birders Clubs
    • Other

Wiggle!

7/20/2014

 
Wiggle is a Turkey Vulture who was hit by a car. Shortly after he had been hit, some wonderful people who lived nearby carefully moved him off of the road and called Soarin’ Hawk Raptor Rehab. Since he was close to my home, the Soarin’ Hawk dispatcher asked us to pick him up.  

When we arrived I was really worried. I thought he was dead. He was lying in an awkward facedown position, eyes closed, with flies buzzing around him. He did not move at all when we approached him; there wasn’t so much as a flicker of the eyelids. The kind people who had found him were upset that he had apparently passed, and we tried to comfort them by saying that even the deceased raptors can help save the lives of the others. For example, we imp (attach) the feathers onto the broken feathers of otherwise healthy birds to allow them to fly until their own feathers grow in.

When we picked up his limp body, one eye snapped open. He was alive! I was so relieved! The rest of his body remained limp and unresponsive, but there was hope! We put him in the special “Raptor Carrier” and I sat with him and talked to him quietly during the long 40-minute drive to the vet’s office.

The veterinarian for Soarin’ Hawk took us in immediately and she demonstrated how to manually check for broken bones, dehydration and other common injuries. She also took several x-rays to make sure that he had no internal injuries. Miraculously, all Wiggle had was a severe concussion! The vet moved him to a cage so that he could rest and recover and she put a towel doughnut around him to keep his head up. I was, of course, very happy that he was ok, but I was still worried about him. The vet monitored Wiggle carefully for a couple of days then transferred him to Soarin’ Hawk’s personalized care area, where someone could watch him night and day, away from the risk of ill birds, parasites and other risks to his recovery. At that point, we discovered that Wiggle was not a fan of old meat; he preferred fish and meat that was fresh from the store! Our picky little vulture was clearly feeling better! He was moved to Soarin’ Hawk’s main raptor rehabilitation center to begin his creance (practice and conditioning) flights.



Comments are closed.

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2016
    February 2016
    October 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.