Pigeon rescue/rehab...

[AneesasMuse]

I took off Monday to the local box chain Zoo Supply store... and this pigeon guy needed help. The employees said he has a compound wing fracture and all the wildlife rehab places would only take him to EUTHANIZE him So.. I stepped in and brought him home with me.

I called around and found a Vet that would see him... when he returned from vacation. I found a forum with strictly pigeon fancy'in type folks and they helped me with the wing binding and antibiotic dose, etc.

Today is the day the Vet returns, so we'll be there at 3pm.

This is WoHi...

"I'm going where?"

I just cleaned him up this morning... well, the cage he's recovering in... and he kindly spilled some water and dumped/flung his seeds out again. You can also see the masking tape binding his left wing in place until the doc can see him. If you ever have to do this, keep in mind NOT to tape the "poop shoot" closed.

 

[Ewok]

hmm.. is that bbq sauce you have sitting next to his cage, I see you have plans for him if he dosn't survive the vet


I see why he has the questioning look on his face in the first pic

 

[AneesasMuse]

It is! Haha... and ketchup on the other side....

I had to bring him inside from the garage, to get decent light...

 

[AneesasMuse]

I'm back from the vet... WoHi is NOT. He has 2 breaks in his humerus and his entire "wrist" joint/bone is exposed, so he will be minus an entire left wing when he returns to live out his life here with us.

I'll know more about his status on Monday, so I'll update then.

 

[JLDomestics]

Pigeons are like one one hundredth of a cent for about 5 million, what is the point?

 

[AneesasMuse]

The point is that he has a life and a purpose as much as you or anyone else.

 

[Mushroom Spore]

Pigeons are like one one hundredth of a cent for about 5 million, what is the point?

Because some of us don't value a life based on how much money it's worth, or how "common" it is, or whether or not other people think it's special enough to merit their attention.

 

[TNeal]

This thread has brought up a lot of good old memories. When I was around 13 or so we lived by a huge abandoned mill. Needless to say it was a huge breeding ground for pigeons.

Every spring I would find at least 3 if not many more little baby pigeons that had fallen out of their nest. I became known as the pigeon boy because I always had pigeions around me. They would follow me wherever I went. I remember one time I walked into a corner store and the owner started yelling at me. I looked behind me and a flock of pigeons was following me into the store. LOL

I used to raise them up then let them go. It was quite an ordeal prepairing the "mash" I fed them. I also had to give the little babies tiny rocks so they could digest their food. It was quite an experience and one I will never forget.

Thanks for bringing back very fond memories.

Tom

 

[Mina]

The point is that he has a life and a purpose as much as you or anyone else.

Good for you, dear!!!!!! You are quite right!!!!!! I hope he ends up okay!!!

 

[JLDomestics]

Yeah you are exactly right. If you believe in that sort of thing then good for you!

Personally I believe pigeons would be valued at a zillion times less than a cow that we eat every single day. I love my hamburgers but I believe cows and pigeons are worthless. A pigeons role in this world is extremely minor and doesn't deserve any second of any day. Now if pigeons were an endangered species and there wasn't an unlimited number of them everywhere in the world then I would stand by you because the species does deserve to exist, but a single member of a species does not and should not be worried about when there will always be pigeons. There will always be pigeons and cows for as long as there will be human beings!

 

[K-TRAIN]

just my 2 cents on these replys.

Pigeons are like one one hundredth of a cent for about 5 million, what is the point?

the point is its still a life. think of it this way, if a animal is in someway connected to people (say, the food chain) then we should care about them since they are connected to us in some way. if it wasnt for certain animals, especially the ones you call "one one hundredth of a cent for about 5 million"
others wouldnt exist, therefore we wouldnt be like we are today. im not saying that there really important, im just saying that we shouldnt act like somethings nothing if we dont look past what it is.

Yeah you are exactly right. If you believe in that sort of thing then good for you!

Personally I believe pigeons would be valued at a zillion times less than a cow that we eat every single day. I love my hamburgers but I believe cows and pigeons are worthless. A pigeons role in this world is extremely minor and doesn't deserve any second of any day. Now if pigeons were an endangered species and there wasn't an unlimited number of them everywhere in the world then I would stand by you because the species does deserve to exist, but a single member of a species does not and should not be worried about when there will always be pigeons. There will always be pigeons and cows for as long as there will be human beings!

i respect your beliefs, but think of it this way, we are ruining the environment. the main reason we do is because most people dont stop to think what something may be worth. people just change things to suit what they want. if you see a pigeon and its hurt, you may over look it thinking its just one out of millions of the same species, so who cares. the same thought is in peoples heads everyday over different living things, such as trees and insects. but everything has a purpose, and if we keep thinking that its "just one of a million other animals" then what'll be left in the future? a once common species of animals could become endangered or wiped out because of our ignorance towards the creatures that make us what we are. im not trying to change your beliefs, im just giving you a different view on the subject.

 

[JLDomestics]

Being that pigeons shouldn't even be in North America and were brought here by early immigrants the whole North American population should be exterminated. Pigeons do alot more bad than they do good. What exactly do they do that is good? The only good thing I can think of is that they are a food source for some raptors, but that is it. The world would be no worse off without them, and very possibly would be better. All they do is crap everywhere and it accumulates and is a health risk for us humans. Not to mention their crap is acidic and erodes away metal. What you shoul dbe doing is dropping a rock on that bird and not trying to save a useless life.

Now if it were an owl or something that was important or endangered then it would be a whole different ball game.

If I had a nickel for every injured common bird I have seen in the wild I would be rich. Living things die, because they are supposed to!

 

[K-TRAIN]

Being that pigeons shouldn't even be in North America and were brought here by early immigrants the whole North American population should be exterminated. Pigeons do alot more bad than they do good. What exactly do they do that is good? The only good thing I can think of is that they are a food source for some raptors, but that is it. The world would be no worse off without them, and very possibly would be better. All they do is crap everywhere and it accumulates and is a health risk for us humans. Not to mention their crap is acidic and erodes away metal. What you shoul dbe doing is dropping a rock on that bird and not trying to save a useless life.

Now if it were an owl or something that was important or endangered then it would be a whole different ball game.

If I had a nickel for every injured common bird I have seen in the wild I would be rich. Living things die, because they are supposed to!

there's a great example of what i said. we dont look into the importance of animals before we deciede they are "bad". animals do go out of there natural range occasionally. thoses that survive create a small colony that becomes a population of the species. they are suited to live there, therefore they will be there eventually anyway. if we move them into a new environment, then we're just speeding up the change. thats evolution. not the kind most people think of but thats what it is. even populations evolve. when one begins to extend its range, other animals do the same. in fact, by killing off a species that has become established in a certain place over a long period of time we may accually hurt the environment that has grown around the species, because it ends up like your taking away a native species.

and about your ideas that they crap all over and it errodes metal, maybe thats because we tamperered with the original enviroment by taking away the forests. metals werent ment to be forged into useful items anyway, so its natural that something will destroy them. its no worse then the pollutants that are in the air.

oh and by the way, the a life that you consider "useless" helped make us what we are one way or another so i guess its not useless after all.
all animals are important and have uses. so dont down something i'm dedicating my life to.

 

[Dark]

K-Train and JLDomestics are Right, To be Honest Humans Migrated from orginally Africa, So I suggest we round up all the dying people and drop a rock on em, If I had a nickel for every dying person I read about, I'd Be Rich! Damn Humans, and their polution, and their cancerous french Fries...

 

[Tleilaxu]

Yeah you are exactly right. If you believe in that sort of thing then good for you!

Personally I believe pigeons would be valued at a zillion times less than a cow that we eat every single day. I love my hamburgers but I believe cows and pigeons are worthless. A pigeons role in this world is extremely minor and doesn't deserve any second of any day. Now if pigeons were an endangered species and there wasn't an unlimited number of them everywhere in the world then I would stand by you because the species does deserve to exist, but a single member of a species does not and should not be worried about when there will always be pigeons. There will always be pigeons and cows for as long as there will be human beings!

You know back then people thought this way about the passenger pigeons and there were millions of them... well I don't see anymore passenger pigeons do you? Infact the only ones I saw were dead and on a display in a museum....

AneesasMuse well done! I hope he makes it, I tried rehabing one as well but it died the next day. Wonderful creature pigeons are... and JL they are "cherished" by peregrin falcons... so there one use for pigeons. I can think of several more.

 

[K-TRAIN]

You know back then people thought this way about the passenger pigeons and there were millions of them... well I don't see anymore passenger pigeons do you? Infact the only ones I saw were dead and on a display in a museum....

AneesasMuse well done! I hope he makes it, I tried rehabing one as well but it died the next day. Wonderful creature pigeons are... and JL they are "cherished" by peregrin falcons... so there one use for pigeons. I can think of several more.

exactly. well put tleilaxu.


and AneesasMuse,
that's great that your caring for that pigeon.:clap: i hope it gets better. keep us updated.

 

[FelanMoira]

I've only got to say a few words on this .. since they aren't protected in the US, like most other migratory birds are (Save the pigeon and European starlings, and European (house) sparrows) - Hope he has a good life with you.

That being said, those 3 species were introduced into the US and have threatened many species which are native to the US - starlings and house sparrows throw eastern bluebirds out of nests and such. I'm a sub-permitted licensed rehabber, and we (the group) I work with wouldn't take the pigeon in. IF we did, it would be to euthanize it so it wouldn't suffer from the pain. We also don't do any of the native wild game birds, as we only get so many donations, and funnel our money into birds which cannot legally be shot. We do both birds of prey (hawks, falcons, owls) and the songbirds, etc - the "common" dime a dozen yard birds, except non-natives and huntables.

Also, it may be a living creature and yes, it's life has value - but most of the birds we've taken in with injures that do not equate being releasable after healing are euthanized - because a cage is no place for these beautiful wild animals to live. We see them beat themselves to death trying to escape and refuse to eat because they are not meant to live in captivity. The life has value, but you have to realize that that life most likely is not worth living in a cage if you are used to flying free.

 

[AneesasMuse]

K-Train and JLDomestics are Right, To be Honest Humans Migrated from orginally Africa, So I suggest we round up all the dying people and drop a rock on em, If I had a nickel for every dying person I read about, I'd Be Rich! Damn Humans, and their polution, and their cancerous french Fries...

You know back then people thought this way about the passenger pigeons and there were millions of them... well I don't see anymore passenger pigeons do you? Infact the only ones I saw were dead and on a display in a museum....

AneesasMuse well done! I hope he makes it, I tried rehabing one as well but it died the next day. Wonderful creature pigeons are... and JL they are "cherished" by peregrin falcons... so there one use for pigeons. I can think of several more.

I have to say, I am amazed that this thread has come to this...

Darkpredator.. your comments made me laugh aloud... VERY LOUD! As I read some of the "worthless bird" replies prior to yours, I thought exactly what you've proposed... let's drop a rock on a LOT of living beings, for that matter.

Theilaxu and KTRAIN.. Mina, too.... thank you for understanding.

I wasn't posting this for approval or someone to take my side or whatever... I was merely sharing the story of a life.. well, actually two lives... mine and the bird's. I find myself in a lot of rehab/rescue situations often and I'm never surprised at what may be next.. or the strength and effort these critters put forth to survive.

In my mind, every thing and every one has a purpose.. as already mentioned... and deserves a chance. It isn't our call to decide their lives or their fate.... not when it's a broken wing or toe or bad diet or shed or whatever. This bird is strong and he shows a will to live.

WoHi won't be able to fly with or without his broken wing... in this case, without cuz it will be amputated as soon as he overcomes the infection he has. He won't be kept in a cage here either. He will have an enclosure with his nest box and his food/water dishes.. and accessible ramp that he can maneuver into and out of as he wishes. I'm also working on an enclosure for him outside... an aviary of sorts... that will protect him from predators.

If he had been left to fend for himself with this broken wing, he may or may not have been eaten or died from complications with his infection... none of us know for sure. If he had managed to survive and the wing healed in spite of everything... he wouldn't be able to fly, but he may have had a chance to carry on with life. We just don't know.

I'm sure he will be unhappy about losing his wing and his ability to fly again, but I really don't think he'd rather be dead... and I do believe he will adapt to his misfortune and become a wonderful pet just like so many other "wild" creatures that we all have in our homes.. in cages.

 

[Dark]

I have to say, I am amazed that this thread has come to this...

Darkpredator.. your comments made me laugh aloud... VERY LOUD! As I read some of the "worthless bird" replies prior to yours, I thought exactly what you've proposed... let's drop a rock on a LOT of living beings, for that matter.

Thank you . I try ;D

 

[JLDomestics]

Comparing passenger pigeons to the invasive pigeons that plague us today is like comparing black and white. Passenger pigeons were huunted to extinction because people ate them. No one wants to eat any of the nasty diseased pigeons that we are talking about in this thread.