Quite frequently concerned members of the public will walk into Vet Central Animal Hospital, Earlwood  handing over a bird that they found on the sidewalk, in their garden on the bushwalks. Should you pick up this bird and hand it over to an Animal Hospital or are you interfering with nature?

One need to be aware of the facts as there are consequences.

Only Australian indigenous wild life are treated and all non indigenous  creatures may have to be euthanized , for example an Indian Mina bird is considered a risk to Australian wildlife  and will have to be euthanized.

Vet clinics will normally  provide primary care for a sick and injured creatures and the rescue organisation , WIRES ( Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service) should  be contacted  to provide a carer for this creature.Members of the public must contact WIRES directly to obtain advice about the wildlife they rescued.Not all Animal Hospitals attended to birds and wildlife and neither can they  admit the creature as they may not have a night or weekend hospital facility.

Un- injured  and healthy  birds may have to be taken back to the environment by the finder and placed in the creatures habitat. Some birds lives in pairs or part of an avian community and it is essential that they are placed  back into their own environment. Often at Vet Central Animal Hospital Earlwood ,young birds or nestlings that fall off its nest or may look abandoned are brought in by the public for care. These young bird’s prognosis to survive is minimal as they have been dis-placed by the human  at  a critical time when its parents were nearby trying to teach it to fly unnoticed by the human that took it away. Your action may have caused more harm than  good, so think  again.

At Vet Central Animal Hospital, Earlwood  we recommend following these few steps to ensure both the safety of our wildlife, and yours.

First thing is move the bird away from and dangers , other prey, such as cats and dogs, and traffic, if near a main road.

If you have access to and old towel or T shirt that you can use to gently wrap the bird up, so you can transport it to your nearest vet clinic.

Once at the vet clinic, the veterinary staff will provide treatment for the bird, if it is injured. Also leave your details with the vet clinic staff, so they can contact you should the bird be able to be released in the area that the bird was originally found.

 The vet will asses the bird, and treat (if injured). Sometimes however wild birds may be either too sick, or gravely injured, in which case the best course of action will be to humanely euthanize the bird. The vet clinic will also take care of the birds remains.

What if It’s a baby bird?

At Vet Central Animal Hospital, Earlwood  we recommend that if you find a baby bird that may have fallen out of its nest, before approaching the bird, look at the surrounding area for:

1. The parents of the baby
2. make sure there are no imminent dangers i.e cats/dogs/busy road

If there are no dangers in the area, and the parents are close by DO NOT TOUCH THE BIRD.  The parents will often help the baby. If however they can’t get to the baby or are not present , without touching the bird directly, (use a towel or t shirt ) transfer the bird to a box and the place box in the closest tree, or highest point (roof) possible, without causing injury to yourself or the bird.

If the baby bird seems injured, refer back to the steps above.

If you are unsure as to what you should do then call up WIRES on 1300 094 737