Many times at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital we receive calls regarding injured “topknot pigeons” who on admittance turn out to be the more common crested pigeon, a smaller species which feeds on a variety of native grass seeds found while walking along the ground.

Zeus however is a true topknot pigeon and he looks spectacular. He was transferred to us recently from a vet surgery in Brisbane after being dropped off by a member of the public. The Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital is operational twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week and provides specialist veterinary treatment and care for all species of native wildlife. Increasingly our wildlife vets answer enquiries from domestic vets around Australia regarding medication dose rates and suitable treatments for sick or injured wildlife patients. Other vets arrange transfer of patients like Zeus to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for specialised treatment.

Dr Claude assessed Zeus and x-rays revealed a fractured bone and severe swelling in his wing. With this type of injury surgery is not an option, so instead Dr Claude used a figure-of-eight bandage to immobilise and keep the wing in the correct position while the bone mends. Zeus has also been placed on a course of anti-inflammatories and pain relief while he rests in the Birds ICU.

What to feed Zeus presented a dilemma, as at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital we try to provide the natural diet of the species whenever possible. That is why we have so many different native plants in our hospital grounds, from grevilleas which provide nectar-rich flowers for gliders, bats, possums and birds, to eucalyptus species that can be fed to koalas and possums. Logistically there was no way we could gather all the natural food Zeus would normally eat, so the nurses improvised. What a sight it was to see Zeus gulping down various berries and small fruit balls (his particular favourite being blue berries)! Zeus is due to have his bandage removed and to be reassessed by Dr Claude in another couple of days.

Topknot pigeons are a fruit-eating species inhabiting rainforests and remnant forests that contain seasonally-fruiting trees, limiting their distribution to the eastern states of Australia where rainfall is quite high. Topknot pigeons forage for ripe fruits in the forest canopy, favouring marble-size fruit they can swallow whole. As rainforests with fruiting trees are cleared and natural feeding areas become fragmented, these pigeons now rely more heavily on fruit from introduced plant species such as camphor laurel and privet. Topknot pigeons play an important part in the dispersal of the seeds of native fruiting trees, however sadly this also means the seeds from these pest plant species are also being spread.

Call the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital on 1300 369 652 for all wildlife emergencies.

One Friday night three weeks ago, staff at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital received a call for help regarding an injured owl that had been found in Mooloolah Valley. Anne, the lady who rescued the owl, had been driving home at dusk when she saw it sitting on the side of the road being surrounded and attacked by other birds.

As she had only recently moved to the Sunshine Coast from Brisbane, Anne had no idea who to call for help. After two hours and many phone calls with no luck, she fortunately found the number for the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital. Anne’s call was promptly answered, directions were given and within half an hour Hoot the southern boobook owl was receiving veterinary treatment for a painful eye injury and concussion.

Dr Claude assessed Hoot and took x-rays, which fortunately showed no fractures. Hoot’s eye had a corneal ulcer with edema around it (meaning an injury to the surface of the eye surrounded by an abnormal build up of fluid) plus a mild perforation to the side of the eye.

Hoot was initially prescribed pain relief, sub-cutaneous fluids and medicated eye ointment to be applied four times over a twenty-four hour period, plus plenty of food and rest in the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital’s Bird Intensive Care.

Since admittance Hoot has had four veterinary rechecks and so far there has been a marked improvement in the eye’s condition, which is positive news. As with any wild bird of prey, perfect eye sight is essential so they can hunt for food effectively; if one eye is permanently damaged, release and long-term survival prospects aren’t good. Although Hoot’s injury looks quite severe, Dr Claude feels over time it should heal fully.

For all wildlife emergencies call the 24 hour Wildlife Hotline 1300 369 652

One Saturday morning two weeks ago, the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital received a call for help from a truck driver named Shane who had rescued a bird from the side of the busy Gateway Motorway near Nudgee. What a great guy to take the time to stop his truck and rescue her from such a dangerous location, there is no doubt Milla would have died if she had not been rescued. Luckily the Australia Zoo Rescue Unit was coming back from another rescue further south so they were able to offer their assistance.

On arrival at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Milla was treated by Dr Claude who carried out a full veterinary assessment. Fortunately x-rays showed no fractures, but there was bruising to Milla’s right ulna (wing) suggesting she had been knocked by a vehicle. Milla was rather thin with her body score rated as 6/10. Milla was given sub-cutaneous fluids, pain relief and anti-inflammatory and set up in an intensive care enclosure to recover.
Milla has been feeding very well and is consuming 60 grams of meat per day and is finally starting to gain weight. Her flight is becoming stronger and Dr Claude is happy with her progress so far, Milla is due for reassessment next week.

Black Shouldered Kites are found across mainland Australia preferring areas sparsely treed with grassland and open paddocks to look for prey. They frequently hunt feral mice and can often be seen hovering above a paddock before diving down and emerging with the prey grasped in their talons. Black Shouldered Kites aerial courtship is spectacular with the male offering his mate prey while both are in flight, the female will actually flip upside down and accept the food from her mate with her talons. Pairs breed from July to December and have an average of two youngsters.

Call the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital on 1300 369 652 for all wildlife emergencies.

Two weeks ago an adult barn owl was found lying on a bush track in the outer Brisbane suburb of Cashmere. The owl was rescued by a wildlife volunteer and brought to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for expert treatment and care. On arrival it was fairly evident something was very wrong with the owl as she just lay quietly in a towel while the nurse transferred her out of the rescue cage.

Dr Claude began assessing Fran by taking various tests, including bloods, and x-rays which fortunately revealed no fractures. Fran was extremely weak, unable to even stand up without falling over plus she was quite thin; Dr Claude also noted Fran had very smelly bad breath!

Fran was prescribed sub-cutaneous fluids, pain relief, and antibiotics; she was also wormed and given a charcoal tablet as the cause of her condition was possibly poisoning. Initial treatment included keeping Fran in a humidicrib to allow her to rest while being kept quiet and warm. Twenty-four hours later Fran’s condition had improved enough that she was able to stand on her hocks, so Dr Claude asked the veterinary nurses to begin force-feeding Fran twice nightly, and to continue to keep her warm. Six days later Fran was starting to display normal behaviour such as perching and feeding herself so she was transferred to a large rehabilitation enclosure in the Bird Intensive Care Ward of the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital.

Nineteen days after being admitted Fran is behaving like a real barn owl: hissing, crouching and extending her wings to look menacing each time her enclosure is to be cleaned. Also today she flew from the ground up to a perch for the first time so her strength is returning. She still needs more time in care to fully recover but her release back to the wild should be in the near future.

Barn owls have a heart-shaped face which helps direct even the smallest sound straight to their ears. This allows them to locate prey at night, like a mouse in leaf litter, then fly down to catch it with their long talons. Barn owls are found in most parts of Australia and there are many different sub-species worldwide.

Agnes is an adult female Brisbane River Turtle who was admitted to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital suffering serious injuries to her carapace (the top of her shell). Agnes was one of fifty eight Brisbane River turtles rescued back in March from a dam about 30km west of Brisbane. A vigilant member of the public had been visiting the dam and noticed a small pond at the base of the spillway wall which looked to be crowded with turtles; he also noticed dead turtles lying on the surrounding rocks. The turtles had in fact been carried over the spillway wall when excess water had been released; sadly some had been injured or killed while others were left isolated in a small pond surrounded by rocks.

Volunteer rescuers were able to release fifty turtles back into the dam, but this took many hours as the two rescuers had to make numerous trips climbing down into and back up out of the gully while carrying tubs containing a few turtles each time, which was an extremely difficult and heavy task. The other eight turtles had serious injuries and were transported to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, where after vet assessment five were euthanized due to the severity of their injuries. The three remaining turtles began treatment but sadly two deteriorated and were subsequently euthanized.

Agnes, weighing a thin 1.59kg, was assessed by Dr Amber on arrival. She found that Agnes had fractured segments along the front and rear edge of her carapace and a deep 4cm wide hole in the top of her carapace. After falling such a long way on to rocks, Agnes had been very lucky that her spine hadn’t been fractured or any organs ruptured. Dr Amber sedated and placed Agnes under anaesthetic to debride (remove dead tissue) and clean all of Agnes’s wounds. The damaged rear edge of the carapace also needed to be trimmed and the skin sutured closed. The hole needed to be covered in medicated ointment and protected by a bandage, and Agnes was also placed on pain relief and antibiotic treatment. Bandage changes were scheduled for every second day and importantly the wound was not to get wet, so Agnes was only allowed to be in shallow water while feeding and then returned to a dry enclosure.

By the beginning of June Dr Amber was pleased with Agnes’s progress, especially the healing of the hole, which although still tender had repaired sufficiently to be waterproof meaning Agnes could be housed back in water. Today’s reassessment went very well - Agnes now weighs a healthy 1.91kg and she is feeding and swimming normally, so Dr Amber is sending Agnes into care with a reptile rehabilitator for the remainder of the winter period. Come spring and after a final health check Agnes should be cleared to return back home to the wild.

Call the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital on 1300 369 652 for all wildlife emergencies.

On Sunday the Rescue Unit received a call from a farmer local to the Gympie region that had cut a koala off his barbed wire fence on Saturday. The family had done an excellent job in finding the koala, considering the size and remote location of the rescue, and once removed from the barbed wire had applied antiseptic spray and the Koala had jumped up into the nearest tree.

On closer inspection the next day, the family realised that the Koala was infact not using the lower right leg, which had been caught in the fence. Their call for help ended up with the AZRU and we headed up right away. They had also noticed that the Koala was indeed a female, and she had a young joey in the pouch.

When the team arrived at the farm, we drove all the way through the top paddock to the Koalas location - on a 10 metre spotted gum tree - on the fence line. She hadn’t moved trees since her rescue the previous day. Due to the delicate motion of getting her down out of the tree with her injured leg, the rescue team worked slowly and consistently with the koala poles. The team needed to encourage her down to the ground very slowly and in her own time so that there would be no chance of a fall or further injury.

During her decent, the team noticed that she had no control over the injured leg, with it even getting caught in the forks of branches. The Joey in the pouch appeared to be quite unfazed by the rescue mission, giving us quick glances throughout. Once on the ground, the team secured her into a Koala cage with some fresh tip leaf and loads of padding and blankets to make the 1.5 hour trip back to the Zoo on the dirt road a little less uncomfortable.

Once back at the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, ‘Sam Toucan’, as she is now known, had immediate treatment by Dr Claude. We’re hoping that she is able to recover from her leg injury, while looking after that precious cargo she has in her pouch!

Barbed wire fences cause significant damage to our native wildlife, on Sunday we attended three rescue calls for animals caught on these fences, ‘Sam Toucan’ is very lucky to be alive. Inexpensive measures can be taken to alert native wildlife to the existence of these fences, including, securing flagging tape, old CD’s, shredded shopping bags to the top and bottom strings of wire every 5 metres, or even reconsidering the need for barbed wire on your fences at all. Check out www.wildlifefriendlyfencing.com for more ideas on how to protect native wildlife on your property.

If you see any sick or injured native wildlife, please call Australia Zoo Rescue Unit on 5436 2000.

The Rescue Unit slowly encouraging 'Sam Toucan' down the tree

'Sam Toucan'

On Wednesday morning members of a family-run wholesale plant nursery in Morayfield noticed a large owl sitting on an exposed tree branch only three metres off the ground.

Throughout the day the family kept regular checks on the owl, while noisy minors and other birds harassed it in a vain attempt to drive the predator from their territory. By late afternoon the owl had left its roost but instead of flying away it was discovered sitting huddled on the ground. Concerned, the family called a local wildlife carer for advice and assistance.

On admittance to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, the owl was identified as a juvenile female Powerful Owl and was christened ‘Regina’ by Dr Robyn.

Regina was placed under anaesthetic so Dr Robyn could assess her injuries without stressing her any further. X-rays showed no fractured bones but a physical check revealed Regina was cold, thin and her right eye was damaged. Dr Robyn placed a drip in Regina’s wing to allow her to receive fluids and electrolytes overnight. She was also placed in a humidicrib to give her supportive warmth while she rested.

Sadly the next morning Regina stopped breathing and although vets at the Australian Wildlife Hospital resuscitated her, she did not continue breathing unassisted. Dr Robyn made the decision to euthanize her.

Powerful owls are the largest of the Australian owl species reaching approximately 55cms in height. Their distribution is restricted to the eastern regions of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. As a species, they are endangered in Victoria and vulnerable in New South Wales and Queensland. They face increasing population pressure due to destruction of habitat containing suitable nest hollows.

Powerful owls mate for life and the bonded pair will have a territory they defend year round from other owls. Nest trees are the older trees in the forest; many are eucalypt species that only develop hollows once the trees reach over 100 years of age. Old trees with hollows are so important in the ecosystem as they provide nest sites and homes for all sorts of wildlife ranging from nest sites for parrots, cockatoos, and owls to homes for gliders, possums, bats and reptiles.

The breeding season for powerful owls is from April to September, with two eggs being incubated by the female over 38 days. The fledged youngsters may remain in their parent’s territory for the first year but will then disperse and eventually find a mate to pair up with and establish a territory of their own.

Call the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital on 1300 369 652 for all wildlife emergencies.

Andy was called out to another adventurous rescue where a Masked Lapwing chick had fallen through the protective grill of a drain. The team got there as quickly as they could and Andy jumped straight in with his trusty torchlight!

Luckily for Andy, the Masked Lapwing had only moved a metre from the main drain area, so he was able to grab quickly before it ventured any further away! Once back up on the surface the chick was released immediately and re-joined its worried parents! (And we couldn’t resist getting a couple of photos of Andy in the drain!)

This chick was very lucky that members of the public who lived nearby had been monitoring its progress, and noticed it was missing, and found it in the drain! If you notice any sick or injured native wildlife please call Australia Zoo on 5436 2000.

Release!!

Edwina is an Emu chick who was spotted on her own walking around the busy streets of Labrador; a suburb near the Gold Coast.

Edwina is too young to be on her own; when she was rescued by the RSPCA Rescue Ambulance she was frightened and very hungry. She was quickly transferred to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital for care and treatment.

It is illegal to take any native animal from the wild; only trained and licensed wildlife carers are allowed to care for orphaned or sick wildlife. However, it is likely Edwina was found in Western Queensland and taken home as an illegal pet, but either escaped or wasn’t wanted anymore and released.

On arrival to the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Edwina was given a full veterinary health check. She was quite thin, weighing only 540g, but otherwise okay. By Friday Edwina weighed a healthier 905g and was placed with an experienced emu rehabilitator.

Emu chicks can easily become imprinted on humans. Edwina is sharing her outdoors enclosure with two regular chickens, who provide companionship and also teach her to forage. In eight months, Edwina should be at an age where she begins her pre-release time; allowing her to adjust to life as a wild emu while still being given support feeding if needed.

In the wild, the male emu is the parent who builds the nest and incubates the five-to-fifteen eggs over the fifty-five days it takes for the chicks to hatch. Dad is also the one who solely raises and cares for them. All emu chicks have a striped feather pattern which provides camouflage from predators while they forage on seeds, insects, flowers, plant shoots and vegetation.

These babies may appear to be abandoned by their parents, but in many cases, they are simply learning to fly!

Last spring, Kate C and Kado attended this rescue nearby the Zoo, where a member of the public had found a baby magpie lark on the ground in her backyard, after ensuring that it was not injured in any way, we set about attaching a makeshift nest to a tree in the backyard, and placed the baby inside. Sure enough, minutes later, the parents were down on the new nest, making sure their little one was ok.

If you find a baby bird this spring that is uninjured and you can see the parents nearby, you can do the following to create a makeshift nest!

1. Find a bucket, old ice-cream or yoghurt container, or similar.

2. Put some holes for drainage in the bottom of the container (Just in case it rains!)

3. Find some soft leaf litter for the base

4. Insert a stick reaching from the bottom of the container to the top (so mum and dad bird can get in and out easily)

5. Attach securely to the tree that the nest is or was in, as high as you can get it. (Far away from any domestic pets or predators!)

6. Carefully place the baby bird inside the nest, walk a distance away, and watch quietly to see if, over time, the parent birds return to their young one.

Of course, if you find a baby bird or any animal that is sick or injured, please call Australia Zoo Rescue Unit on (07) 5436 2000