Urgent, bird help

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agentx

Member
Sep 11, 2007
22
0
Berkshire
sorry for shouting but im stuck. ive just rescued a small gull, its got a busted wing by the looks of it and i dont know what to do or who to call for help. or should i just ring its neck?
 

Bigfoot

Settler
Jul 10, 2010
669
4
Scotland
Call your nearest RSPB office or animal welfare centre - they will more than likely send someone out and will care for it (or put it down if it is too badly hurt but I suspect it's repairable if it's just a wing).
 

Mojoracinguk

Nomad
Apr 14, 2010
496
0
Hereford
The RSPB does not run bird hospitals or a rescue service. The RSPCA (England and Wales), SSPCA (Scotland) and USPCA (Northern Ireland) are the national charities that help and advise on sick and injured birds and animals. Tiggywinkles and The Swan Sanctuary also take in wild birds in need of care.

Just got this from the RSPB website....so don't bother with them...looks like RSPCA?

Mojo
 

Bushwhacker

Banned
Jun 26, 2008
3,882
8
Dorset
As much as I'd like to say bop it on the head it's illegal to kill them, believe it or not.
I'd just put it back where I found it.
 

agentx

Member
Sep 11, 2007
22
0
Berkshire
cheers folks, just got to wait for local RSPCA to call back now.
bushwhacker: i would put it back but it was being messed with by kids next to the road, otherwise i would have left it
 

Bushwhacker

Banned
Jun 26, 2008
3,882
8
Dorset
cheers folks, just got to wait for local RSPCA to call back now.
bushwhacker: i would put it back but it was being messed with by kids next to the road, otherwise i would have left it

Probably best not to then. As much as I detest cliff pigeons, they don't need to be tortured.
 

agentx

Member
Sep 11, 2007
22
0
Berkshire
its in a box with holes and water, but the poor bugger keeps trying to flap about.
had 2 call backs and the last 1 said to take it to the nearest vet but i cant, so waiting for another call back
 

Bigfoot

Settler
Jul 10, 2010
669
4
Scotland
Just got this from the RSPB website....so don't bother with them...looks like RSPCA?

Mojo

Actually you have just reminded me that the last time this happened to me (found a wounded immature gull) I ended up calling the RSPCA, who dealt with it. I had previously called the RSPB but got rebuffed. Sorry for my poor memory.
 

Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,234
1,595
Cumbria
I once found a sickly hedgehog and aftre calling a good local vets I took it to them. I found out a week later when cheking on it that they had put it down as it wouldn't have survived. Wish I'd gone to RSPCA.

I'm afraid IMHO there are so many gulls around that I'd say why bother? If it was a barn owl or marsh harrier I'd have gone to the ends of our country for it but a gull? Nature is harsh and without human interference it would die. The fact that the kids found it and were toruring it only complicates the decision. If they weren't a factor I'd have left it where it was and let nature take its toll.

Interesting idea, when is a creature worth saving and when not? Would you save a magpie? or does it have to be something less common or prettier? I'm afraid nature is not selective but we can be. Is a gull worthy of the resources of the RSPCA to save? Perhaps their wild animal sacturies should concentrate on what is rare, in danger or just decreasing in population not the common gull. What's your opinion?
 

Matt.S

Native
Mar 26, 2008
1,075
0
36
Exeter, Devon
I once found a sickly hedgehog and aftre calling a good local vets I took it to them. I found out a week later when cheking on it that they had put it down as it wouldn't have survived. Wish I'd gone to RSPCA.

What makes you think they would have done anything differently?
 

jonnie drake

Settler
Nov 20, 2009
600
1
west yorkshire
paul B the vets are pro's they know what they are doing. A veterinary surgery is a privately run business (NOT public) so when they take in hedgehogs and the like they do it because they care about the welfare of the animal they don't get anything else out of it. I personally treat the RSPCA with a wide berth.

If the wing can heal feed it up and look after it, if it is in a lot of pain and looks terminal do the right thing. Theres only so much anyone can do to help.
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,981
15
In the woods if possible.
What's your opinion?

Speaking as a living creature, I think a gull is no more worth saving than any other living creature. There are plenty of gulls and there are plenty of people.

Rather than rush around in circles trying to save the odd stray dog from a fate worse than death I wonder if people drawn to the RSPCA shouldn't consider dealing with the problems rather than the symptoms. We do a lot more damage through blind thoughtlessness than we do through deliberate cruelty. The kids kicking the gull around are the next generation of 'consumers' who will rape the planet with their insatiable wants without even knowing that they're doing it.

The main problem is that there are too many of us. We all know how Mother Nature deals with that kind of thing. For some strange reason most people seem to think that Nature's laws don't apply to people, and that we can do what we like where we like when we like as much as we like with absolute impunity. Of course that isn't true. Nature's laws apply just as much to us as they do to a gull.

We would do a great service to the rest of the species on the planet and not a small one to ourselves if we would just reduce the population to something sensible. Say about ten percent of what it is now as a target.

If we don't do something about it ourselves, then Mother Nature will do it for us. As every one of us here knows, she treats wayward children like us very harshly.
 

agentx

Member
Sep 11, 2007
22
0
Berkshire
the RSPCA have just taken the bird.
vets are the same as doctors within the NHS, they do there job because they care about life, be it human or animal.
yeah gulls are flying rats, but i wasnt gonna let it be tourtured by kids that dont know s**t. i did think about necking it, but ive never done before and didnt want to inflict more pain
 

Barn Owl

Old Age Punk
Apr 10, 2007
8,245
5
58
Ayrshire
Don't be sentimental about these things,if you can't get it to a wildlife rescue centre then put the creature out of its misery.

I courier for one but i use my discretion in what i'll take there.
If you can then give something to your nearest or volunteer your services.
They really need all contributions.

It takes many thousands for these places to help and the rspb just can't afford to do so.
If their income stopped,they would fold in three months,their priority is conserving habitat for bird and wildlife.
 

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