Sparrowhawk attack!

[squeek]

Originally Posted by Jonathan

Sorry VF, but that's a disgraceful thing to say, you cannot possibly know whether the dove would have survived or not, and the O/P did nothing whatsoever that would have caused or contributed to it's demise.

Jonathan

well i think a sanctuary would have been a good idea as they would try to fix the bird if possible, where as a vet (our vets in the past) have always gone for putting wildlife down especially once we saved a baby blackbird, we didnt know what to feed it so we mashed up bananas , only kept it for 2 nights(weekend) we left it at our vets on monday and got a phonecall saying they had put it down b/c it was oozing yellow from its mouth ! idiots that was the banana, now that bird was healthy and they killed it so we learnt from that.
anyway i dont think the op is to blame for its death. unless you know what your doing, looking after wildlife is not easy and recondising what help is required and who to contact, all thrown at you at once makes it difficult to know what to do.

[Picidae]

Originally Posted by Jonathan

Sorry VF, but that's a disgraceful thing to say, you cannot possibly know whether the dove would have survived or not ...

Jonathan

I think that was the point VF was making if I understood the main thrust of the post correctly - if VF, an experienced wildlife rescuer, could not 'possibly know whether the dove would have survived or not'', then how could any one else, especially from reading a very brief description from an internet post of it's injuries know whether it would survive? Perhaps VF's concerns are that to advocate euthanasia in the absence of such information or professional advice, goes against the grain of 'rescue' which has as it's central philosophy a mandate to give every possible chance of recovery to each injured animal and with the best services that might be available? Not everyone shares this 'individual right of life' point of view, especially those I suspect, that view 'wildlife' generally from a more practical management perspective in the countryside at large and are probably more used to 'dispatching' various creatures that have 'failed' or 'exceeded' their 'natural' role in the wider scheme of things.

Personally I may well have left it to the cat since the Sprawk had probably already injured it and the cat at least would have finished it off quicker and left the 'remains' for the Sprawk anyway, but it's difficult to say without being there, and the OP didn't do that so any advice along those lines would have been redundant!

[valleyforge]

Thanks Picidae ... that was partly my point.

However, the main point is that in choosing to intervene and 'remove the dove to a safe site', the OP became in law responsible for its welfare.

Although the law does allow you to humanely dispatch an injured animal if it is beyond help, the OP in asking for our advice was probably not able to assess that ... and of course there is no shame in that ... even experienced rehabilitators and vets can sometime initially assess an injury as one from which no recovery is possible, only for the animal to make a full recovery ... but only of course where euthaniasia has not been applied over eagerly.

However, the law also clearly stipulates that once 'in your care', your responsibility is to ensure that it receives proper treatment for any injury ... at that point it is no longer right or fitting to 'allow nature to take its course' and permit a casualty to bleed to death, starve, or be predated.

[FUDGEY]

Apologies if this offends anyone, but I think anyone that feeds garden birds and is anti sparrowhawk has a cheek. You are encouraging birds from areas where the hawk usually hunts and it has no alternative to follow them in. If you try deter them you are not a nature lover in my book. Over the past few months I have grown incredibly attatched to a pair of kingfishers I have been photographing. Two days ago one came with in inches of death from a Sparrowhawk. If it had caught it I wouldn't have been angry towards the hawk, I realise it's what they do and our island would be a lesser place without them. Fantastic, efficent birds.

[willing to learn]

Originally Posted by FUDGEY

Apologies if this offends anyone, but I think anyone that feeds garden birds and is anti sparrowhawk has a cheek. You are encouraging birds from areas where the hawk usually hunts and it has no alternative to follow them in. If you try deter them you are not a nature lover in my book. Over the past few months I have grown incredibly attatched to a pair of kingfishers I have been photographing. Two days ago one came with in inches of death from a Sparrowhawk. If it had caught it I wouldn't have been angry towards the hawk, I realise it's what they do and our island would be a lesser place without them. Fantastic, efficent birds.

Very good post indeed.
Regards
Colin

[stigofthedump]

Originally Posted by willing to learn

Very good post indeed.
Regards
Colin

I second that.
Very good post FUDGEY.


Vince

[k4t3]

Wow, am feeling very chasened indeed. I only sought a bit of advice and now feel like a murderer. I removed the dove from the cats, as if u have ever seen the way a cat toys and plays and makes its victims suffer, that would have been a worse death than from the injuries that the hawk may or may not have caused it. Because of this i thought i was doing right by giving the dove a fighting chance.
Oh and by the way the cat was not feral looking for a meal but a well stuffed family pet fed by all the neighbours.
I only came on the site to try and do the right thing, but now feel so bad that i wish i hadn't bothered. I only hope that you are more friendly to others seeking advice

[stigofthedump]

Please don’t feel bad. Don’t think anyone here is judging you. I for one have done a very similar thing in the past.
In your shoes I would have probably dispatched the bird and thought that I had done the right thing. Your thread might have a significant impact on the plight of injured animals, namely people who have read this might now know there is another option. Phone/post for advice first.
In which case you have done sick/ injured animals a great service.


Vince

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by k4t3

Wow, am feeling very chasened indeed. I only sought a bit of advice and now feel like a murderer. I removed the dove from the cats, as if u have ever seen the way a cat toys and plays and makes its victims suffer, that would have been a worse death than from the injuries that the hawk may or may not have caused it. Because of this i thought i was doing right by giving the dove a fighting chance.
Oh and by the way the cat was not feral looking for a meal but a well stuffed family pet fed by all the neighbours.
I only came on the site to try and do the right thing, but now feel so bad that i wish i hadn't bothered. I only hope that you are more friendly to others seeking advice

Yes it is terrible how you have been treated I suggest you listen to first few posts and ignore the weird views of some of the members on here..
In my view you did what you could and I have seen lots of birds just curl up and die of the shock..

Please don't feel at all bad and please don't be put off just let the comments ride over your head just like I do...
Its not worth arguing with them..

[valleyforge]

Originally Posted by k4t3

Wow, am feeling very chasened indeed. I only sought a bit of advice and now feel like a murderer.

I only came on the site to try and do the right thing, but now feel so bad that i wish i hadn't bothered. I only hope that you are more friendly to others seeking advice

I am truly sorry you feel that way k4t3, and I hope that it wasn't my posts that caused that (though I suspect it probably was).

In fact I was being very sympathetic to your dilemma in that you came here looking for advice ... and to my mind didn't receive any that was probably of any real use to you, and certainly none that was of use to the dove.

I most certainly was not apportioning any blame on you for what you may or may not have done, but instead was attempting to present a more balanced response within this thread, for the benefit of all those who may refer to it in the future, when dealing with a similar incident.

Please reread what I said with that in mind ... there is no animosity to you in there.