# Injured Buzzard found.......



## Moodie (Aug 3, 2008)

Moved to this part of the forum as its probably more appropriate.



I'll try and keep this brief.

I found an injured buzzard on my way home from work yesterday. Looked like it had broken legs and seemed to keep passing out. I managed to get it home and on the advice of the RSPCA put it in the garage in a box with a little water.

I checked it this morning and it was much improved and didnt show any signs of discomfort or injury. It was now standing up and seemed fully alert. 

The RSPCA came to collect it this morning. They're taking it to a local rescue centre and if all is well it will be released back near where I found it. If it needs specialist care it will go to a local hawk conservatory.

My reason for asking on here is that I became really attatched to the bird and really want to see it again. I dont want to keep it (I dont have the time, space, knowledge etc to care for it, and its a wild bird). But I would like to be there to see it released or perhaps be able to release it myself. 

Is this a possibility for me? I've tried contacting the centre but cant get through. The lady that collected the bird was quite brief and didnt really give me much info. Do I have any right to tell the centre that as it was me that found the bird I want to release it? 

Many thanks.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I've no idea what rights you have, but where the R$PCA are concerned I would think it will be none, cos they do what they want.

If that bird had been found in Northumberland, the R$PCA would have 'necked' it because it couldn't be released on the spot. Apparently that's their new stance with wildlife - injured wildlife is euthanased if it can't be immediately released! Orphaned baby birds are also 'necked' - cos it's easier according to one of their inspectors!!! :bash:

Not a lot of people know that, but it does seem to vary from county to country


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## Moodie (Aug 3, 2008)

Thanks, I got through to the centre and they said he's ok but is thin and weak so is being sent to the Hawk Conservancy tomorrow. Hopefully they will let me get involved somehow.


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## Sparko (Jun 30, 2010)

feorag said:


> I've no idea what rights you have, but where the R$PCA are concerned I would think it will be none, cos they do what they want.
> 
> If that bird had been found in Northumberland, the R$PCA would have 'necked' it because it couldn't be released on the spot. Apparently that's their new stance with wildlife - injured wildlife is euthanased if it can't be immediately released! Orphaned baby birds are also 'necked' - cos it's easier according to one of their inspectors!!! :bash:
> 
> Not a lot of people know that, but it does seem to vary from county to country



Are you sure about this, Feorag? If true, then that's absolutely shocking. I come across injured wildlife every now and then, and this will certainly make me rethink my options as to how to proceed should I come across any in the future.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

sparkofgod said:


> Are you sure about this, Feorag? If true, then that's absolutely shocking. I come across injured wildlife every now and then, and this will certainly make me rethink my options as to how to proceed should I come across any in the future.


Absolutely true.

My bosses were called to a stag which had been chased out of a wood across a road and attacked by a lurcher dog. It ended up leaping into an 8' trench and getting stuck in mud. My bosses were out on a shopping trip with visiting family from Sweden, but dropped everything and went to try and rescue it. While my boss' husband and the guy who rang them were up to their knees in mud with the stag wrapped in a blanket and trying to lift it up the bank to my boss who was on her knees trying to lift it, the RSPCA inspector arrived, announcing "everybody out of the way I've come to euthanase a deer!!" Hadn't even seen it, let alone laid a hand on it to see if it was OK. The locals who had provided my bosses with wellies and blankets, raised hell about it. 

In the end it was agreed by everyone that my bosses would take it back to our sanctuary and get a vet in to look at it. As they were in their car with family as well, they asked the inspector if he would transport it in his van to the sanctuary (5 miles away) and he refused!! So the deer had to be put into the boot of the car to get it back.

The locals were up in arms about it and called the local newspaper - here's the link to the article which was in the newspaper.

Morpeth deer rescue bid sparks controversy - Local News - Morpeth Herald

Here is the link to the letter the guy himself wrote to the local paper the following week.

Deer rescue: Policy questioned - Letters - Morpeth Herald

And the RSPCA response

Deer's death - The RSPCA responds - Letters - Morpeth Herald

Over the 18 years or so that they've been running my bosses have successfully healed and released a couple of injured deer back where they were found. They also handreared a youngster which they felt was too tame to be released and she lived at the Sanctuary for 6 years, until some b*stards put a dog in her enclosure, killed her, threw her over the fence into the local field and dragged her to their van. They then stopped at a local lay-by, which was on the route to my bosses' childrens' school, cut off her head and skinned her, leaving the head and inedible parts in the lay-by where my boss saw them driving her children to school!! :bash:

Apart from which, if the RSPCA's stance is that deer are frightened to death by being handled by humabns, how do they then explain all the deer that Les Stocker at Tiggywinkles releases every year that come into him injured.

It's just not on imao!! :bash:

My boss saw boxes of dead fledglings in the back of the inspectors van years ago and when she asked what was going on his answer was that it was "easier to neck them" - even though she explained that that's what we were there for and he could bring them to us and we would rear and release them.

I do believe this is the RSPCA stance nowadays anyway, because 6 years or more ago the RSPCA were always bringing injured animals to us - they've never brought us anything - all the injured and orphaned wildlife that comes to us now is brought to us by members of the public.


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## Sylvi (Dec 30, 2008)

If thats The Hawk Conservancy at Andover, then he's gone to an amazing place and will make it back into the wild. Its well worth a visit if you are going that way.

http://www.hawk-conservancy.org/index.asp


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## PESKY (May 25, 2010)

i dont think you have any legal right but if you politley tell them your views im sure they wouldn't mind you being there when they release it

good on you for getting it help sounds like you probably saved it, glad you have found out where its going and good luck on getting involved: victory:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

And on the subject as the thread has been resurrected - did you ever get to see it and find out if it was (or when it is to be) released??


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## Sponge (Jun 18, 2012)

It will have been put to sleep I reckon. I spent two weeks volunteering at RSPCA and a dove was brought in and put to sleep. If they don't have facilities on site to care for them, or the animal needs lengthy treatment they put them down. I guess at least the dogs and cats they know they can sell on for hundred quid, wild animals they have to spend money caring for and then release - its not cost effective. I would now never take a wild animal to RSPCA, last time we found a hedgehog we took it to a wildlife sanctuary instead.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Did you read the thread?? It was handed over to a hawk conservations centre and they_ will _rehabilitate it if it is possible.

I agree left to the RSPCA it would have been 'necked'!


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