In May, 2008 we found this bird severely injured in our garden the victim of an obvious cat attack, he had a strip of wing torn off and was bleeding profusely.
We took him to the vet fearing the worst, that he would need to be put down, but our vet after giving him a shot of antibiotics told us that with some luck and if we had the patience, we may be able to rehabilitate him and save him.
We kept him in a cage on his own for about six months and watched him heal although the strip of wing never healed or grew back completely.
Given his blood covered body when we found him, we gave him the name Rambo.
After six months rehab and further vet checks, we released him in our garden.
In the beginning he would simply stay in one of our trees then after a while he would fly off with the flock and like clockwork return the next morning and spend the day with us in one of our trees.
Over 12 months after releasing him, he still comes back and is part of the family and we think he now has a partner.
(Rambo on the right)
These are some photos of when we found him in May, 2008 and photos taken in January, 2010. I think they speak for themselves. He is a beautiful specimen and part of the family.
All photos taken in our garden in Nerang, in the Gold Coast Hinterland.
Photos of Rambo when injured taken with a Sony Cybershot F717 and the photos after his recovery taken with a Sony DSC-HX1.
Lucky you took him to the vet, because a cat attack can kill even if it's not by blood loss or crushing, but from the amount of bacteria on a cat's teeth. good job rehabilitating him. :)
That is a wonderful story gilston with a great result. He is beautiful and you are very lucky to have him still returning and especially bringing his mate along.
Well done ! and nice shots too.
Sunshine Coast Queensland
I should add that it is now May, 2011 and Rambo and partner are regular visitors - flying in with a flock of corellas every morning, spending the day at our place and then flying off with the flock when they leave after their afternoon visit. And yes, Rambo has a partner.
What a wonderful story. Well done!
Thanks for helping the corella. They are beautiful birds. I'm glad you still get to see him, happy and healthy
After surviving a massive heart attack you begin to view life somewhat differently. In my case, I got involved with what my wife was doing with Wildcare and helping her around the house with the injured birds she was looking after. Our reward if you like is seeing the birds fly off healthy and coming back for visits.
great story gilston and so nice to give him a chance and help him to recover.
Cheers, Owen.
Wow, well done!
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I love photography.