I was stuffing around near my local swamp taking pictures earlier today, and I noticed that one of the local Swamphens had a partially missing lower leg and foot. It was quite sad watching the poor thing hop around trying to perform its daily activities. I was wondering, seeing as several of the members on here have experience with rescue/rehabilitation work, is there much chance of birds with injuries like this surviving on the long term? Because, I do see a few birds with dodgy legs, either due to unfortunate encounters with cars or (I suspect the main culprit) fishing line...
I have regularly noticed seabirds with a missing leg (sandpipers, gulls, etc) , probably at a rate of about one in hundred. I always thought it was fish biting them off when they swam in the sea. Hard to say how a swamphen loses a leg. It may well be fishing line as you say Lachlan. Or perhaps a large fish? Then again, with a swamp hen, it doesn't have to happen in the water. A dog perhaps. Even a feral cat which can grow quite large. Very sad. I expect the birds would find life very hard.
True, it can't make life particularly easy, I guess. But is it a death sentence for the bird?
I hadn't thought of fish as a cause of the odd seagull etc missing legs. I guess seagulls would have a higher rate of leglessness, as they are more likely to come into contact with fishing line?
I just don't know Lachlan. Some of my friends would say that I should be an authority on leglessness, but in this instance I can only guess. Not sure where/when I learned that fish bite off the birds' legs. I have always assumed that was the cause. It makes some sense, but so does the net theory. Perhaps someone else can tell us............
Have the swamp water tested there might be chemicals in it, to me it looks like a case of thalidomide exposure, poor thing.
For Australian birds, natives=life, exotics=death, so do them a favour and go plant some natives and save their lives.
It's possible that it could be chemicals in the water- it's just a small system of swampy lakes (that are pretty disgusting and neglected) and don't have any outlet. There is a rather old servo right by the lakes, and there are a number of dodgy old cars left on the side of the hill nearby. The old car area was cleaned up a while ago and most of the vehicles removed, but it's still pretty gross.
That you thought of genetic damage due to chemicals is really interesting... Camden has some long running issues in that area:
http://www.camdenadvertiser.com.au/story/1671665/toxic-legacy-fear/
https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/media/documents/about-us/news-at-det/news/camden-high-school/17412_fact_sheet.pdf
Admittedly, the Gas Works (and later High School) were on the otherside of town though.
It's such a shame actually. Camden is surrounded by extensive floodplains, which currently are used for very little except light cattle farming. There were talks about extending the Camden Bike Path through to the UWS and Campbelltown at one point, but they have kinda fallen through. It would have been nice if a movement had been developed to attempt to rehabilitate the surrounding plains into parkland that would be beneficial for both the people of Camden and native wildlife. There are bits which have been done up, but so much more could have been done, and would have made Camden a very nice place. But, I guess it all takes money... And it's verging on too late now, as more and more development encroaches onto the open area over Campbelltown- Mt Annan way (ie, tearing up part of the land behind the university for housing- I was quite horrified as I had thought the area had been designated a nature corridor).
My first rescue (unsuccessful) was a Tasmanian Native Hen (flightless bird) which had an obvious nasty fracture. It was unsuccessful, because the bird was still way to fast for me. I have seen this one with its family several times over the past 18 months and it appears to be doing ok.
My second rescue attempt (within an hour of the first) was a Black Swan. This one also had an obvious leg injury, would drag it when it walked, and I soon found out, it would "dangle" while in flight. We have been called out now 3 times to the same bird (you don't know until you get there) at 3 different locations. This was also unsuccessful (unable to capture, as it will always fly away).
Both of these seem to doing well, as I have seen them several times over about 18 months.
I guess no one really know how they go, unless it is a species which can be observed over several weeks or months.
Dale Huonville, Tasmania
as a kid have seen Eels take moorehens and ducks.
they were big Eels.
When wildlife is taken into care, in Victoria under the DSE (or DEPI) Code of Practice for the Welfare of Wildlife During Rehabilitation, the loss of limbs is one of many criteria which could preclude successful rehabilitation and release of the animal back into the wild so, if the animal is captured, it would most likely be euthanised. However, as Dale mentioned, a lot of wildlife with conditions that fall into the category of non-releasable are quite capable of evading capture and seem in many cases to survive quite successfully for long periods of time. Many however suffer badly due to their injuries (or resultant infections) and endure agonising deaths by one means or another. Rescuers and carers hope to alleviate that suffering with the help of vets and others.
Not every animal born in the wild is meant to survive anyway or there would be the same over-population of species as there are in the human race. Death of wildlife at all stages of their lives help other species of wildlife to survive in a healthy and balanced environment and ideally that death would be natural and painfree which is often not the case. Unfortunately, many injuries to wildlife (or why they need help) are caused directly by the actions of humans which is where a lot of wildlife rescuers enter the picture. These animals along with those found suffering even if due to non-human causes are assessed according to this code of practice along the entire rehabilitation path and their fate determined accordingly. It should be noted that the stress of capture or even contact with the humans trying to help wildlife can also result in fatal outcomes.
In the original photo it is difficult to determine if the end of the damaged leg is covered in mud or if the tissue is necrotic but the leg is reddened and looks swollen and unhealthy to me so the longterm outcome for the bird may not be as good as the birds Dale and others have mentioned even if only due to its hopping action drawing attention from predator species - very sad!
Alison
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"the earth is not only for humans, but for all animals and living things."