An orphaned Carnaby’s Cockatoo fledgling will have the chance to join a wild flock thanks to an army of wildlife advocates.
The baby bird was spotted in Margaret River alone after its flock had flown away. At fledgling stage, cockatoos are still very dependent on their parents and without human care, this little bird may not have survived.
A member of the public kept watch from a distance, but when no parents returned, volunteers stepped in to rescue and transport him to Bunbury.
A volunteer from Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre then drove him all the way up to Perth Zoo’s Vet Hospital here in South Perth.
Perth Zoo Vet Nurse Maddie Reid said: “Once the little fledgling arrived, we gave him a thorough check over and while under anaesthetic we took X-rays and blood samples to check his overall health.
“He did have a couple of ruptured air sacs, which can happen from the impact of shakey landings when learning to fly, but with the right care these heal up nicely.
“While he’s absolutely adorable, with young birds like this we have to be very careful not to be too hands on.
“The aim is to get it strong and independent enough to be released back into the wild, and we gave him a microchip so that he can be identified again in the future.
“Getting a rescued bird to us for veterinary care all the way from the south west is a huge collaborative effort from many passionate people, and we’re very privileged to play part in his recovery!”
After four days in our hospital, the fledgling has gone to Kaarakin for continue his formula feeds until he’s big and strong.
At Kaarakin, he’ll also go through the extensive rehabilitation program where he can learn ‘how to be a cockatoo’ from other rehab adult birds, in the hopes that he’ll be released back into the wild.
This Carnaby is just one of hundreds of birds that is cared for in our hospital. And given the population of Carnaby’s Cockatoos has declined by more than 50 per cent in the past 45 years, each individual bird rescued is a cause for celebration!
It takes a village of passionate people to make stories like this a success.
We work in collaboration with Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre, Native Animal Rescue, Parks and Wildlife Service, Jamarri Black Cockatoo Sanctuary and Murdoch University to give hundreds of black cockatoos a second chance for life in the wild.
But importantly, none of this work for cockatoos would be possible without YOU.
It’s with your generous support that we can pour our energy and efforts into saving cockatoos and many more wild animals brought into the hospital, who need our expertise.
Thank you for standing with us on the frontline of wildlife conservation – together we will save wildlife.