On Sunday 22nd a young Bermagui man Liam Reed, picked up a penguin on the
Baragoot Beach. Doubting it would survive he rang the DEC who asked the NSW
Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) Far South East Branch
to collect it. The WIRES volunteers narrowed the identification down to one of
the three smaller Eudyptes penguins and in line with our procedures contacted
our head office to report it. Some photo sent to SOSSA identified it as a
Fiordland Crested Penguin (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus) probably a young male.
The bird had taken a major trauma to its left wing with bleached bone exposed
below the carpals and lacerations around the humerus. These injuries had
severely compromised its foraging capacity and it weighed in at 1.9kg (av.
adult 3-4kg) when it arrived at Wayne Bizon a local vet. The bird was hydrated
continually after being received and sub-cut by the vet. A antibiotic course
and slow feeding up along with some more careful attention from Bega veterinary
practice saw the bird move up to 2.5kg and literally get back on its feet and
vocalise after four days.
On instructions from DEC and the advice of the Veterinary Quarantine Centre at
Taronga the bird flew for the first time up from Merimbula and on to the zoo
for rehabilitation and permanent captivity. WIRES is again extremely grateful
to the staff of the Rex Airlines whose staff renamed Pierre to Rex - pity its
real name is prosaically WIRES G06051.
The birds chance of survival from the stress of its injuries, captivity and
transport are by no means assured but it is now in best possible care.
Chris Lloyd
Training Officer
WIRES
PO Box 260
Forestville NSW 2087
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