Hello everyone! I wanted to post this to get an unbiased opinion on how to handle a black vulture with a injured/most likely broken wing.
The vulture in question can not fly, his flock leaves daily and he's left behind. He does not hold his wing close to his body and it droops, when he walks his flight feathers drag the ground.
I've contacted a local wildlife rehab center and they told me to let nature take it's course or catch him and bring him in. They will euthanize if his wing is unable to be repaired. In my mind being humanely euthanized is better than starving because he can't find food or perhpas being kept in a cage the rest of his life.
Here is my dilemma, I can't catch him because he hops high up in a pine tree from branch to branch. I'm having a very difficult time with the whole let nature take it's course thing considering he's living about 20 feet from my house. In my defense I did ignore him for about three days straight, didn't look at him or search the tree for him. On about day four I found him in my yard trying to eat dog waste. That was it, nature wasn't work fast enough. I broke my cardinal rule and I threw him some raw meat, I couldn't watch him try to eat dog poop! Now I'm on day 6 off feeding him a daily meal. He's still not flying and seems (don't laugh) sad to me. Let me explain that I've been watching this roost of vultures for the last five years and I have become very acquainted with their habits.
If your still with me and care to give an opinion I'd love to hear it. Better yet, if you know someone in Southern New Jersey that I could contact I'd love to have an email or phone number.
Thanks so much! Kristi
Need advice on injured black vulture
See if you have some kind of local goverment agency that deals with animal control . ( dog catcher ) Here where I live it's called animal control . I have had a problem with wild dogs . Here if the ( me ) property owner cooperates with animal control they will bring out , loan a property owner traps which can be quite large in the case as is needed for large dogs . What I would suggest doing is as long as you are feeding the vulture already and it is becoming used to it . Once you have the trap start putting the meat close to the entrance of the trap . Tying the door of the trap open so that it cannot be triggered by accident . Over several days putting the meat deeper each day so that the bird will have to go in the trap without it springing . once the bird is observed going in either by you seeing it or you observe that the meat is gone you know that it has taken the bait . Once the animal is used to entering with some kind of comfort level then you can make the trap "live " removing the ties that have been holding the traps door open .
I would suggest elevating the trap so that ground dwelling creatures do not take the bait . You indicated that the bird is quite capable of hopping branches in the tree so putting the trap on an elevated table should not present a problem .
What a sad story...I, too, have run up against this situation. I would suggest trying to find a wildlife rehabilitator that will take him on. The best way to do this is with an internet search. Here in NC, we can look on the state fish and game website for a link to licensed rehabilitators. They might assist you with trapping him, also. Next suggestion, you can often " borrow" live traps from Fish and Game or your local humane society (with a deposit, of course). You could also buy one, then resale it or donate it to an animal rescue group after you catch him. I would only try to trap him if you have a place for him to go, or are willing to foot a vet bill yourself. It appears that you prefer him not to be euthanized, even if the wing isn't fixable enough for him to return to the wild. That means if you trap him, you need to find someplace to take him, and that could be tough as he is not an especially rare bird.
Unless you are prepared to go "all the way" with this bird i.e. trapping and possibly spending money/effort to treat and find a home or temporary rehabilitator, I think the best thing to do is just what you are doing. He may actually heal, and if he doesn't, the fact that you are feeding him will make it much easier to catch him in the future if you decide that euthanasia is the kindest option. Some serious injuries do eventually heal, and given that he is a wild bird that eats carrion (so he doesn't have to have perfect flight to hunt), he could still live a long, natural life with a mild disability. Best of Luck! And whatever you do, don't feel guilty. He could just as easily be sitting out in the wild somewhere, with no assistance, and, sad as it is when we are confronted with it, that is the cycle of life.
You've probably already found this site but here goes anyway-
http://www.wildliferehabber.org/st_disp_list.php
You know something datdog, I would have tossed out the meat myself and would have kept tossing it out daily until I could find a way to catch the bird or someone to commit to taking the bird.
Our vultures are long gone for the year but we used to toss out whole left over chickens and turkeys for them, dispatched English house sparrows and European Starlings, and any rats that were destroyed in rat zappers. I will admit to having had a shovel in my trunk as well as a box of hefty garbage bags that I used to bring home road kill such as opossums and raccoons and cats. If these dead animals are left on the road around here, the roads department removes them and they all go to waste or worse yet... a raptor tries to feed on them in the middle of the road and gets whacked by some car going the speed limit plus 20 or 30. Vultures will eat fish too. Our turkey vultures were healthy so there was no need for me to supplement their diet with anything but our leftovers or scraps from the road but if I had an injured vulture like you currently do, you bet I'd be feeding it until I could figure out what to do.
Thanks everyone for the kind words and suggestions. Yote, I can afford to go all the way with this guy and would but sadly, I don't believe there is anyway to catch him and it appears his wing is not getting any better as today when he desended from the tree it didn't work at all and he fell to the ground. i'm still feeding him and will continue to do so since it would be cruel at this point to stop. I feel it's a no win situation no matter what I do and it's heart breaking.
Great site, Equilibrium. I've never run across it, so happy to have the link. Was looking last week for someone to take a snake (I believe our chickens must have pecked him--large hole in his side with some protruding organ which after much debate I pronounced a kidney...). Cleaned his wound and tried to close the edges, but couldn't do it without anesthesia (he kept reopening the wound when he would pull away). Couldn't find anyone to take him, as he was a humble garter snake...Too bad.
Last suggestion--look online and see if there are any groups in your area (including rehabbers) doing wildlife education. A vulture that cannot return to the wild may be of interest to them, despite not being rare, as kids think vultures are "cool". In other words, assuming the bird tames down with handling, he might be desired and offered a great home because of his educational value.
You are blessed to be in a position to be able to afford to go all the way.
I have literally shipped birds to people capable of providing care for them while they were recovering who promised me they would not euthanize them. All you need is an appropriate sized shipping carton approved by the airlines and dog kennels will work. This is similar to what I have used-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrjoro/134575494/
As indicated by yotedog, there are organizations that may very well be interested in taking in your bird for educational purposes. If I recall, the whole process took several weeks but my "disabled" bird ended up in a childrens zoo. I will add that although they were willing to accept the bird; they came right out and stated they would not be in a position to reimburse me for any vet bills, the cost of the shipping crate, or the cost of the next day air. None of which I had asked to be reimbursed for. I suspect your bird may be lucky because evidently the vast majority of people who contact these organizations either are unwilling or not in a position to invest dime one. That's going to give your bird the edge.
Interestingly enough, you should be able to use the same shipping carton to catch the bird. Just follow lonediver's advice above. Never underestimate the ability of a hungry critter to go places it normally wouldn't in an attempt to survive. Let the bird get comfortable going in and out of the crate while you track down an organization willing to take it in and then one day, shut the door and ship the bird out!
Sooo.....Dat Dog--what happened? Did he make it?
Yotedog I don't think he did make it as the wing was useless and sadly he couldn't get down from the tree fast enough to get his food I left out. The other vultures spotted where I was putting the food out and they would devour it before he had a chance to even get a bite. He was too shy for me to catch when he was on the ground so there was nothing I could do. I did try daily but it was in vain.
I've not seen him in 3 days now. :(
Depending on how much time and empathy you have for this critter . He is now in a evidently weakened state . Unable to climb anymore , likely on the ground somewhere waiting to die if he has not already . In a weakened state he should be easier to catch . Take a blanket/net that can be thrown quickly over him to suppress him quickly . Less likely to injure himself and you in the capture .
datdog
May you be blessed for trying to assist the poor bird.
I haven't seen the bird but I've heard tales of a man not too far from us who has a black vulture that stays in his place of business because it's wing is so badly damaged it can't fly. When he was told it was against the law to own a vulture, he told the person that it was the other way around the vulture thought it was the owner.
Judy
LOL
Is'nt that the way with most animals , when I moved into the place we have now , two dogs showed up and announced we are not leaving . We could not drive them away so they are still here .