# Frustrated and upset



## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

Someone posted on a local Facebook group that they had found a Currawong with an injured wing, had tried to contact various wildlife services and humane societies and no one would help. I offered to take the bird, keep it alive until a vet can see it and be responsible for it's welfare. Save it if I can and have it euthanised if necessary. 

Several people talked the lady with the bird out of giving it to me because Currawongs are predators.

For those that don't know, a Currawong is a large native Australian bird that is omnivorous and known for being opportunistic feeders that will attack pet birds if they get the chance. I happen to have one as a pet and he is the sweetest, smartest, funniest character so while I accept that side of them, I know that's not all they are. I'm really sad that these people have just written off his life as not being worth saving because he isn't a parrot or a puppy or some other generally accepted species of creature that humans have dubbed worthy of life. 

I feel sick wondering about his fate... I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight.


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## Wiki (Feb 25, 2012)

I'm so sorry to hear that.. especially when someone like you who is experienced with the species offers to take it. That's terrible. I joined our local fauna rescue group on the strength of the incredible people who helped save the life of a little duckling I found on the road, and I'm like you: if it can be saved, it should be.


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

She said his wing was drooping and he couldn't fly. People said he'll never fly again and should be put to sleep but isn't it possible that the wing could be fixed? All I wanted to do was give it the best chance possible. 

I'm glad there are people out there that do care AnnMarie. This guy wasn't as lucky as that little duckling to fall into the right hands.


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## Impeckable (May 11, 2013)

All credit to you for trying Allie, it is infuriating that some animals are classed as being disposable, they are still God's creatures and should be treated and cared for as a member of the family, please don't lose sleep because at least you have tried to help unlike others.
Pete


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## ISOE (Dec 23, 2013)

It's a horrible situation. I once found a Jackdaw at work, and he couldn't fly. Luckily I found a rescue which specialises in helping wild birds and they were more than happy to take him.. They take in all sorts, including pigeons which most people wouldn't care about and call pests. I wouldn't have taken him to the RSPCA, because they would've taken one look at this Jackdaw and dismissed him straightaway. I know they're busy, but still.


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

I guess what bothered me most was the fact that their main argument was that these birds kill other birds. I said that parrots kill each other all the time but they wouldn't dismiss an injured parrot. They honestly didn't believe that was true. How often do people complain that chicks have been killed or injured in a budgie colony breeding situation? We keep more aggressive and territorial species like lovebirds away from others because of the danger. 

Humans are capable of killing and cruelty but our lives are protected above all others. 

I've been laying here listening to the Currawongs calling at 6 am, they have a lovely haunting song but Ark never learned to do it so he's singing along with them by wolf whistling at the top of his lungs lol they land on his cage and he tries to show them his toys, picks up coloured straws and rings and pushes them against the wire. The wild ones sometimes get curious and tentatively peck them. They have the capacity to be gentle and kind and have a quiet intelligence that's a nice change of pace from the destructive parrot. I wish more people could appreciate them like I do.


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## Mikey Did It (May 14, 2009)

Great post Allie. I love your description of the wild Currawongs coming to your little guy's cage and admiring the prized possessions he was showing off for them. Most definitely a highly intelligent species. 
The beak reminds me of our crows which I believe share a family with Ravens. Are the Currawongs distantly related?
I raised two baby crows when I was a very young girl in rural Kansas and the first one, named Jimmy, used to follow me to my one-room, country schoolhouse by hopping along above me from one telephone pole to the next. Once all the children got settled into their desks, Jimmy would fly through the open windows in the fall of the year and snatch up their shiny little scissors or anything else he admired. He'd fly back out the window to take them to his private stash (which we never found). Needless to say, my classmates parents, who were barely eeking out a living as Kansas farmers, got quite upset when they had to drive 6 miles to town for a new pair of child's scissors. 
My teacher would tell me I had to catch Jimmy and take him right home -- with a note to my Mom to keep him caged. I would grab Jimmy with both hands, holding him away from me to avoid his bites. He would gnaw at my tiny fingers with his huge beak, all the way home. Such a rascal. He adored me normally, but like our parrots, he had a mind of his own and did not appreciate being picked up and carried in such a rude manner!!! He was an amazing mimic.
I love your compassionate feelings toward the injured Currawong. I would feel the same. Karma to you!


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## jean20057 (May 31, 2013)

This hurts me. It psychically hurts me to think that people are this cruel. I just don't understand why people dismiss birds as a creature not worth the chance to have a great life. What makes them any different from us? What makes them any different from a cat, or dog that we tend to favor so much. I just don't get it. It's just so sad.


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

While I have no time at all for our Wildlife Rescue services here in Oz, they should have taken in the Currawong. He is a native bird and not an introduced species (which they will take in and not tell you that they are going to have them euthanased which they say they are required to by law), it does not matter that he is a predatory bird and not a parrot. If it was a raptor they would save that. And I have lost a number of birds to Hawks and Falcons, I wouldn't try to hurt them but I wish they would go and hunt somewhere else.

Most vets will treat native birds without charging for them or only charging for what medication or bandages etc that they use.

When are people going to realize that we need the predatory birds just as we need our seed eaters, insectivore and nectar feeders. They are essential to a balanced ecological system. They will weed out sick and injured creatures to keep the healthy creatures safe from disease. Yeah it bugs us if they try to attack our birds but they are only trying to survive.

Currawongs, Magpies and Ravens (which the first two are related to) are extremely intelligent. They can learn tricks and they can learn to talk. A friend has a Magpie that she saved and raised when it was being attacked by children in the middle of the road. That bird can do a police siren so well you would swear the car was out the front of the house. And he talks up a storm. If hand raised from babies Magpies will bond very strongly to the person raising them. They can be released 20 miles from where the raiser lived and they will beat the person who released it back to the raisers home. That is why the raisers use a glove that looks like a Magpie to feed the baby and hide behind a screen so the Magpie cannot see them.

Good on you Allie for trying to save this bird. And you are right the sound of the Currawongs warbling in the morning is a beautiful sound. I love hearing them.


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

Mikey Did It said:


> Great post Allie. I love your description of the wild Currawongs coming to your little guy's cage and admiring the prized possessions he was showing off for them. Most definitely a highly intelligent species.
> The beak reminds me of our crows which I believe share a family with Ravens. Are the Currawongs distantly related?
> I raised two baby crows when I was a very young girl in rural Kansas and the first one, named Jimmy, used to follow me to my one-room, country schoolhouse by hopping along above me from one telephone pole to the next. Once all the children got settled into their desks, Jimmy would fly through the open windows in the fall of the year and snatch up their shiny little scissors or anything else he admired. He'd fly back out the window to take them to his private stash (which we never found). Needless to say, my classmates parents, who were barely eeking out a living as Kansas farmers, got quite upset when they had to drive 6 miles to town for a new pair of child's scissors.
> My teacher would tell me I had to catch Jimmy and take him right home -- with a note to my Mom to keep him caged. I would grab Jimmy with both hands, holding him away from me to avoid his bites. He would gnaw at my tiny fingers with his huge beak, all the way home. Such a rascal. He adored me normally, but like our parrots, he had a mind of his own and did not appreciate being picked up and carried in such a rude manner!!! He was an amazing mimic.
> I love your compassionate feelings toward the injured Currawong. I would feel the same. Karma to you!


Thanks for sharing Jimmy's story, Nedra. He sounds like an amazing childhood pet and the start of a life time love for birds. 
Currawongs are only distantly related to Ravens and Crows which are from the family Corvidae. Currawongs are Artamidae which includes Australian Magpies and Butcherbirds. Still, they are similar and I find it interesting that these types of birds are not common pets despite what wonderful little companions they make.

They are loyal and tough, if Ark got loose I wouldn't have to fret about his safety and he wouldn't go far. They can mimic and talk, although Ark prefers to Whistle tunes. They don't chew like parrots do. They are affectionate and playful and they don't suffer from the myriad of diseases that parrots seem to be afflicted by. I spend so much time trying to keep my Conures happy but it doesn't take much for Ark to be content. He is the perfect low maintenance pet.

Thanks for caring 



jean20057 said:


> This hurts me. It psychically hurts me to think that people are this cruel. I just don't understand why people dismiss birds as a creature not worth the chance to have a great life. What makes them any different from us? What makes them any different from a cat, or dog that we tend to favor so much. I just don't get it. It's just so sad.


I don't understand either, I've been struggling with it all day. Just one more reason that birds are better company than most people.



Kate C said:


> While I have no time at all for our Wildlife Rescue services here in Oz, they should have taken in the Currawong. He is a native bird and not an introduced species (which they will take in and not tell you that they are going to have them euthanased which they say they are required to by law), it does not matter that he is a predatory bird and not a parrot. If it was a raptor they would save that. And I have lost a number of birds to Hawks and Falcons, I wouldn't try to hurt them but I wish they would go and hunt somewhere else.
> 
> Most vets will treat native birds without charging for them or only charging for what medication or bandages etc that they use.
> 
> ...


I don't know why wires wouldn't take him in but I knew our avian vet would help with little to no charge.

Ark bonded to the man that raised him and will sit in his lap and let him stroke his back and step up on his arm but he doesn't allow me to get that close. Still we have an understanding and he will call to me for attention and beg for food like a baby bird.

Having him in our yard has attracted scores of wild Currawongs so that at any given time they're on his aviary, in the trees and on the power lines. I'm sure the neighbours think we're the Hitchcock family. I always thought they were a fairly solitary bird but not at our house. They've even gotten cheeky enough to expect something at Arks feeding time (however I don't feed them).

They keep the Asian Myna numbers down and it's a nice change in call to wake up to from the warbling magpies.

It's comforting to hear that other people understand the Currawong's place in nature and that they aren't just disposable pests unworthy of respect.

Thanks Kate


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## milipidi (Jan 23, 2013)

Such a shame that the group is focussing on its predatory nature and was able to talk this person out of a perfectly acceptable option.

Are you able to PM her and maybe do a deal in secret :spy:


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

I tried Li, she didn't respond  I can only hope that the vet she took the bird to, to euthanize it was able to explain that there are other options (if it wasn't too badly injured)


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## despoinaki (Aug 4, 2012)

It's so upseting. People tend to be cruel in animals and see them as disposable beings. I am annoyed when I hear those things. Animals should be treated as humans, they deserve to live, be healthy and happy. And if people with your knowledge and experience are offering to help, there shouldn't be any obstacles in their way. Is there any possibility to talk again to them, show them a picture of Ark, persuading them to take the bird?
Thanks for caring for this little guy.


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## clawnz (Nov 1, 2013)

It is a native and there should not of been any reason that it got all the care available.
But it does not suprise me what went on on Facebook.
There are a large number on there that will never be on a forum.
i maybe a bit on the radical side, but you would never hear me say do not care for endemic animals. I love NZ. There are many things hear I would love to inradicate including a few h-----s. This includes a bird rescue that releases Hedgehogs knowing they Do Take Bird eggs and do not belong here.
You did right, (forget what they had to say on facebook), even if the wing was broken it could of been amputated and the bird kept as long as there are no regs about keeping a native bird in captivity. I am sure DOC here would allow special dispensation to keep a one wing native alive.


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

The whole thread was removed and she didn't respond to my PMs so it's out of my hands.. This happened late last night so I'm assuming they don't have the bird anymore.

I don't like conflict or confrontation but I stayed around dealing with the arguing for a good hour or 2 as I tried to explain and convince but my word was drowned out by the people saying the bird was better off dead and in the end I had to give up.


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## milipidi (Jan 23, 2013)

Let's hope that she did take it to the vet and s/he stepped in and "rescued" this bird. I am going to think positive, otherwise I end up focussing to much energy on how annoying people can be  .


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

milipidi said:


> Let's hope that she did take it to the vet and s/he stepped in and "rescued" this bird. I am going to think positive, otherwise I end up focussing to much energy on how annoying people can be  .


That's what I said to my husband almost word for word


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## Jonah (Feb 3, 2013)

Sorry to hear of the frustration you have faced while trying to do a good thing. It makes no sense at all when there are good people willing to try and help. Too often these day's, common sense is hard to be found.


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

Many years ago now I found an injured Kookaburra that had been hit by a car and had a broken wing and broken leg. I took him to my vet and between us we managed to splint his leg and used an old pair of tights and cut the leg off to put over him to keep his wing in place until it mended. This was over 30 years ago and there was no special tape that would not stick to the feathers to use. It was very late on a Sunday afternoon and he didn't charge me anything, he was a really awesome vet. I took him home and he started recovering and I contacted our National Parks and Wildlife Service about him. Back then a bird like a Kookaburra could only be held by a zoo and not in the general public, they were not on the list of native birds that could be kept before they introduced the tiered system of licences in 1999 that allowed very experienced keepers to have some of the more unusual types of birdlife. They gave me a special permit to keep him. Happily he fully recovered and I was able to release him back into the area I found him. My friend who has the Magpie also got a special permit to keep hers as well.


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

I figured that we probably needed a special license to keep Ark but his owner knew nothing about it and I haven't been able to find any information on it. Seems like people that keep Currawongs are unheard of. 

I don't even know how he came to have him other than he raised him from an egg. Maybe he found the egg and incubated it to see what it was? Since he's been with people for 5/6 years I don't think he'd be safely releasable.


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

No it certainly wouldn't be possible to release him into the wild. Personally I would not worry too much about a license for him. And the regulations might be different in the ACT. They are different in every state. Some birds that require a license in NSW don't need one in other states. I am more worried about the laws they are trying to bring in in Victoria which could effectively prevent us from keeping birds at all. But that is another story.


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

Kate C said:


> No it certainly wouldn't be possible to release him into the wild. Personally I would not worry too much about a license for him. And the regulations might be different in the ACT. They are different in every state. Some birds that require a license in NSW don't need one in other states. I am more worried about the laws they are trying to bring in in Victoria which could effectively prevent us from keeping birds at all. But that is another story.


I've heard about that. I doubt it will go anywhere but who knows I guess.


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

Reports we are getting back through the clubs are not looking good Allie.

I may have to pull a few strings as I believe one of the people high up on the committee looking into it may be a distant relative. If I am right his gg grandmother was my gg aunt.


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

Kate C said:


> Reports we are getting back through the clubs are not looking good Allie.
> 
> I may have to pull a few strings as I believe one of the people high up on the committee looking into it may be a distant relative. If I am right his gg grandmother was my gg aunt.


People arguing on Facebook were saying that it will relate more to breeders and not to those that already have pets. They were also saying Budgies won't be on the list. I admit I don't know the truth at this point. They are trying to prevent flocks of wild birds not native to the regions? Like the Quaker flocks in the U.S. that have become a problem?


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

Funny thing is we don't really seem to have a problem with non native birds setting up home here in Australia. I know they do in New Zealand with some of our birds setting up flocks and in Western Australia birds that are native to this side of the country have set up home over there.

But if they bring in a law like that they are likely to cause the problem with many breeders opting to release their birds rather than see them euthanased which is what they will do to them. And if they do it in Victoria, that sets the precedent for other states to follow suit. If they tried to take my birds off me I would probably commit murder, especially if it was my darling Charlie a native and my Yowie an exotic.


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

maybe because we have too many aggressive species like Currawongs, butchers, mynas, peewees and too many native parrots to compete for food sources? I didn't say their claims were valid lol sounds like a bunch of malarkey to me. 

I have heard that rainbow lorikeets are considered a pest in WA but isn't it possible that they could have eventually made there way over there even without human help? 

Yep if I was instructed to get rid of my Conures they'd have a fight on their hands and that goes for every breeder/keeper I know so I don't see how they think it's going to end well...


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

I didn't think you thought their claims valid Allie. I know you would think it was pretty stupid as I do.

With the Rainbows in WA. No it was human intervention. The Nullabor Plain is the barrier for them getting to WA on their own.

It won't end well. Not that long ago they confiscated birds from a couple of aviaries in Victoria saying that the birds had been illegally imported, mainly because they said those mutations were never imported into the country. Obviously they didn't know jack about hidden genes. From memory many these birds were euthanased and it nearly caused a riot. I think the breeders are still in the process of suing the authorities over it.

Stupid thing is we cannot legally import parrots into the country but they are still allowing pigeons and poultry to be imported. I know they are trying to allow Parrot imports again but have not heard the outcome of that yet.


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

Kate C said:


> I didn't think you thought their claims valid Allie. I know you would think it was pretty stupid as I do.
> 
> With the Rainbows in WA. No it was human intervention. The Nullabor Plain is the barrier for them getting to WA on their own.
> 
> ...


What a depressing story, I'm not surprised it nearly caused a riot. Those birds would have been worth a lot to their owners. Financial, emotional and time investment.

It seems like a lot of these laws are made by people that know nothing about the subject they're making laws about.

You'd think that if a foreign bird species were going to set up camp on our soil it would have happened by now. But I guess it's similar to ferrets being illegal or needing license to keep. They say they don't want them invading our native land but ferrets are nomadic, the likelihood of two escaping and then finding each other are near impossible and if the females aren't bred properly each time they come into heat or spayed, they die. So how could they possibly become a problem? Yet laws about keeping them exist.


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

You are right these laws are being made by people who nothing about the subject. Unfortunately bird keepers are either not included or only 1 or 2 are on the committee and they are being out voted all the time. This is also the reason why we are not allowed to legally export any of our native birds. From memory only 1 person who actually is a bird keeper is on the committee making those laws. Yet in areas where species are either over abundant or a problem to farmers, they are legally allowed to kill them, even if that species is found no where else in the country.


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## Aisliyna (Sep 8, 2013)

Depressing. I guess we can only wait and see where it goes now.


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