Wednesday, June 30, 1999
Helping birds get back on their wings
BY AMY CAPPIELLO
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Thomas Durm might have thought he was being merciful earlier this month when he chose to stomp an injured bird to death, but animal control officers say the Clifton man had many other options.
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HELP FOR ANIMALS
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If you find an injured bird or other wild animal in Northern Kentucky, you can contact the following agencies for help:
• Boone County Animal Control: 586-5285.
• Campbell County Animal Shelter: 635-2819.
• Cincinnati Zoo Native Species Department: 559-7783.
• Kenton County Animal Shelter: 356-7400.
• Wild Bird Rescue Inc.: 578-9453.
• Angel Animal Hospital: 371-4929.
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Each of Northern Kentucky's three counties have animal control shelters that can either take in an injured animal or refer concerned rescuers to rehabilitation centers.
The shelter in Campbell County — where Mr. Durm, 26, faced a charge of cruelty to animals — does not accept birds because of lack of space. But the animal shelter in Kenton County does.
“Call the police department, tell them what you have, and they'll refer you to an animal control officer,” said Dan Evans, a cruelty investigator and shelter technician with the Kenton County Animal Shelter. “The officer will come out and pick up the bird and take it to a rehabilitation center or the shelter.”
Birds that arrive at the Ken ton shelter are often too badly injured to be helped, and may be euthanized eventually, but those with a fighting chance are usually taken to Boone County to see Dr. Thomas Angel Jr.
Dr. Angel provides free veterinary service to all kinds of wild animals, including birds, at his Angel Animal Hospital in Florence.
Once the animals are repaired, Dr. Angel sends them to one of several rehabilitation centers in the area. One such center is Wild Bird Rescue Inc. in Fort Mitchell.
Although some birds are brought in by area animal control officers or local veterinarians, Miranda Weaver, who is training in wild bird rescue at the Wild Bird Rescue center, said most are brought in by people who are aware of the volunteer organization.
“We rehabilitate wild birds that have been injured or have been abandoned,” she said. “If they have an injury, we make a judgment on whether it's repairable and if so, what needs to be done. Then we repair the injury and give them time to recover, kind of like a hospital.”
Center volunteers release adult birds in the area where they were found, and babies are put through an extensive training program in which they socialize with other birds and learn to hunt.
Ms. Weaver cautioned that injured birds should not be fed or given anything to drink because of the possible complications that can arise. Instead, rescuers should keep the animal warm and immediately contact an animal shelter or rehabilitator.
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