Broken Wings Durban

24/02/2024

HOT WEATHER

If you find a baby bird that is in need of help, please use the contact numbers below.

Again, please seek professional advice before attempting to feed any baby bird, birds aspirate very easily if weak, cold, or fed incorrectly.

Please note: Birds do not eat Pronutro, bread, or milk.

Durban North/Umhlanga CROW Depot is 072 801 0606

CROW is open 7 days a week from 7am-8pm.
CROW Landline: 031 462 1127 (7am-5pm)

If you find a pigeon/mynah in need of help, you can give Broken Wings ~ Durban a call on 072 801 0606.

07/12/2023

🔖 Labels stuck on animals by our society have nothing to do with the truth. Speciesism (in short, racism in animal species) plays a huge role in this.

Humans have a herd mentality. Belonging to a group, adopting behaviors and opinions is therefore of vital importance to us from an evolutionary perspective. That is why we are incredibly susceptible to what our society whispers to us, often from childhood. That is part of us, and is therefore very understandable. Yet we must realize that what is normal for us at this time and what our group says is normal, is not immediately so. Certainly not when it comes to ranking animals.

Tuna? Belongs in sushi. A horse? Someone should be sitting on it. A pig? Bacon tho! A sea turtle? Save the sea turtle! A cat? So sweet, hug her! A cow? Delicious milk. A rat? Gross. An ant? Crush it!

These are all stereotypical expressions that allow prejudices to live on from generation to generation, and sometimes completely change in history, while this is completely disconnected from reality. Each animal has its own full life, with its own character and its own task on mother earth. They were not born to be put into our imaginary boxes, or real boxes. As soon as people realize this, we will treat animals and each other very differently. Speciesism must be addressed if we want to solve all the other ethical problems in the world.

Learn to look at each animal neutrally, and feel inside what you feel about them, instead of just listening to what everyone else says and creeps in you too. Fortunately, anti-racism within humanity is a major topic, now dare to look one step further and extend this to other animal species. It’s not that hard, if you have a heart. Use it and go vegan. 🌱

All my creations on products (like stickers, T-shirts and phonecases):
https://tinyurl.com/theethicwhisper/
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/theethicwhisper/

14/11/2023

We are sharing a post created by Carlyn Kim Berry Hattingh, as it resonates with each and every experienced rehabber:

Written by: Carlyn Kim Berry Hattingh:

I'd just like to make a post regarding the use of PRONUTRO for birds.

This little guy (Southern black flycatcher) was fed pronutro for 2 days. The lady’s daughter reached out to me asking me to please come and take the bird from her mom.
Not only did the bird have internal bruising, (which I started treating with anti-inflammatories) but this bird also had terrible diarrhea, as its body couldn't digest the food. (This particular bird is not a seed eater but an insect eater).
I had to flush the birds system slowly to rid it of the pronutro before I began feeding him the correct foods. As you can see in the last picture, the mutes (bird droppings) following the flush and then given the correct diet is hugely improved!

All that pronutro is, is dehydrated genetically modified maise, packed with sugar and high in iron which causes fatty liver disease. If the bird doesn't die while being raised, it will likely die up to a year later from liver damage, metabolic bone disease and organ failure as the bird didnt have the right nutrition to develop properly.

Each specie of bird eats differently and cannot be fed breakfast cereal. These should never be fed to any bird:
Pronutro, weetbix, futurelife, pap, oats, bread, milk etc (and hand rearing foods which are mostly formulated for parrots).

We try and share our knowledge and experience on why it is important for people to get animals to wildlife rehabilitation centres as soon as possible, but most often it falls on deaf ears.
We frequently pay money to go on internationally recognized training and courses to better equip us, but often, we are told to “shut up, I've done it for years, you think you a know it all, get off your pedestal” etc. Please do not think that your excuse not to hand a bird over is original, we have heard the same excuses over and over and over despite providing help on a silver platter.

Please, do the right thing.
Hand wild birds over to qualified rehabbers. It is illegal to withhold treatment from any animal, and is illegal to be in possession of any wildlife without the necessary permits. (Yes, it is a criminal offense). Having said this, I don't mean do not help the animal, I'm saying if you are in possession of the animal, to please follow it through by contacting a wildlife rehabber so the bird can be put on the right diet so it can
* reach its full potential,
* be socialised with its own kind
* and released in the wild where it
belongs

Please ensure your rescue is handed over to a licensed rehabber, and not someone who has “raised a few parrots” either.

Sorry for being so blunt but we are up to our eyeballs in seeing the public kill animals with kindness.

Photo by Carlyn

04/10/2023

22/09/2023

Baby bird season is fast approaching and before it gets into full swing, here is some very important and useful info about finding orphaned, displaced, and injured Wildlife/baby birds:

Please do not attempt to feed any wildlife/baby birds that you find.

🚫No Milk. Birds are not mammals and do not feed their young milk.
🚫No Pronuto. No Future life, No baby cereals.
🚫No Bread.
🚫No pouring water down the bird's beak, as this will cause the bird to aspirate and drown.

Each species of bird has different dietary requirements and feeding the bird with the wrong diet can cause digestive issues as well as poor bone, organ, and feather development which can cause life-threatening illnesses.

There has been an increase in birds caught by cats. The injuries are often horrific and cats carry 2 deadly bacteria, one in their mouth and one under their nails which is fatal to birds, snakes, small mammals like bats, etc. Bacterias are called: 'bartonella henselae' and 'Pasteurella multocida'. Wounds also go undetected by an untrained eye. Birds, snakes, lizards, bats etc are then released and die later on from the injuries you missed and infection.

I get calls from the public frequently to say that their cat had caught a bird 2 days ago and cannot understand why the bird has not flown away, only to find out when the bird has finally been dropped off with me that the bird has a broken wing.

🚫Please do not re-release the bird if you think the bird is fine or see no injuries. Often the bird will slowly die over a few days if not treated accordingly.
🚫Please don't leave the bird in a box outside in your garden for days hoping it will fly away.

Baby birds cannot regulate their body temperature so the first thing the public can do upon finding a baby bird is to keep the bird warm. An easy way to keep the baby bird warm until you can get the bird's help is to use a water bottle (1.5/2l water bottle) and fill the bottle with warm water. Wrap the bottle in a cloth/towel and place the bottle in a box with the baby, ensuring the baby bird does not overheat.

Baby birds that we get that are raised by the public are often in terrible condition, feathers missing, dried food all over their feathers, very thin and they are often left very tame, leaving them with no survival skills in the wild. It is also illegal to withhold treatment from any animal as well as hold onto wildlife.

This is our Wildlife and it is everyone's responsibility to do the right thing and save the wildlife we have left.

CROW do not charge for their service and rely solely on donations. Please consider a donation.

CROW - 031 462 1127 (7am-5pm)
CROW Afterhours - 0832125281 (5pm-8pm)
They are open 7 days a week from 7am-8pm.
CROW DEPOT - Durban North/Umhlanga 072 801 0606


Thank you
CROW DEPOT

15/03/2022

Little Kitty up for Adoption.

I am looking for a PURRRR ever home.

If you can give me a forever-loving home, you can call my foster mom on 0728010606.

I am a little boy kitten and I am up to date with all of my shots. I have even been dewormed...Meow!

Someone with a Catio would be a bonus so I am always safe at home.

11/03/2022

UPDATE: Sunshine has been adopted and found his forever home!
*
*
*
Up for Adoption.
Looking for a great new home for this Budgie called Sunshine.
If you would like to know more about Sunshine.
Please call me on 0728010606
Must have a large cage and must have a budgie friend.
Please no breeders

07/03/2022

Bee kind to our Bees 🌷🐝

Today we would like to show a buzz of appreciation for our important friends...the bees.

Bees are the main pollinators of many of our crops and without them we wouldn't have half of the fresh produce you buy on a daily basis - they are an integral part of the ecosystem.

They face a multitude of threats with climate change, habitat loss and fragmentation, invasive plants and bees, pathogens spread by commercially managed bees, and pesticides being the main threats to long-term survival.

You can help our bees by:
- planting bee friendly flowers
- creating "bee hotels" in your garden
- be mindful of using pesticides

Here are few (there are 100s - go check them out) facts about these special little critters.

14/02/2022

HAPPPY VALENTINES DAY! ❤️❤️❤️
Wishing all you Love Birds a very happy Valentines Day! And of course it's too! This precious photo of two Red-faced mousebirds was captured by Henriette Siebrits.

10/02/2022

Wildlife in need, please Contact CROW on 0314621127 (7am-5pm ) or 0832125281 (5pm-8pm) they are opened 7 days a week from 7am to 8pm.
CROW Depot Durban North/Umhlanga 0728010606

If you find an animal in distress, what’s the first thing you do? If you’re like most people, your answer is, “Feed it.”

While well-intended, that’s the wrong answer!

When an animal is in need of rehabilitation, that’s because it has a medical emergency. And with any emergency, there are always much more pressing issues to deal with, and those must be addressed long before the animal should eat.

In fact, eating during a medical emergency often causes the animal’s death. We see many cases of fatal bloat, refeeding syndrome, electrolyte imbalances, and severe diarrhea because of well-meaning finders giving a wild animal food.

If you have an animal in your care who needs help, get him or her to a rehabilitator immediately. Don’t feed the animal unless specifically instructed to do so after the critter is stable.

14/01/2022