Animal Ethics Archives

09/02/202509/02/2025

A Practical Guide for the Care of Aging Birds

Introduction

Sanctuaries are safe places, where resident animals can live a protected and happy life, grow old and eventually pass away in dignity. This also means that with good care more and more animals may reach an advanced age, which they rarely would in the wild. The logical consequence is that carers in sanctuaries should be able to recognise and respond to a variety of natural and pathological effects of aging. It goes therefore without saying that sanctuaries should be prepared and able to cater for the support needs of our aging friends. This blogpost tries to provide a practical guide for the care of aging birds.

02/11/202402/11/2024

Jackdaw Jacky

Introducing Corvid Isle Sanctuary Residents

Jacky was born in spring 2011. She has been raised by a kind person after being found on the ground as a nestling. We took over her care in 2019 as the previous guardian became unable to care for her. Jacky is an imprinted and unreleasable but otherwise very happy bird, who thoroughly enjoys living in a human household.

21/09/202421/09/2024

Magpie Chiara

Introducing Corvid Isle Sanctuary Residents

Magpie Chiara came to us in May 2017 as a juvenile bird after being injured by an unsupervised domestic cat. Chiara managed to escape and was found the next day hiding in a greenhouse. She suffered an extensive fracture of her right wing and a severe injury to her right eye.

11/09/202411/09/2024

Rook Brambles

Introducing Corvid Isle Sanctuary Residents

Rook Brambles came to us as an adult bird in May 2013. We have rescued him in a somewhat daring and quite prickly rescue from a cliff, where he was trapped in a large hedge of brambles, hence his name. Brambles arrived at our sanctuary in shock with a bleeding compound fracture of his left wing caused by a shotgun injury.

Brambles had been intentionally shot and left to suffer by a person with an antisocial personality disorder obviously lacking any empathy and respect towards the suffering of sentient beings. This particular person did act illegally and unethically by clearly showing his or her disregard for the law by hunting on a public path causing a sentient being to suffer unnecessarily.

24/08/202424/08/2024

Pigeon Bianca

Introducing Corvid Isle Sanctuary Residents

Bianca is a white pigeon, most likely one of the many released at weddings or funerals. She is very likely one of those dove-like selectively bred white homing pigeons. Customers are usually reassured that reputable companies train white homing pigeons to fly immediately home after being released and that they ensure the birds’ safety throughout the event and beyond. What is advertised and sold as being a homage to a person passed, or as a magical moment and talking point during a wedding, is just another example of animal abuse and the cruelty caused by human self-centredness and ignorance. Bianca is one of the many released birds who did not find their way back to their loft.