Jackdaw Izzy – An Obituary

26th October 2021

In July 2020 we took over the care of juvenile Jackdaw Izzy. He has been rescued and cared for by kind members of staff of Monkey Haven, the Isle of Wight Primate Rescue Centre. Izzy suffered a severe concussion and spinal contusion with paralysis of both legs as well as a badly bruised wing. It took him about 4 weeks to recover, but he still showed persisting problems with his right wing and lack of power in both legs, when he came into our care. He was also clearly imprinted and still dependent on being hand fed.

We devised a dedicated rehabilitation programme consisting of active and passive physiotherapy, and Izzy continued to make further slow but steady progress. Unfortunately, it became clear after another 12 weeks of rehabilitation that Izzy would not be releasable, as he continued to show residual neurological symptoms such as balance and coordination problems as well as lack of power in both legs. However, Izzy showed us as well that he was very happy and content in his aviary, which he shared with his friends magpie Kiri and jackdaw Jacky. Unperturbed by his neurological issues he enjoyed very much the interaction with both, his feathered friends and us humans. We developed quickly a very close and deep bond with Izzy, who made us smile every time we interacted with him due to his curious behaviour and all his little antics.

Unexpectedly, his neurological problems suddenly deteriorated and after a very short illness, Izzy passed away peacefully in our arms. Rest in peace Izzy. You are greatly missed by all of us.

"Although other animals may be different from us, this does not make them less than us."

Marc Bekoff