Wild injured gang gang

[gomer]

A friend found a injured young male gang gang on the side of the road missing half a wing.It is only a young male not fully colored up.They have spent about $150 on nursing it and bringing it to health and it even is being spoon fed.They asked if I could take it as they have no room for it.I rang up the dse to inquire if there was any way at all to put it on the books.They said if a injured bird cannot be relised into the wild again it must be euthanized.I thought as much but wanted to give this young fella a go.What a waste of a bird that cannot be relised to where it belongs.Surly a life as a pet would be better then no life at all, especially after it has been nursed back to health of some sort.I know there are laws to protect wild animals, but one would think if you could prove that it had no chance of rehabilitation there could be a exemption for such cases.You never know perhaps this young male could even have had a chance at breeding, and atleast help sustain the captive population.

[Tiaris]

I would ask the department exactly which section of which piece of legislation states that the bird must be destroyed if it can't be released. I'd bet there is no such law, just a statement by a big frog in a little puddle. If there is no Victorian environmental law stating that the bird must be destroyed they have no basis for advising or compelling you to do so.

[maz]

I think the way the law stands is that it may be kept but only y a licence wild life carer......so if you can get a wildlife carers licence or pass it on to one then it can live.....also many of the zoos will take on animals with injuries like this maybe try Healesville.

[jusdeb]

Do they really have to know ?

The bird will make an excellent companion , surely a better option than DEAD !

If its too much of a risk then what Maz said ... finding a sanctuary .

Parrot Rescue Centre in Qld has a good rep for caring for injured birds ..its only an email .

Good luck hope it doesnt come to putting it down ...what a waste .

[Tintola]

PM sent to Gomer. They can't be seen to be letting everyone keep injured birds, or people would be running over birds and amputating wings and legs willy nilly just to have them in their collections. (Can't find 'tongue in cheek icon again')

[arthur]

If your friend wanted to be a real b*****d he could go to one of those "investigative" TV shows . .

They would love something like this

But only if he is unlicensed . . for obvious reasons

Isn't it sad that that with the nationwide cross-section of bird keepers on this forum, cynicism is the feeling most invoked when mention is made of our fauna authorities

A "Ridiculous Decisions by Our Masters" thread would overflow

[gomer]

The person who currently has it has no licence and keeps only non licenced birds.

[Mortisha]

This is where it is nuts
The default position is always if it can't be released than kill it.
Understandable if it is a large old animal or bird that would never get use to people and die of stress as a captive.
But if it is young and can adjust to captivity why the hell can't it go to a well managed home?
I think a lot of Australians would become more educated and empathic towards our wildlife if there was an opportunity to take in these "unreleasables".
They have personalities and quirks that are just as interesting and lovely as any cat or dog.

[Myzomela]

Although they may not be able to actually force you to euthanase an unreleasable bird, if they won't give you a wildlife carer's licence then you legally cannot keep it.

Although states may vary, in general the departments will not issue wildlife carer's licences to holders of birdkeeper's licences, again for obvious reasons, or even to someone else at the same address.

You can forget zoos and wildlife parks. In the majority of cases they are already at maximum carrying capacity and their "biosecurity awareness" means they are very wary of introducing wild birds into their collection. Also the major zoos have species management plans which means that if it is not one of their " species of interest" which is part of a regional plan then they are not interested. Even they need to apply to the departments to be able to keep such unreleasable birds. Your best bet would be the smaller wildlife parks.

You would think that a threatened/vulnerable species like a Gang Gang would have no problems finding a home but some zoos are also reluctant to exhibit animals with visible disabilities/deformities so depending on how bad the wing injury is this may also be a disadvantage to this bird.

The whole euthanasia issue with wildlife is a sad situation. I find myself euthanasing injured wildlife on a regular basis and it can break your heart, but an adult azure kingfisher with a smashed wing is not a good candidate for a life in captivity. A young, hand-reared gang gang may be a different matter altogether!!

[grasswren]

Hi All
I have a Peregrin falcon with 1 wing had him for nearly 7 yrs all i did was apply for a rescue permit from the SA NATIONAL PARKS AND WILDLIFE as it was called then I had the appropriate licence which only neaded a endorsment to keep him. I cannot sell him or trade him without their authority, this system is for just about all rescued birds or animals Its a pity that the authorities in other states cant get their acts together on all matters of wildlife so its uniform from state to state And knowing our luck in SA we will be dictated to by the eastern states and end up with restrictive practises