After posting last month that we don't often get tūī at the hospital, we received another one a week ago. Luckily we have some native plants close to the hospital so we are able to supply native browse to provide part of their daily calorie intake.
Nutritional support is as important as any medication that we prescribe. While in care, patients are weighed daily to monitor their health and adjustments in diet are made if needed.
Native browse also provides enrichment, giving birds the opportunity to do some normal foraging behaviours while they are in the hospital environment. This helps combat frustration and stress during their confinem#tui
#tūī #birdsofaotearoae#WildlifeHospitalp#southislandwildlifehospitalpital ... See MoreSee Less

Our educator, Alison has an upcoming kid-friendly talk about kea, through Christchurch Envirokids . This Sunday at the Kiosk in the Botanic Gardens. Attendance is free - register to secure a seat. #education #envirokids #WildlifeHospital #southislandwildlifehospital ... See MoreSee Less

We have a couple of pohowera chicks that are getting bigger by the day. Spring means baby birds to raise at the hospital, and these banded dotterels are just two of the multiple young birds we've had come through our doors. Pohowera are precocial, which means they are up on their feet, with open eyes soon after hatching. They are also quick to self-feed, and these dotterels are fed a mixed diet including insects which they forage for in their make-shift habi#pohowerao#bandeddotterelt#birdsofaotearoae#WildlifeHospitalp#southislandwildlifehospitalpital ... See MoreSee Less

Portrait of a pied shag... This manu came to us after being found by a member of the public, weak and not moving. While the adults are black and white, juveniles are a dark brown colour with mottling on the underside as demonstrated on this individual.
Shags fledge their nest underweight if their parents struggle to feed them adequately. This is an increasingly common problem due to both natural climate cycles, and human-induced climate changes, as well as fisheries activities. Plastic ingestion can also be a problem. When these youngsters fledge in a compromised condition, they can become quickly weak as they attempt to forage. This makes them less evasive when people or dogs approach them, leading to further stress or injury.
Two weeks at the hospital being fed with first a liquidised fish smoothie, and then whole fish, saw the kāruhiruhi gain enough weight to return to the wild a few weeks ago. Although the food supply issues remain, increasing the resilience of an individual by getting them to a healthy weight, gives them the best chance of surviving despite these ecosystem challenges.
#PiedShag #kāruhiruhi #birdsofaotearoa #WildlifeHospital #southislandwildlifehospital ... See MoreSee Less

Spring means baby bird season at the hospital. In the last couple of months we've had multiple species through the door as young orphans. This fuzz ball is a weka. They arrived 6 weeks ago and are being raised until independent under veterinary supervision to ensure correct nutrition during the critical growth period.
If you find orphaned baby birds with no sign of parents around it might be tempting to take them home and try to raise them. But it is illegal to raise native and endemic species unless in possession of a permit through DOC. Even with introduced or so-called 'pest' species, it is too easy to get their nutritional needs wrong and put them at risk of developmental and other health conditions. Not to mention that wild birds should be wild, and are not commodities. Contact should be made with the nearest wildlife hospital, veterinary clinic or permitted rehabber as soon as possible, to ensure the best outcome#wekat#birdsofaotearoab#nzbirdst#WildlifeHospitali#southislandwildlifehospitalildlifehospital ... See MoreSee Less

We don't commonly get tūī at the hospital because unlike other parts of the country, they're not that prevalent in and around the Garden City. This individual came to us from Kaikōura after being found with a broken wing.
Bird bones typically heal in half the time of our own bones if broken. Fractures may be stabilised surgically or via a splint bandage during this time. This tui is showing off not just the bright yellow wing bandage but also their distinctive white parson's feathers (poi). If healing is adequate, birds then need flight strengthening before they can be considered for release bac#tui #tūīw#birdsofaotearoab#WildlifeHospitali#southislandwildlifehospitalildlifehospital ... See MoreSee Less

Penguins love their mohawk stage as they transition from their fluff to their feathers. This kororā came to us through Kaikōura Wildlife Centre Trust and they have already made it back there following the end of the juvenile moult and ensuring they were waterproof. They're such dashing little m#moultingl#LittleBluePenguinn#kororāo#WildlifeHospitalp#southislandwildlifehospitalpital ... See MoreSee Less

Visitors to Willowbank Wildlife Reserve might have noticed some changes around the front of the hospital as they passed us by. Our new neighbouring triage suite, built by and provided to us by Willowbank is now operational as we continue to follow biosecurity protocols following the emergence of bird flu in Aotearoa.
For the nearly 12 years that the hospital has been functioning on this site, Willowbank have been a major supporter of our mahi through the provision of land, electricity and waste disposal. As a charity, we remain grateful for their immense support.
#charity #WildlifeHospital #wildlifeveterinarytrust #wildliferehabilitation #southislandwildlifehospital ... See MoreSee Less