Mr Percybill

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=120 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="161ff781dvldtc.jpg"> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=188 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B> <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0" width="160" height="620"> <param name="movie" value="HTMLobj-781/pwc_menu1.swf"> <param name="menu" value="false"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="scale" value="noscale"> <embed src="HTMLobj-781/pwc_menu1.swf" menu="false" quality="high" wmode="opaque" scale="noscale" width=160 height=620 type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"> </embed> </object>  </B></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=360 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFF99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04c202d3.jpg"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="452" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="446"><div> <B>MR PERCYBILL</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFBF0 HEIGHT= 1462 WIDTH="446"><div> <IMG SRC="12bbdab0.jpg" border=0 width="445" height="427" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Mr Percybill, an Australian Pelican, or Pelicanus conspicillatus, came into the associations care on 15th February this year.  Tim Ryan from Dampier Salt phoned to say a pelican had been seen a fair distance from water, which is unusual, and may be injured.</div> <bR> <div> Rose Best attended the call out with Tim but on arriving found that the bird had moved. Armed with a japara cover (a blanket which is thick enough to protect you from raptor talons) the two of them followed his tracks through the light scrub. On finding him it was immediately obvious his right wing was in a very bad way.  Despite this he soon had the two of them racing unceremoniously round in circles, which made them wonder just how injured he really was!</div> <bR> <div> When finally caught and taken home for assessment it was found he had another wound on his chest as well which was circular and very deep. However, the main injury was his right wing. The flesh had been stripped from elbow joint (radius) to the tip of his wing. (Pictured below) There was only clean, bleached bone showing, and it really looked as if his wing had been trailing in the water, which fish had then cleaned. To be in this state the injury must have been a couple of weeks old, but he was in remarkably good condition. The theory is he may have been in Pond Zero and so had easy fishing. Unfortunately the flesh had continued to rot up the humerus so a full amputation was needed.</div> <bR> <div> It is better to amputate a wing at the carpus, or wrist joint, or birds will become unbalanced and have a tendency to thrash when panicked . Unfortunately, Mr Percybill  needed a full amputation, but we were counting on his weight and stockiness to counteract any negative balance issues.</div> <bR> <div> Richard Holdaway, from Karratha Veterinary Hospital, performed a successful and trouble free amputation. The rest was up to Mr Percybill's will to survive, and to Rose to ensure no infection set in.</div> <bR> <div> Once home after his operation, he was groggy and unsteady for a few hours but it seemed that his size and shape did give him an advantage over other birds and he handled his change of balance beautifully. His appetite never suffered, and within three days he learnt to toddle to his pond in search of nice fresh mullet. He was always a perfect gentleman and would waddle stately past the other rehabilitating birds as if he was an emperor wearing half his clothes, sporting a huge patch of purple silk where his wing use to be!! The purple color was from Cetrigen which is used as a wound dressing.</div> <bR> <div> When he first came into care, and we knew that the wing had to come off, we approached Malcolm Douglas about taking the Pelican on, knowing he will be a long time resident in the Wildlife Park. Malcolm was very keen. After three weeks his wounds had healed over and feathers were coming through. There was nothing more to be done for him here. So on March 6th, Mr Percybill was placed in a pet pack and very kindly driven to the Sanctuary in Broome. He has apparently settled in beautifully with the other resident birds and even has regular visits from wild pelicans dropping in for a chat and sharing all the gossip! </div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="10d01010.png" border=0 width="1" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Sanctuarys do have their place in conservation, especially for a bird or animal who still has quality of life. It could possibly become part of a captive breeding programme to help replenish wild stocks killed or misplaced by human interference. So all in all, Mr Percybill is a success story, even if it is not a release as such.</div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="768" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF HEIGHT= 41 WIDTH="762"><div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pilbara Wildlife Carers Association">Home</A>  |  <A HREF="aboutpwca.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About PWCA">About PWCA</A>   |   <A HREF="theanimals.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Animals">The Animals</A>   |   <A HREF="birds3f.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Birds">Birds</A>   |   <A HREF="stories.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stories">Stories</A>   |   <A HREF="firstaid.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="First Aid Safety">First Aid & Safety</A>   |   <A HREF="brochuresforms.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Brochures Forms">Brochures & Forms</A>   |   <A HREF="forsale.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Products For Sale">Products For Sale</A>   |   <A HREF="carers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Becoming a Carer">Becoming a Carer</A>   |   <A HREF="noticeboard.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Community Notice Board">Community Notice Board</A>   |   <A HREF="gallery.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Gallery">Photo Gallery</A>   |   <A HREF="sponsors.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sponsors Supporters">Sponsors & Supporters</A>   |   <A HREF="newsletters.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Newsletters">Newsletters</A>   |   <A HREF="books.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Books of Interest">Books of Interest</A>   |   <A HREF="communityaware.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Community Awareness and Education">Community Awareness and Education</A>   |   <A HREF="kidscorner.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kids Corner">Kid's Corner</A>   |   <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links">Links</A>   |   <A HREF="contact.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Contact Us</A>   |   <A HREF="feedback.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feedback">Feedback</A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=150 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="32596103.jpg"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="136" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#000000 HEIGHT= 265 WIDTH="130"><div> <B><U>STORIES</U></B></div> <div> <A HREF="swanning.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Swanning Around">Swanning Around</A></div> <div> <A HREF="release1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Successful Release">Successful Release</A></div> <div> <A HREF="rightthing.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Doing The Right Thing">Doing The Right Thing</A></div> <div> <B>Mr Percybill</B></div> <div> <A HREF="playpossum.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Playing Possum">Playing Possum</A></div> <div> <A HREF="snakesgalore.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Snakes Galore !">Snakes Galore !</A></div> <div> <A HREF="percyupdate.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Percy Update">Percy Update</A></div> <div> <A HREF="orphandoves.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Orphaned Doves">Orphaned Doves</A></div> <div> <A HREF="dude.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dude the Cruisey Mudlark">Dude the Cruisey Mudlark</A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>