The Vet from Down Under

by Sarah Ladd, B.V.Sc.

First of all let me wish all of you a happy and prosperous new year.

Here in Australia, Christmas time means warm weather and the start of the breeding season for the native birds, and the air is filled with a cacophony of shrieks and squawks as newly-fledged babies take to the skies. Our magpies and currawongs spend a lot of time on the ground when they leave the nest and our backyard is often a playground for these comic birds as they practice digging for worms and roll on the ground to get their mother's attention.

Our home is in the north-west suburbs of Sydney where there is an abundance of birdlife. As we have a mixture of types of birds in our aviary, they often attract their own visitors from wild flocks, and even escapees from other aviaries. We have our own special section of noticeboard at the local mall for our "found- 1 bird" notices! Some come to stay if they are not claimed and are added to our rapidly - growing family (all are quarantined first).

Of course, at this time of year the clinic is inundated with lost and injured birds, especially juveniles. In the soaring temperatures we have seen a few cases of heatstroke in the wild Sulfur-crested cockatoos, one so bad that his brain literally melted away. Fortunately, there is a wonderful group of people called WIRES (wildlife information and rescue service) who are dedicated to fostering native birds and mammals, many of which are successfully rehabilitated.

Our best success this summer has been "The Captain", a mature male rose-breasted cockatoo (galah) who was found almost dead on a tree stump by one of our clients. He was severely dehydrated and depressed, with diarrhea and dull plumage and wasting of his muscles. At this stage we assumed he was a wild bird as he tried to attack anyone who went near him. After 3 days of intensive care we still held little hope, and decided to put him to sleep if there was no improvement the next day.

That afternoon, we heard someone "wolf-whistling" at the clinic dogs driving them berserk, and found "The Captain" having a grand old time tormenting them! Within 3 weeks he was transformed, and never let us pass his cage without giving him a tickle on his head. We now realized he was a hand-tame bird, but our advertisements failed to find his owner. He had escaped, got lost and nearly starved (he was a sunflower seed addict!).

Captain now lives with us and he has regular visitors every day. A flock of galahs entertain us with "high-wire acts" on the TV antenna and roll around on the roof tiles laughing their heads off like a troupe of circus clowns.

So if you're ever in Australia and someone calls you a galah, don't be offended. It means "you're CRAZY - but we love you!".