Kamis, 28 Juni 2012

Emergency 'feather transplant' by vet allows injured buzzard to soar again

Emergency 'feather transplant' by vet allows injured buzzard to soar again

  • Injured buzzard 'repaired' with tail from falcon and spare wing feathers
  • Transplant created by vet using bamboo shoots and feathers
  • Common buzzard will fly again in two months

By Rob Waugh

PUBLISHED: 08:31 EST, 28 June 2012 | UPDATED: 11:05 EST, 28 June 2012


A 'feather transplant' using bamboo shoots and wing feathers has allowed an injured buzzard to soar once again.

RSPCA officers found the common buzzard weak, thin and near death having suffered massive damage to its wing and tail feathers.

Vet Chris Gardner raided his own collection of feathers and transplanted a complete saker falcon tail set and wing flight feathers to repair the injured raptor's wing.

Dr Chris Gardner used a parts of a saker falcons tail in order to allow a buzzard to be able to fly again

Dr Chris Gardner used a parts of a saker falcons tail in order to allow a buzzard to be able to fly again

Common buzzard anaesthetised for the feather transplant

Common buzzard anaesthetised for the feather transplant


Dr Chris Gardner, 41, of the St Clement Veterinary Clinic in Truro, Cornwall, who preformed a feather transplant on a common buzzard (pictured)

Dr Chris Gardner, 41, of the St Clement Veterinary Clinic in Truro, Cornwall, who preformed a feather transplant on a common buzzard (pictured)

The vet, Chris Gardner, decided the best option was to stick in new feathers onto the wing and tail

The vet, Chris Gardner, decided the best option was to stick in new feathers onto the wing and tail


Chris, 41, who practices at St Clement Veterinary Clinic, in Truro, Cornwall, said: ‘It was in a bit of a mess. It appeared he went through a period of stress when all his tail and secondary wing feathers were growing down.

‘This caused a weak spot on all the feathers in the same place and resulted in all the tail feathers and some of the secondary feathers in the wings snapping off near the base.

‘It would have made any flight difficult and soaring - their normal method of finding food - impossible.

‘As it's summer, some new feathers were growing down to replace the damaged ones, but these were becoming damaged as they had no support from the neighbouring feathers.

‘Because of this we decided the best course of action would be to 'imp' in some new replacement feathers enabling him to fly now and provide support for new feathers moulting.’

The top 2cm of the quill were cut from the replacements and a bamboo peg whittled into shape and glued into the shaft with epoxy resin.

Close-up of the result of the feather transplant

Close-up of the result of the feather transplant

A poorly common buzzard which struggled to fly was given a feather transplant using bamboo shoots and a collection of spare feathers from a saker falcon (pictured)

A poorly common buzzard which struggled to fly was given a feather transplant using bamboo shoots and a collection of spare feathers from a saker falcon (pictured)

Dr Chris Gardner used a parts of a saker falcons tail in order to allow a buzzard to be able to fly again

Dr Chris Gardner used a parts of a saker falcons tail in order to allow a buzzard to be able to fly again

The common buzzard who received a feather transplant at the St Clement Veterinary Clinic in Truro, Cornwall

The common buzzard who received a feather transplant at the St Clement Veterinary Clinic in Truro, Cornwall

The common buzzard was taken to a vet who went home and raided his own collection of feathers, returning to the practice with a virtually complete saker falcon tail set and selection for the injured raptorís wing

The common buzzard was taken to a vet who went home and raided his own collection of feathers, returning to the practice with a virtually complete saker falcon tail set and selection for the injured raptorís wing


The bird was then anaesthetised so the damaged feather quill could be cut close to the skin and the feather attached by gluing the bamboo peg into the hollow feather shaft.

Dr Gardner added: ‘Unfortunately, I didn't have enough secondary wing feathers to replace as many damaged feathers as I'd have liked for immediate release to the wild.

‘So he will be kept by the RSPCA until enough new feathers have moulted through for him to fly normally, in a couple of months.

‘He may then cause some confusion among birdwatchers with his slightly unusual tail colouration, with a mix of hawk and falcon feathers, but this will not affect his ability to hunt and fly.’


 

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this is so cool!

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Stop it!!! It will only go and raid a falcons nest!!!

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What A brilliant vet, i'm not using Penmellyn vets in St Columb Major anymore they are really rude and money orientated i'm taking my animals to Mr Gardner from now on thats if i can get on his client list I bet he's stacked with clients.

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looks like a hawk to me. We call buzzrds in the USA birds that feed on dead animals

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