Introducing to you our latest rescue...a crow with no upper mandible (or beak).
I called him Hoody because he looked like a Hooded crow when the towel was wrapped round and over his head. Or her's, who knows! And I will not apologise for the terrible joke. Hoody was wearing a hood so looked like a Hooded crow haha!
Unfortunately, Hoody the Crow was put to sleep.
Apparently crows are classed as vermin, so not many people will hand feed a crow for the months it will take for its beak to regrow. Wildlife is wildlife. Just because they take chicks from nests and baby rabbits, doesn't make them vermin. It's called natural selection or being part of the food chain or even the circle of life. We had a grey heron eat all the fish from the pond the other week. I was upset but the heron had to eat. A couple of years ago, a heron ate all the frogs during the frogs mating season. Quite possibly the same heron.
As humans, we have judge certain animals based on what we've heard and not often what we've seen. I know there will be people who will argue against me. Hopefully more alongside me. British farmers dislike Red Kites because they take lambs. Red Kites are 99% scavengers and they have the weakest feet. Even a Golden Eagle would be struggling to take a lamb unless it was newborn!
If people do not want crows taking their pheasant, chicken or duck chicks, then maybe they need to take better care of their local wildlife. If the wildlife is fed, they won't come looking for food.
I'm sorry Hoody this was your fate. You were a beautiful, young, intelligent bird. For me, this is a Christmas wish that will never come true. No wild animal should be put to sleep because of its 'class'.
