Parakeet Found By Concord NH Prison Inmates
With the assistance of Concord State Prison officials, Fauna Rescue Inc., a non-profit animal rescue headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire, was able to rescue an exotic bird late Friday evening.
(PRWEB) July 26, 2005 -- With the assistance of Concord State Prison officials, Fauna Rescue Inc., a non-profit animal rescue headquartered in Nashua, New Hampshire, was able to rescue an exotic bird late Friday evening. On July 22, at 9:45 pm Fauna Rescue, Inc. received an urgent call about a parakeet found by inmates at the Concord State Prison. The inmates made a make-shift cage using fan covers to temporarily house the small bird. Attempts were made by prison officials to find the birds owner but to no avail. Fauna Rescue was contacted to take the bird as they could not keep it at the prison. One of the guards volunteered to drive the bird to Manchester to help with the transport after his shift.
Although the bird appeared to be tame, it was more likely that he was very ill. By the time he arrived in Nashua at 11:50pm to his quarantine area he was puffed up and listless. He did not eat or drink and we did not expect him to make it till morning. In the morning he was still sleeping -- and he didnt move when we went in the room. Our veterinarians were called to see set up an emergency appointment.
A thorough exam by Dr. Alex Kilgore of Littleton Animal Hospital in Littleton, MA showed that he was thin, there was blood in his stool and food or nasal discharge on his face. Yet, overall, he was in fairly good shape. He is being temporarily named JB" or J Bird". Dr. Kilgore prescribed antibiotics to fight infection, iodine additive as parakeets tend to suffer from iodine deficiencies, baby rice cereal, parakeet food and pedialyte to improve his electrolytes. JB is expected to recover fully. He will be examined again in two weeks, providing the blood in his stool clears up over the next several days.
As JB goes through his medical care, it will end up costing several hundred dollars that will again be carried by our small rescue. If JB is not claimed by his owner it will cost at least another $100 for a cheap, decent and reasonable sized cage for this bird. The traditional "parakeet cages" that are found in most pet stores are not big enough to house a finch, let alone a parakeet. Avian medical care and supplies are expensive. All animals need yearly veterinary checkups - whether it is a $10 parakeet or a $5000 hyacinth macaw. Most bird owners arent aware of the high costs involved in owning a bird until an accident happens.
Fauna Rescue relies solely on donations from the public. We do not receive any state or federal funding and are struggling to meet our current needs while the public is still clamoring for more services from us.
JB is banded. If you are the owner of this bird, or know the owner -- please have them contact us. If the owner is not found and you are interested in providing a long-term home for this bird after he is recovered you are also encouraged to contact us.
Fauna Rescue, Inc. is a non-profit avian rescue headquartered in Nashua, NH. For more information about Fauna Rescue please visit their website: faunarescue.org or call 603.889.5035.
A picture of JB can be found here: http://www.faunarescue.org/images.web/jbsmall.jpg
A picture of JB at his avian veterinarian exam. As you can see in the picture his droppings are dark and not green as they should be.
Permission granted to use images from www.faunarescue.org in conjunction with this press release.
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