Call for help from Philadelphia area - injured pigeon

I do not know whether it is appropriate to post this here but it is a call for help I received this morning from the Manhattanbirdclub - I am just passing this on:


"A woman from the Philadelphia area is looking for help with an injured pigeon she found. She suspects that the wing is broken. The bird is also breathing rapidly.

I cannot find a rehabber in Philly! Can anyone help out with this? I will paste her report and info below. (She already got the bird some seeds to eat and situated him safely and as comfortably as possible - not sure if it is eating or drinking though) Thanks!
-Jenny

Hi, I have an injured pigeon that I picked up in northern liberties. I have him in the back of my house, in the yard, in the shade under a canopy. I put him in a box and wrapped him in a towel to keep him warm. I hand "fed" him water. He doesn't seem to be drinking on his own. There is water and rice left out for him. Is there someone in Philly that would be willing to help? You can reach out to me on my email:lauree.hayden@gmail.com or on my cell 202 412 5906? He is breathing rapidly but is slightly more alert than earlier. I think he is in a lot of pain. Thank you for your help. best, lauree"

I apologize if this is not acceptable in this forum.
I just try to help from the distance....

Hi Petra,

It is very appropriate to post here. Charis is our USA resources person and might know of a place.

I googled for "wildlife rescue" + Philadelphia, I came up with some suggestions but I don't know whether they accept feral pigeons and so many restrict themselves to native wildlife.

There is also the question of whether they would euthanase an injured feral rather than treat. They will certainly kill if he is unreleasable.

She could try the Shuykill Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, they are one of the ones that specify birds must be native to the US but they dealt with a racing pigeon rescued around 9/11. At the bottom of their webpage there are addresses of other centres in NJ, some of which take all species. She should be able estimate the travelling time from her home better that I can.

http://www.schuylkillcenter.org/departments/wildlife/

Thanks Petra for the heads up.

As Cynthia stated, it is quite appropriate to post here.

As Cynthia also mentioned, Charis oversees the resource contacts here in the US and I believe she's working on trying to find this person some help.

Again for alerting us. That's networking at it's finest.

Cindy

Wow - that is awesome! This is true help and networking. I wasn't sure about this because I have experienced some strange reactions in other forums when you did such a thing like this. But then this is an entirely different case and an entirely different bunch of people who really love their animals. not just talking!!!

I am glad that you found me -

I did work on this fro a couple of hours yesterday. I never make a referal unless I have personally confirmed that the organization or person I am referring to will take or treat a Pigeon or feral Pigeon.

I did find a veterinain...Karen Rosenthal, 215-573-8565... that will treat all pigeons at the clinic she works at but there is no break in cost for a feral Pigeon. Karen told me she really likes Pigeons which is a step in the right direction.
Dr Rosenthal suggested the Schulkill Center but I was unable to make a personal contact with them...just a recording. Again, If I can't verify that they will treat a feral Pigeon, I can't recommend them. Anymore the needless risk of euthanasia is high especially now that it's baby bird season.

A really good way to find a rehabber is to contact the local Humane Society and often they will have a list of private rehabbers. By the time I started the search yesterday, they were closed in Philadelphia.

There is another similar situation in Pittsburg.