Turkey Vulture Released After Being Shot with BB Gun
After almost four months in our care, a turkey vulture was able to spread his wings and return to his wild home! A good Samaritan brought this bird to our Bahde Wildlife Center when they noticed he was struggling to fly. Our wildlife veterinarians found that he had a fractured wing caused by a BB pellet that was still lodged in him. Wildlife intern, Dr. Wohl, and the rest of our team performed surgery to remove the pellet and repair the fracture it caused, and then put the turkey vulture on a rehabilitation plan to rebuild his strength, including acupuncture and time in flight cages at our Ramona Wildlife Center. The treatments were a success, and, after many months of crossed fingers and feathers, we're happy to see this healthy wild bird fly free again!