A Pigeon Picasso

Rescue

Working with wildlife, there’s rarely a dull day; each one is full of the unexpected, as our vet team takes on the role of detective, to solve nature's mysteries and diagnose patients. However, every so often, we encounter a patient that leaves us completely perplexed at how they ended up in such a predicament?

Looking more like its red-billed cousin, this feral pigeon arrived covered head to toe in red paint. How did she end up like this, we hear you ask, well... we have no idea!

Rehabilitation

Handed in to a local vet, we're unsure of the events that led up to her being found, but, now, our priority is to get her cleaned up, as much as possible.

Using a mixture of washing up liquid and white wine vinegar, we suspect it will take at least half a dozen washes before the bird is completely paint-free, and only then will we be able to assess the overall damage to her feathers.

Currently, due to the thickness of the paint, the pigeon is unable to take flight. With further washes, we're hoping the damage done by the paint isn't permanent.