Rescue
A little friendlier than we’ve experienced previous wood pigeons (usually, one of the most stress-prone species we work with), to be, sweet "Pingu" was discovered atop a stationary car and, well, simply put… refused to leave.
After contacting us for advice, the caller was, strangely, able to pick Pingu up and place him into her car boot, where he sat happily for the duration of the car ride.
Rehabilitation
On assessment, nothing appeared to be wrong, but Pingu was incredibly friendly! Unfortunately, we suspect Pingu has been hand-reared and then released, once able to fly.
Sadly, when any species is reared with too much human contact, it will struggle to appropriately learn the behaviours needed to survive in the wild.
But we hadn't lost hope; being a youngster, and wood pigeons being a social species, we were able to place Pingu with other wood pigeons in an aviary. The first few days Pingu seemed a little confused, but, just a week after being in an aviary with his own kind, he finally picked up the proper social behaviours and learnt to fend for himself.
Release
Pingu was successfully returned to the skies just two weeks after arriving in care.
With the start of the orphan season just two months away, it can be tempting to take in young wild animals and rear them yourselves. But, whilst Pingu was one of the lucky ones, not every wild animal has the ability to re-gain their wildness. To give any wild animal its best chance of surviving in the wild, please, always contact a professional wildlife centre.
