15/08/2026
Unfortunately we cant win them all as some patients are admitted with such bad injuries that despite our best efforts, they dont always pull through.
Recently, an adult Pel's Fishing Owl was found struggling in a river on a local reserve. A member of the community noticed the bird in distress and managed to rescue him before he drowned. The owl was exhausted, soaked and unable to use his legs properly.
Initial examinations showed serious injuries and further diagnostic imaging revealed a spinal fracture. A CT scan later confirmed th traumatic spinal fracture with displacement, as well as bleeding and swelling around the injured area. The extent of these injuries made the case particularly challenging and required intensive veterinary treatment and ongoing supportive care.
To the best of our knowledge, no Pels fishing Owls have previously been admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation centre in South Africa, making this a very significant case. Due to the paralysis caused by his injuries, the owl required extensive hands on care, including assisted feeding and careful monitoring.
Over the weeks following admission he began showing encouraging signs of improvement, including small but noticable increases in mobilty but then unfortunately he began to decline with complications with his digestion and no more mobilty improvements we decided it was most ethical to put him to sleep.
