A Trapped White Ibis Suffers Emaciation

The following story about a white ibis was submitted by the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center in Florida.

This juvenile white ibis was rescued February 10, 2021. He was found trapped in a rock tunnel on the shoreline by some people canoeing. He was brought into our center wet, emaciated, and with an old leg fracture that had already mostly healed. His initial weight was 544 grams (about 1.2 pounds). The average weight for white ibises is 900 grams (about 2 pounds).

After giving him subcutaneous fluids to rehydrate him, we started him on EmerAid IC Piscivore. We started with a 70% dilution to help with the dehydration and decreased the amount of fluids to end with 25 mL of EmerAid.

He gained weight and after a day of EmerAid the ibis was stable enough to start on a diet of fish smoothie. After a day of smoothie he started eating on his own.

His final weight was 609 grams (about 1.3 pounds). While he still could put on more weight, he started to become agitated and stressed from being in captivity. Nine days after intake he was released.