Young Hadada Ibis Recovers And Learns Independence

The following story about a hadada ibis was submitted by Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital in South Africa.

A very young hadada ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) was dropped off at Bird and Exotic Animal Hospital where she was stabilized and then transferred to our hospital.

This little ibis not only had a fractured tarsometatarsus and humerus, but also broke the tip of her beak. Given the multiple fractures, we were concerned that the hadada may have metabolic bone disease. We have enriched her diet with extra calcium to assist in strengthening her bones.

Because of her young age, secure strapping of the fractures ensured that the bones would heal correctly. Along with learning to feed on her own, she has been tubed with EmerAid IC Omnivore.

After three weeks of observing her learning how to dig in the soil with her beak, fiddling with earthworms, etc., she finally reached the developmental stage where she realized that she can flick back the food item and swallow it! This was a great milestone.

She is now successfully feeding herself, and we are just as excited as she is. Until she is feeding herself sufficiently, this hadada ibis will be support-fed to ensure that she meets all her developmental milestones.

Once she is self-sufficient, she will be placed in a slow release program where she will learn to rely less on us, and more on her own instincts. Here she will meet other hadadas and will finally be released.