The Sunday Mail
An Australian parrot who became injured after repeatedly falling to the ground when her wings were clipped has been given a second chance at flight.
Twelve-week old green-cheeked parakeet Wei Wei has been given a prosthetic pair of wings after hers were cut off by her owner.
Vets at The Unusual Pet Vets in Brisbane, Australia, fitted Wei Wei’s new feathers and within hours she was back in the air once more.
Dr Catherine Apuli (31) said the “severe wing trim” left the bird in agony and unable to fly without falling into the ground.
She made Wei Wei’s prosthetics out of feathers donated to the clinic which had been cleaned, sterilised and dried.
Dr Apuli said: “Primary flight feathers — the big feathers at the ends of the wings — which have been traumatised may result in pain, bleeding, unwanted aggressive behaviour and self-induced feather plucking.
“The imping procedure was performed to prevent further physical injury and to regain flight for optimal mental and physical health.”
Wing clipping is carried out to restrict flight and protect indoor birds from injuring themselves on ceiling fans or by flying into large windows. But the practice is controversial, with experts saying there is no evidence to suggest clipped birds are any safer than those with full wings when kept inside as pets.
Dr Apuli said that in Wei Wei’s case, the feathers had been cut too short and too many had been trimmed.
“As a result, the bird was sustaining heavy falls to the ground, which has the potential to injure the bird. In Wei Wei’s case, she was falling heavily and the owner noticed she was painful on her feet,” the vet said. Explaining the procedure, she said: “The base of the feather was cut to allow the entry of a wooden toothpick where it is secured in place with glue.
“The bird was then placed under a light anaesthetic to ensure the Wei Wei did not move whilst the feathers were placed correctly and the glue dried for this painless procedure to be performed.
“Wei Wei was then placed in our heated hospital room for a couple of hours before being encouraged to fly. She flew very well after a few attempts and appeared quite excited that she could suddenly do it.” – metro.co.uk
