Simon Thomsett

Category: Black Sparrowhawk, Raptors, Rehabilitation | Date: Aug 20 2008 | By: simonthomsett

The small male Black Sparrowhawk with spinal injuries died recently. Quasimodo was very ill. On post mortem, I noted that the urates were hard and granular with bleeding extending from his kidneys to the vent. He had always a history of difficulty in defecating. For the first few months, he had to have a moist cotton bud inserted in the vent to excise the feces and urates.

When I was away in Costa Rica, he was put in a low and quiet shed to moult. He moulted nicely, and when I returned I was happy to see him sporting a new white chest and a good array of smart tail feathers. I went inside the shed with him and he jumped onto my fist for food as always. It seemed to me that the uncoordinated limbs were much improved, and for a moment I thought he may one day recover completely. Spinal injuries in animals can sometimes take years to resolve. I tickled his toes and noted he pulled away only on one side.

Quasimodo

When showing a couple around the birds, I noticed Quasimodo behaving in a frantic manner. He jumped to the floor and ran around in an excited manner. Later that evening, he looked composed as ever, one foot up as night fell.

The next day I had to bring a vet from KWS to see Rosy, but as I entered the ranch, my cell phone rang. It was Jonathan who said I must come quickly as Quasimodo was very sick. I arrived 5 minutes later to find him dead.

He had defecated pure blood, and his vent was damp and soiled. I held him in shock for this was totally unexpected. There had been no prior indication of ailing health. No time to check him over and start therapy. He was a very special hawk. Unlike his kind (which are usually aloof and hard headed), he was exceptionally kind natured. He would fly any distance to follow me around on long walks. Always clumsy, sometimes crashing into objects and my hand, he clearly became a pet of sorts. I knew he would be in captivity all his life, but I hoped it would be long and fruitful. He’d have made a dashing suitor for a young lady Sparrowhawk.

It appears that the back fracture was in the ilium, the fused area of the lower back where the kidneys are protected in a sheath of bone. This would explain his renal problem and the partial paralysis of his legs. It seems likely that the function of the kidneys was impaired and that a haemorrhage had led to his death.

I have dealt with many deaths. You have to in this business. Usually it is not shared. But with this blog, I, perhaps unwisely, chose to share his story with others. I think I might have written cautiously about his prospects from the start, so as not to upset anyone in case he died.

Sketch of Quasimodo (By S Thomsett)

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