{"id":1187,"date":"2019-07-20T09:19:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-19T23:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/janeroutley.com\/?p=1187"},"modified":"2019-07-20T09:19:00","modified_gmt":"2019-07-19T23:19:00","slug":"the-magpie-dilemma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/janeroutley.com\/?p=1187","title":{"rendered":"The Magpie Dilemma"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the matriarchs of the tribe of magpies who thrive around my stations, has broken her leg maybe even a hip or rib – a bad break which causes her to huddle on the ground with her wing all askew.\u00a0 But she\u2019s survived 5 days and, more importantly, nights now.\u00a0 She sits like a duck among the grasses and the customers throw her bits of food.\u00a0 She can fly and perhaps she has found a safe place to huddle in a roof or tree at night.<\/p>\n

Concerned zoo volunteers encouraged me to ring the zoo vets.\u00a0 You have to be a true animal lover to be a zoo vet- willing to come out a chase a wounded magpie round a golf course in your own time.\u00a0 They\u2019ve come out twice with nets and boxes but she\u2019s too smart and quick for them – still fit and vigorous despite the leg.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps you could try and throw a coat or something over her and then wrap her up\u201d suggests the vet.\u00a0 \u201cThen ring us and we\u2019ll come right out and get her.\u00a0 But be careful.\u00a0 They have a savage bite.\u201d<\/p>\n

As if I need warning.\u00a0 I\u2019m scared of that huge beak. (so are most of the customers \u2013 sometimes feeding the magpies looks more like a mugging) And I\u2019m scared of the rest of the tribe too.\u00a0 Australian magpies are sophisticated social creatures with long memories who regularly blind school children in territorial disputes.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/radionational\/programs\/offtrack\/thbe-magpies-among-us\/6777832<\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019d be willing to be more courageous if I was more certain of the cause.\u00a0 But the zoo vets say they will probably have to euthanize her if they catch her.\u00a0 And she\u2019s still alive and full of beans and pecking at her fledglings when they try and move in on her food.<\/p>\n

Do I work towards this death for her- she may be in a lot of pain – or shall I let nature take its course?\u00a0 She may get better.\u00a0 Although probably not.\u00a0 She may survive with one leg.\u00a0 Lots of birds do.\u00a0 Or she may die a horrible slow painful death or be eaten by an urban fox.\u00a0 I do wish she could sign one of those voluntary euthanasia forms.<\/p>\n

So that is my Magpie Dilemma.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the matriarchs of the tribe of magpies who thrive around my stations, has broken her leg maybe even a hip or rib – a bad break which causes her to huddle on the ground with her wing all askew.\u00a0 But she\u2019s survived 5 days and, more importantly, nights now.\u00a0 She sits like a …<\/p>\n

The Magpie Dilemma<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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