~ by Mike Graeber
Meet Ruby, one of our two scarlet macaws here at Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS).
This beautiful, young bird has had a very painful life because of things done to him by heartless human beings. Ruby was the first of our macaws to arrive; and at first, it looks like this amazing creature was very close to dying. His tail feathers had been ripped from its body by a human; this happened in such a brutal way that the tissue where these feathers grow was ripped out as well.
This is a very serious injury for birds, and sometimes they can even bleed to death.
If that were not bad enough, as soon as the feathers were stolen, he was dumped along the road like trash. Two dogs saw and attacked him, and were about to kill him when the human help came along. This person saved Ruby, but then put him into a beer cooler and did not bring him to us for days.
All that time in the beer cooler had caused him to become seriously dehydrated, and all his wounds had become badly infected. The fact that he was still alive was astonishing. When our sanctuary vets detected signs of life in Ruby, they leapt into immediate action, and through a cooperative, around the clock effort, Ruby’s life was saved.
Because he has lost all of his tail feathers which will never grow back, Ruby will never fly well enough to return to a life of freedom. He has, however, recovered well from his ordeal, and is now a healthy and very well-adjusted resident at Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary.
Come by and meet Ruby and all the other stunning residents at AWS. And remember: when you find injured, sick, or orphaned wild animals, please call us; we can really help.
INFO: Mike Graeber – Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary
