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Perth Zoo Vets Treat Endangered Carnaby's Cockatoo With Gunshot Wound

Perth Zoo’s veterinary team gave an endangered Carnaby’s cockatoo in Western Australia a second chance at flight after it was found with a severely fractured wing following a gunshot wound.

A Perth Zoo spokesperson said the Carnaby’s cockatoo was found on the ground on private property and was unable to fly. The young bird’s parents kept watch from a nearby tree, occasionally feeding him, the spokesperson said.

Footage released by Perth Zoo shows an X-ray of the pellets lodged inside the bird’s wing, as staff carefully manage and treat the bird in order to remove the pellets.

Many months of treatment will be required before the cockatoo can be released into the wild, the zoo said.

“The bird will likely spend up to one year at a specialist rehabilitation facility, building up his strength, muscle mass and having flight lessons to ensure he has all the necessary skills and functions to survive back out in the wild,” a Perth Zoo spokesperson said.

Perth Zoo said it treats approximately 300 wild cockatoos every year – many of which are hit by vehicles or illegally shot. Credit: Perth Zoo via Storyful