TITLE: Chapter 1: Handling and Housing
AUTHORS: Kerri Wolter

[DESCRIPTION]
<div class = "text-blocks"><div class = "text-block">Rehabilitation of any injured wild animal is an honourable and laudable activity. However, in taking any animal into care, the rescuer accepts the responsibilities of ‘ownership’ for the animal, ensuring that all necessary treatment and care is provided to optimise its potential release back into the wild. It is vitally important, wherever possible, that one works closely with a local veterinary surgeon, who is prepared to aid and support when necessary (seeking additional support and advice themselves if needed). You may need to have access to appropriate veterinary services at all hours, which could mean using the services of more than one practice. It is thus worth proactively building relationships with your local veterinary practices, encouraging them to accompany you on rehabilitation courses and ensuring that all necessary resources and equipment are at hand before an incident occurs. 


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[STEPS]
?. [Catching vultures]
Approach the bird in such a manner as to avoid scaring it away or causing unnecessary stress.
Vultures need to be approached quietly, confidently, and sympathetically; there is no need to ‘rugby-tackle’ them at all. It is recommended that no more than three persons should be involved in this capturing process. Any more create unnecessary stress for the birds and inhibit the capture process.
?. [Catching vultures]
Once the selected vulture is within close reach, grab its neck from behind first, just below the jaw bone. Use your thumb and forefinger around the back of the neck from behind the bird’s head.
Do not grab the head from the front as you can crush the trachea, potentially causing permanent and irreversible harm. Do not grab lower than the jaw bone as the bird can turn its head around and bite you. Do not grab higher as you will lose your grip and may cause injury to the head, especially the ears or eyes of the bird.
?. [Catching vultures]
Reach your fingers around to be against but below the jaw bone with the pressure on the sides of the neck to avoid suffocating the bird by constricting the trachea.
You can be firm but not rough or too tight so as to avoid harming the bird. Great care should be taken with the hand holding the head. The head should always be held far enough away from your face and other body parts, as well as other people in your proximity. Vultures are extremely strong and can lunge and bite suddenly in defence, even when appearing calm. This can result in serious injury.
?. [Catching vultures]
Once the head is secured, swiftly sweep your other arm around to hug the vulture just above the legs, enclosing the wings in the embrace.
?. [Catching vultures]
Hold the bird with the legs below your arm but with the bird’s legs stretched out downwards towards the tail, with your arm covering the thighs.
Make sure that your arm is covering the bird’s legs just above the tarsus and not below, or the bird will be able to lift its legs and feet high enough to grab your arm in order to try and free itself, often causing injury to you. The bird should be held upright, its back against your chest, in the front and centre of your body. Both of your elbows should ‘hug’ the bird’s wings from the sides to keep the wings closed and under control.
?. [Catching vultures]
If the bird struggles, simply ‘hug’ the bird tighter and use your elbows to prevent the wings from escaping your grip.
One person can do this alone, but it is advisable for a second person to back up the catcher should a wing escape, for example. The wings are powerful so if they do break free it is extremely difficult to keep holding the bird and this will require a second person to help get the wings back into position. It is important to bring escaped or open wings into the appropriate position quickly as extensive flapping may also lead to injuries to the bird or handler.
?. [Catching vultures]
Once the bird is secure, move to stand in the shade to prevent the vulture from overheating.
?. [Processing vultures]
Always minimise the duration of vulture restraint. To facilitate this, prepare all necessary equipment and ensure staff are readily available, prior to restraint of the first patient. Organization, preparation, and communication are important within the team processing the vulture. Have all equipment out, ready, and in a shaded quiet location.
‘Processing’ includes any handling of a vulture: including placement of patagial tags and or rings or leg bands, fitting tracking devices, taking blood or other biological samples, or conducting medical treatments.
?. [Processing vultures]
Place working surfaces in the shade to reduce the risk of the bird overheating.
The environmental conditions in which you are working are critically important to consider before any work begins. In southern Africa, it is most likely that any handling of vultures will be conducted in warm environments, yet sudden changes in temperature or precipitation must be planned for.
?. [Processing vultures]
If the bird begins to overheat (i.e. the handler feels the bird’s body temperature increasing or the bird begins to pant), rapidly cool the bird down by spraying cool water on its neck, collar bone, and legs by means of a spray bottle and a light spray to the bird.
A bird which suffers from overheating (hyperthermia) will have a reduced chance of recovery. An increase in body temperature exceeding four degrees above the normal range will almost invariably be fatal.
?. [Processing vultures]
Complete vulture processing within 20 minutes per bird. The absolute maximum processing time should not exceed 35 minutes.
Handling of wild animals results in high levels of stress hormones to circulate in the bird’s bloodstream. Although a protective function of sorts, prolonged increases in these hormones can be very dangerous due to physiological changes. It is not uncommon for wild birds to die from the stress of handling. This is compounded if the bird in question is already in a compromised physiological state. It is therefore crucial to keep handling to a minimum and consider postponing procedures (where possible) if the bird appears overwhelmingly stressed.
?. [Processing vultures]
Minimize the amount of time a bird spends in a horizontal position, either on its back or sternum. If the handler becomes tired, the bird can be handed over to another handler.
A bird restrained on its back will suffer a 10-60% reduction in respiratory volume and so this should be avoided, unless there is no alternative. It is less stressful for the birds to be held upright. This is the position that should be used when conducting initial exams and when giving medication. The handler is less likely to become tired if seated. This position should be adopted where possible. There are circumstances when one person will not be able to hold the bird throughout processing and treatment. In such circumstances, the patient may be restrained on a low table preferably lying on its sternum).
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
When working with a bird on a table, depending on what you are doing, start with the bird on its sternum.
For this type of vulture processing, you need three to four people and under no circumstances should the bird be tied, taped or bound in any way. This is unnecessary and can cause injury to the bird.
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
Have one person hold the head (see above on how to hold the head), another person hold both legs and the third person secure and hold the wings against the bird’s body (Fig. 4). In the case that you want to stretch out the bird’s wing, the fourth person can do this while the third person keeps the bent wing secure. The person holding the legs should hold one leg in each hand or should at least always keep one finger between the legs.
Vulture legs do not have much muscle tissue separating skin from bone. Significant injury to the legs can occur if they are rubbed together.
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
If, for whatever reason, the head is covered, monitor the body temperature (normal temperature 40-41oC (104-105.8oF)).
It is not advisable to cover the vultures’ eyes as they prefer to observe what is happening and will on occasion panic if unable to see their surroundings. This reaction varies between species and individuals. In some cases, visual seclusion is preferred although care must be taken to avoid corneal injury. Vultures thermo-regulate through the bare skin on their head, neck and legs.
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
If the body temperature increases, the head and neck should be sprayed with water with a light spray from a spray bottle and the procedure completed as soon as possible).
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
Also monitor the vulture's heart rate.
Normal resting heart rate is 80-100 beats per minute, and should never exceed 200 beats per minute while restrained.
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
Never tape or tie the beak closed under any circumstances.
Vultures often regurgitate in defence or through stress and they need to be free to do this. If their beak is taped closed they can choke on their own regurgitation.
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
During regurgitation, the person holding the head should simply tilt the head to one side and allow the bird to regurgitate freely.
Never close the beak when a bird tries to regurgitate as this will lead to choking.
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
Ideally, place the bird on the table or crate with the head over one side of the table so that the head can be tilted to one side and slightly below the level of the table, allowing regurgitation to land on the floor rather than on the workspace.
Place a plastic sheet or tarpaulin on the ground below the area where the head extends over the crate or table so that regurgitated material can be removed before another vulture is processed.
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
If you need to turn the bird around onto either its back or sternum, communicate this to the team members so that all turn the same way.
Often the person holding the head will have a preference. You cannot keep turning the bird’s head around 360°, but 180° is tolerable. Always make sure the bird is comfortable. A bird that struggles is likely to be uncomfortable in some way and a change in position should be considered.
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
Allow the person who is holding the head to dictate the direction of the turn.
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The person holding the legs: be careful not to cross the legs over each other.
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The person securing the wings: assist with the actual turning and lifting process but keep the wings together on either side of the bird.
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
The person restraining the head: keep the beak clear from other personnel, to avoid bite injuries, especially during the tagging process. Retain control of the head throughout the entire task until the bird is released or somebody else takes over.
?. [Processing vultures on a table]
Now with the bird on the table, secured by three to four people by holding the bird as already mentioned above, begin processing.
No binding should be used under any circumstances, i.e. taping the bill closed, taping the wings, or taping or tying the bird to the table. The faster you work and process the bird, the better, but take care to avoid fast movements especially near the bird’s head (unless eyes are covered). Speed and efficiency in processing depends on preparation and co-ordination of the team.
?. [Releasing]
When releasing a vulture, lower your body (Fig. 5), bringing the bird’s feet to ground level, slowly allowing the bird to stand.
?. [Releasing]
Then release your grip on his entire body and neck at the same time, stepping away to give the bird some space (Fig. 6).
Be careful never to drop or throw the bird down, nor allow the bird to fall prior to lowering it gently to ground level.
?. [Releasing]
When releasing the bird or placing it back inside the enclosure, remain still and allow the bird to walk or fly away from you, rather than panicking it, in which case it may take off, flying into stationary objects / fences.
Do not force the bird to move.
?. [Releasing]
Allow the bird time to recover but monitor it for any unusual behaviour that could be a sign of heat exhaustion or injury from handling.
The bird will decide for itself what to do next; it might fly off, run or drink water. Never force the bird to move or fly after the handling. Simply monitor and interfere only as a last resort if the bird appears not to be fit for release.
?. [Releasing]
When choosing the release site and direction, consider that birds in general prefer to take-off against the wind.
Vultures, when given the opportunity will time their take-off to coincide with a thermal or an increase in wind strength, making the take-off easier.
?. [Releasing]
Release a bird from a crate at ground level, and not from an elevated site such as the back of a vehicle.
Pulling a bird out by a wing or the tail is unacceptable, as is tilting a crate to encourage a bird to exit. Give the bird time to leave the crate of its own accord.