Staff at Dunedin's Wildlife Hospital have treated over 40 species in the year its been open – and about a third of patients were endangered or critically endangered.
The hospital mostly cares for birds, including a good number of kea – so intelligent they're difficult to keep detained and entertained – and one of New Zealand's extremely rare wild black stilts (kakī).
Common injuries at the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital:
- Tūī and silvereye (wax-eye) attacked by cats
- Storm-blown albatrosses and sooty shearwaters
- Penguins starving due to food competition at sea
- Penguins bitten by predators of the sea and land (dogs)
- Lead poisoning in Harrier hawks (Kahu)
- Harrier hawks (Kahu) hit by cars while eating roadkill
- Kererū striking windows
Dunedin Wildlife Hospital spokesperson Jordana Whyte talks to Lynn Freeman on Summer Times
Jordana Whyte's wildlife tips for summer:
- Keep an eye on your dog at the beach, don't let them run into sand dunes
- If you're feeding birds in the backyard, don't put the bird feeder anywhere near a spot where a cat could hide and stalk them
- Swerve to avoid birds eating roadkill
- Apply reflective decals from Project Kereru to your car windscreen
The Dunedin Wildlife Hospital is a partnership with Otago Polytechnic and its School of Veterinary Nursing.