Veterinarian Ken MacQuisten said this sandhill crane is ‘unusually tame for a wild bird.’
A sandhill crane was fitted with a prosthesis after it lost its leg in an accident at a Richmond, B.C., golf course.The bird’s leg was shattered after it was struck by a stray golf ball. By the time the crane was captured, the limb had died.”It took about five days to catch him and bring him into the veterinary hospital. So, we had to amputate the foot and now we’ve fitted him with a prosthesis so that he can balance and walk with it,” said veterinarian Dr. Ken MacQuisten.MacQuisten fitted the bird with a temporary limb for now. He says a permanent prosthetic leg will be attached once the stump is fully healed.
Sandhill cranes are a rare sight in the Vancouver area and surrounding cities. But a small number of birds have been living in the region for the past three decades.
Elizabeth Melnick has been running a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation centre in Abbotsford, B.C. for the past 27 years. She said she had never come across a sandhill crane before.
With files from the CBC.