The Department of Agriculture has said it does not have the facilities to handle injured or ill wildbirds, and cases should be referred to welfare societies or local vets.
The statement came following criticism of its handling of the recovery of an injured swan in Castlebar, Co Mayo, yesterday morning. The gardaí had tried to capture the injured bird in the town mall in the early morning but it was later caught by a retired wildlife ranger, Tomás Collins.
He took it to a local animal hospital where it was found to have an injured pelvis, probably caused by colliding with powerlines. The bird later died and its body was sent for analysis.
Niall Curran, veterinary surgeon at the Mayo Animal Hospital, where the swan was taken for examination, said the department would not respond to the situation as it only dealt with dead birds. Dúchas had also refused to become involved as its staff had not been issued with the proper protective clothing and disinfectant to deal with potentially infected birds, Mr Curran said.
