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CAPE WILDLIFE CENTER @2006
A duck arrived at the Cape Wildlife Center covered in blood but recovered and was able to be released in the wild. |
Frankenstein. The name alone brings to mind vivid images. We all picture Boris Karloff as the unfortunate creature who bore marked signs of skull surgery. We can see that flat, squared-off head covered in scars and stitches. Got the picture?
Enter Frankenduck... The name just seemed to fit one of the Cape Wildlife Center's newest patients. What else would one call a duck who required multiple sutures to close the opening in her skin that had exposed her skull?
Found on the ground in a Wood's Hole, Massachusetts' back yard and brought to the center by concerned Cape residents, the female mallard came into the clinic covered in blood. The multiple bite wounds to the mallard's head and neck were immediately visible. The duck was definitely the victim of a predator attack, possibly the victim of a fox. The wounds were scrubbed and cleaned, and further examination revealed the complete degloving of the scalp, leaving the skin on the top of the head pulled away from the skull. After removing the feathers from the duck's head, an antibiotic ointment was applied to keep the bone moist and alive, and the duck's head was bandaged. One very sorry looking duck settled into a holding cage to stabilize overnight.
The next morning, our mallard patient underwent surgery to reattach the skin over the top of her skull. During the operation, another hole was discovered and repaired. Frankenduck emerged from surgery with multiple sutures, and a star was born.
Frankenduck's prognosis is guarded to fair for complete recovery and release back into the wild. Her injuries are such that she will need to undergo another surgery, but we are encouraged by her good appetite and feisty manner. Frankenduck would not have been able to survive her injuries without immediate medical care. Though she will never be able to thank her benefactors for their kindness when she was most vulnerable, it is this high regard for animal welfare that makes our work possible, and ultimately, saves the lives of hundreds of injured, ill, or orphaned wild animals on the Cape.
Posted April 4, 2006
