Current Projects

Update from WPT on Limbe African Greys

January 16-18, 2008

Additional help on its way
The sickest greys housed at Limbe Wildlife Centre are receiving some much needed help. WPT has sent additional funds and is sending Dr. Gino Conzo, DVM, Avian Specialist who left for Cameroon on January 16th, bringing with him some urgently needed medications and veterinary equipment.
He is accompanied by Mario D'Angelo, paying for his own travel expenses, who will assist Dr.Conzo and who is bringing 4 kg of donated vitamin and immunostimulant supplements and over 1/2 kg of a skin lesion medication donated by Gea International.

Dr. Conzo will also attempt a feather imping procedure, a technique borrowed from falconry, to mend the broken feathers on some of the birds to allow them to immediately regain their flight capabilities.
An antibiotic, urgently needed for the most critically ill birds has been obtained in Switzerland and was shipped by DHL to Limbe. This will be used to treat psittacosis, a highly infectious disease that causes inflamed eyes, respiratory difficulties and digestive and kidney problems. In parrots the disease may become chronic, with intermittent shedding of the bacterium in the feces with rapid transmission to others nearby. So with this in mind it is vital that the spread of this disease be brought as rapidly under control as possible.

From Gino Conzo, DVM, new veterinarian working on the project:
"So far we have been able to work on only 18 birds. We are waiting for a new supply of oxygen. Yesterday we worked on over 70 birds, but here the pace is very relaxed and it is difficult to speed it up. Generally, the birds are in good condition. Many of them have damaged feathers (cut or pasted with glue) on both wings. There are many young birds, and from now on we will try to count them more exactly. We are taking pictures of all the anomalies, and as we find birds that have health issues other than the damaged, feathers we separate them so that they can receive the appropriate treatment. After each bird is plucked, we apply Leucagel on the follicles to disinfect them. Yesterday the doxycycline was added to the mash. Today we will also add the vitamins and a supplement (Ornucuma Q) to speed the growth of the new feathers and to stimulate the immune system.

Yesterday was a difficult day, for the heat, the logistical problems, and the amount of work. Mario's help has been crucial, I doubt that there would have been someone else here with enough time to help me me as much as he did.. I have wounds of my hands from the work involved in pulling out so many feathers..."

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