By Elizabeth Young | Founder, Executive Director
The work we are doing together is literally the difference between life and death for the birds Palomacy serves.
Ace was saved when a volunteer was alerted to a badly injured feral pigeon huddling under a bush. He had puncture wounds and was missing his tail. His "good" leg was missing a foot and the other leg was broken and his remaining foot severly string-entangled. Normally we route feral pigeons for rehab and release to WildCare, an amazing rescue that saves thousands of animals every year, but without a working foot, Ace would be unreleasable and euthanized. So we rushed him to Medical Center for Birds instead. They were amazed at how strong and feisty he was considering the extent of his injuries. He was hospitalized, his wounds treated, his foot salvaged and his broken leg surgically repaired and pinned. He has healed up beautifully and is currently adoptable and fostering in a big aviary where he revels in always having good food available while fiercely guarding his favorite shelf.
Madame Puff Ball is a young "dove release" type homer pigeon who was found grounded and helpless in Oakland, CA. A kind person found her and took her to Oakland Animal Services (OAS, one of very few animal shelters that accepts and serves pigeons). We received this message from them: "This injured pigeon came in to OAS. Seems to have a puncture wound under the wing and cannot stand. We do not have the ability to treat or care for her. Can Palomacy help?"
With your generous support, we were able to say, Yes. A volunteer picked her up that night and the following morning drove her 45 miles (one way) to Medical Center for Birds. They examined, radiographed and kept her overnight for observation. Our Care Director, Jill, picked her up the next day (along with pain meds, an anti-inflammatory, antibiotics) and took her foster home. Jill has provided three months of support and physical therapy and Madame Puff Ball can now sit up using her tail for support and walk with the lift and thrust she gets from flapping her wings. Her recovery isn't complete but it is significant! I'm fostering her now- for some increased physical therapy options and because she stole my heart. (I call her Puff Berry.) She is a happy, heat-seeking snuggle missle who may yet regain normal leg strength and coordination but no matter what, she is alive and well and greets every day floofy. Thanks to you.
You, dear reader, are receiving this project report because you donate in support of Palomacy's work. Your generosity is what saved Ace and Puff Berry and a couple hundred other birds this year.
We can't do this without you. We need your help especially starting on Monday, November 27th at 9 PM PT when GlobalGiving kicks off their biggest bonus match campaign of the year: $1,200,000 for GivingTuesday! We'll be competing with about 500 other very worthy projects. The bonus match rate will be determined by the amount of donations we raise. The more you donate, the more they'll match (up to $2,500 per donor.) We have 24 hours to fundraise.
Our donors are loyal but expenses have been high this year and we need to raise at least $27,000 to stay aloft. So please- do what you do! Give as generously as you can and know that your gift makes the difference between life and death for every one of these sweet birds.
We can do it!
(And we'll send out a reminder at 9 PM PT on Monday 11/27 when the GivingTuesday bonus match starts.)
Thank you very much!
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