There's an injured bird (dove, I think) on the 3rd floor, outside stairway to my apartment. I found it this morning. If at all, what should I do? I don't want to leave it there.
by 
LadyPictureShow
ANSWERS: 6
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Not much you can do. If you leave it out, it is subject to cats, etc. If you take it in, they tend to freak out at captivity and do not do well. People keep doves, but those are domesticated version.
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Go and cover it's head, wrap it up in a cloth and put it in a box with some cotton balls. Take the cloth off to put it in the box and put it on your balcony in the shade but so it can see out and over it... you want to make sure it doesn't panic or fret so handle it as little as possible, call a vet for further instructions, but unfortunately if it's onna go, it's gonna go. Sometimes the shock of being handled will kill them, but it will die for the same reasons if you leave it there.
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you should catch it and then go to a vet
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A vet can point you to someone in your area that specializes in wildlife rehabilitation
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Put it out of it's misery somehow. I guess that is hard to do without approaching it and scaring it and making it struggle causing more pain. I don't suppose the neighbors would appreciate a shotgun blast coming from the stairway. You could get a pellet gun. If you can approach it just cut the head off quickly with a strong pair of scissors. If it is sick discard of the body in a zip lock and wash your hands very carefully. If it is really just injured, broken wing or something, it's a shame to let the meat go to waste. Try wrapping the breast in bacon and stuffing it with a little sliver of fresh jalapeno and then grilling it. That's my favorite recipe for dove. You can also just simmer it in whole cream with a little salt and pepper. Don't overcook it though. Oh, Lord. I'm never going to hear the end of this.
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I was going to say contact a wildlife rehabilitator in your area, but someone already suggested this. There's probably info you can get on the Inetrnet about this. Do a search "wildlife rehabilitation" and also type in your location.
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