Quick-thinking actions by a sensory shock recovery specialist, and care from a bird rehabilitation centre, has given a lucky female swan a second chance of life.
Greg Jamieson, a skeletal sensory shock recovery specialist, used his skills on the swan after it was struck by a car in a busy Paraparaumu street.
The swan was then taken to Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust where it is getting further treatment, and hopefully pulls through, and can be united with its feathered family and friends.
The drama unfolded when three swans attempted to cross Mazengarb Rd but one was struck by a motorist, who didn’t stop, leaving it prone on the road.
The ugly incident was witnessed by Lauren Wickens, her mother Michelle Kendrick, and Lauren’s daughters Lilah and Indie Smith.
Greg, who is Lauren’s partner, was driving to meet them, when he saw them on the side of the road, and quickly realised a swan had been involved in an accident.
Greg Jamieson helped a swan in need. Photo / David Haxton
Greg is a skeletal sensory shock recovery specialist, who learnt the Contact Care method from founder Dale Speedy some years ago.
He works with humans and animals to release pressure, restore balance and relieve pain from “impacts by surprise”.
“We take pressure out of the skeleton, that is held, when when it has been hit by surprise.”
He decided to try and treat the swan.
“The bird was in shock and wasn’t moving.
“I got the bird and dropped, what we call a shock, from the self defence system, which helps get over the physical attachment to the emotional reaction.
“By picking up the chest and upper back of the bird, I dropped the shock, which made it a bit more pliable, and was relaxed.
“In that way, when you’re working with an animal, they understand you’re trying to help them, because they can feel that change straight away.”
“It had a bit of blood on it. I could see its right leg was cut and had some blood on its left wing.
“After dropping the shock I worked down the back to see if there was any pressure in the spine.
“I found two points of pressure, what we call flinch locks, where the pressure has stuck from getting hit.
“I dropped one out, and then the second, and by that time the bird was quite relaxed, and turned around and looked at me.
On the way to the Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust.
“But it was still on the ground so I had to find the bone that was stopping it from getting up so I swapped around and came down onto the left leg and up through the hip and wing area and found a pressure point in its leg.
“When I released that it stood up and started to work out its balance.
“Once the swan got its faculties, it wanted to go, but we didn’t want it to, and Lauren had already rang the Wellington Bird Rehabilitation Trust, near Johnsonville, to see if they would take it after hours.
“They said it was fine so we wrapped the swan up in a jacket, put her in the back seat, and took her there.
“We were very impressed with the staff and set up at the trust.”
The swan on her road to recovery.
The trust has discovered a fracture in the swan’s left wing which was hard to find because of swelling.
She is on pain management and pen rest, and has a bandage on to stabilise the wing and reduce the risk of the injury getting worse.
The rest and recovery will enable time to investigate the severity and then rehabilitate depending on the findings.
