'Precious' robin paralysed by glue trap flies to freedom

The little robin was left paralysed from the neck down after getting caught in a glue trap last month. Picture: Kildare Wildlife Rescue

A robin that was left paralysed from the neck down after getting caught in a glue trap has been released back to the wild, after making a full recovery, thanks to the specialist care of wildlife rehabbers.

In a video uploaded on their social media page this week, Kildare Wildlife Rescue showed the remarkable journey made by the tiny robin red breast who survived a near horrific death.

In the footage entitled 'A happy ending for our little robin friend', the bird was filmed being tended to by rehabbers who treated him after he was admitted into their care.

The footage shows the dramatic transformation from being trapped in sticky glue that hardened all over his tiny body, to being released back into the wild.

The bird was washed carefully by the trained staff, who over a few days, freed it from the substance.

The post said: “Remember the poor little robin that ended up in a glue trap before Christmas?

“After being stabilised, he was carefully washed several times to remove the glue substance from his feathers and skin.

“This process requires patience and care as birds are very delicate. Please do not attempt this at home yourself.

“Luckily, this precious guy was a strong little character who took everything in his stride.

“We were beyond delighted to release him last week on a beautiful, crisp, sunny afternoon.

“If you would like to like to help us continue our important work, please consider donating to our fundraiser. And please never ever use glue traps”.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, the founder of Kildare Wildlife Rescue, which recently received a charitable status said the organisation was “delighted” with the bird’s progress.

Dan Donoher said: “Glue traps are illegal in Ireland, people use them for rodents, but they are illegal and can cause a slow and horrible death and sadly this bird got caught in one.

“He was basically paralysed from the neck down; it was literally stuck, and he could just move his head. I’m delighted with how well he did.

“The first reaction from people would be just to wash him but that is not the case, that can cause him to die, it requires being stabilised first and hydrated.

“It wasn’t until the next day when we were happy with his progress and that, he was stabilised that we covered him in another substance to counteract the glue.

“I am trained to do this, so I really don’t recommend that anyone without experience try this if they come across anything like this.

“He was a very strong bird obviously and he went back to the wild and we are so happy about this”.