Oxford Bird Rescue to close after 10 years open, and thousands of birds saved

Nicole Mathewson Reporter from Northern Outlook

From reporter Amber Allott:
After nearly a decade rescuing hawks hit by cars and nursing injured owls back to health, one of Canterbury’s best-loved wildlife rescues will be closing its doors.

North Canterbury’s Oxford Bird Rescue Trust, run by husband-and-wife team Scott and Tracey Bowman, specialises in rescuing and rehabilitating raptors – or birds of prey.

The rescue announced on social media last week that Scott's health had taken a turn for the worse, and he had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease.

“Unfortunately there is no cure, it is aggressively debilitating and terminal and his prognosis isn't great, not giving him a lot of time left.

“We have spent the last few weeks looking at the road ahead and given his condition and rate of decline we simply can't offer the care required to continue rehabbing raptors.”

The rescue would finish rehabilitating the last few birds in its care, Bowman said, before closing for good.

For locals who found injured owls and hawks going forward, Bowman said they might face a bit more of a drive.

The South Island Wildlife Hospital, based at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve in Christchurch, would be taking on most of the raptor care, he said.

“They’re best set up, especially for the harriers.”

The pair planned to donate a lot of their equipment to other bird rescues, hopefully including the new Kaikōura Wildlife Hospital, Bowman said.

Their unique, custom-built hawk enclosure – which allowed full in-house rehabilitation – would go to the South Island Wildlife Hospital.

“There’s still going to be people doing it, it just won’t be us.”