Jug the Carrion crow is one of the 4,908 animals that were admitted to our National Wildlife Rescue Centre last year. He was estimated to be just five days old and weighed a tiny 100g!
He was completely bald and his eyes were still closed. He was also very cold on arrival so was placed into a brooder to be warmed up.
He initially needed to be hand fed every 30 minutes and when he was around six days old, he was placed into a jug to help protect his legs from splaying which is common in young crows and this is how he got his name.
He was weighed daily to ensure he was developing well, and once he was big enough he was upgraded from the brooder to a cage and then outside to an aviary with other corvids to learn natural behaviours and prepare for life back in the wild.
During this time, he built up his flight muscles and perfected his flying skills. Once the team could see he was independent, in good body condition and coping well with different environmental factors he was ready to be released.
After two months of rehabilitation he weighed a healthy 500g and was released to a soft release site, meaning that he can be supported in his return to the wild with regular monitoring and food.
