A rare brown booby seabird found shivering and immobile at Ogden Point Jan. 29, has died while in care at Wild ARC in Metchosin.
In a statement, senior wildlife rehabilitator Marguerite Sans, said the brown booby, who was admitted into care last week in critical condition, succumbed to her “severe state of emaciation and weakness.”
The bird’s health declined dramatically over the weekend, despite efforts to reverse her condition with tube feeding, antibiotics, and pain relief.
“Wild ARC staff are thankful to the finder that rescued the animal and called Wild ARC, and for all the public concern for this unique patient,” Sans wrote. “Our solace is that she is no longer suffering.”
RELATED: Brown Booby seabird a rare sight in Victoria
The brown booby was found by a Victoria woman who called the SPCA, who transferred the bird to its Wild ARC care facility with wounds on her breast and feet. At the time, Sans said it was possible the seabird had been blown off its migration pattern due to the region’s recent windstorms.
Still, the tropical brown booby was a rare site, some 3,000 km from its typical breeding sites in the Gulf of Mexico and islands in Central America.
Wild ARC, an arm of the SPCA, cares for more than 3,000 animals a year as a result of donations from the public.
“Thank you to all the supporters of the brown booby’s care and to everyone who continues to support our important work in the community as the only wildlife rehabilitation on southern Vancouver Island,” Sans wrote.
kristyn.anthony@vicnews.com
