Picture Australasian gannet (Morus serrator) of bird www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/australasian-gannet Introduc1on Ecology and life history The Australasian gannet is one of only three gannet species in Normal adult weight range: 2.16-2.40 kg the world. Dense breeding colonies can be found on the cliffs Moult: Gannets moult their feathers gradually and beaches of headlands on the NZ mainland and on coastal over 10-14 months. islands, as well as along the south-east coast of Australia. Breeding: August to May Majority (>85%) of the breeding populaon is found in New Egg laying between August to January Zealand. Fledglings from NZ will oen migrate to Australia and Monogamous then return to their NZ home colony aer 4-7 years to breed. Incubaon 43-53 days. Gannets are mostly coastal birds and forage on the connental Age at Fledging 91-119 days shelf. They are plunge divers and can hit the water at speeds up Age at first breeding 4-7 years. to 145km/h, therefore they do not have external nostrils. Lifespan: greater than 25 years. Instead they breath through gaps in the corner of their bills. Diet: Piscivorous CAPTURE AND HANDLING WARNING – Gannets have very sharp and serrated bill edges and a strong neck that can cause severe injuries to humans. It is ESSENTIAL to wear eye-protecon and addional hand protecon in the form of rubber welding gloves. Two people are required for procedures on gannets: one to restrain and one to perform the procedure (e.g. feeding) Personal protecve equipment (PPE): Appropriate PPE must be worn when capturing and handling oiled wildlife to prevent exposure to oil (disposable nitrile gloves, safety glasses/goggles, protecon for clothing e.g. Tyvec suit). Capture Handling Consider the safety of both humans and birds. Use a towel to restrain wings (prevents Oiled birds may sll have the ability to fly damage to feathers and wing bones) and depending on the amount and locaon of oil restrain strong feet. Wear normal examinaon on the body. Long-handled fishing nets are gloves if not oiled. useful for capture. If the bird is on land and Gannets do not have nostrils and breath unable to fly then towels are useful for through their mouth so it is extremely capture by throwing it over the bird then important not to hold their mouth closed. gathering it up ensuring the wings are Instead, their head can be restrained with restrained in the towel and the head is fingers under the lower jaw and thumb covered. If the bird is on land then ensure gripping on top of the head (not the upper bill) that someone is standing between the bird or by holding the back of the head in the palm and the water to prevent them from entering and gripping the corners of the jaw with the it. Most birds will defecate aer being caught. fingers on one side and thumb on the other. Transport to WARNING – NEVER place your eyes close to holes in transport boxes. facility Herons, gannets & shags will lunge at eyes causing serious injury or blindness. Transport box: Box made of plasc (NOT wood) as oil contaminaon can be cleaned and the box reused. Top-loading corflute transport boxes allow for easier access to the bird, however front-loading PetPaks can also be used. Only ONE bird per box. Flooring: Correct flooring in the transport box is important. It should (i) be so and non-abrasive in order to prevent development of bumblefoot during transport, (ii) be non-slip so that the bird can steady itself and (iii) prevent build up of faecal maer that can cause urate burns. Blue-tube rubber mang covered with blue inconnence pads or a suspended neng floor are the best opons. Folded newspaper is inappropriate as it becomes too slippery when contaminated by faeces. Shredded paper, straw, hay and seagrass should be avoided as it increases the risk of Aspergillosis Vehicle transport: van or ute, with canopy and a separate air space from people to prevent inhalaon of oil fumes. Ideally temperature controlled (heang on cold days, cooling on hot days). Australasian gannet HUSBANDRY REQUIREMENTS Housing Keep indoors and temperature controlled at 25-27°C because oiled animals cannot thermoregulate. pre-cleaning The area must be well venlated to disperse the oil fumes. (oiled) Enclosure: • Temperature controlled rooms. • If room is very large then build temporary aviaries with a roof. Ensure walls of temporary enclosure are made of materials that can easily be cleaned of oil such as plasc or metal, not wood. Examples of suitable walls include temporary metal fencing with the walls and roof lined with shade cloth to prevent damage to feathers. Ensure metal fencing is not galvanised with zinc or lead as this could lead to heavy metal poisoning if the birds chew on the fence. • Gannets are gregarious species and therefore mulple birds can be housed together. Do not overcrowd. Enclosures should be large enough to allow birds to stretch their wings. Minimum recommended dimensions are 3m2 of floor space per bird. Height of enclosure 2.5m. • Reduce visibility of humans and noise to minimise stress. Flooring • Correct flooring is very important to prevent uric acid and faecal buildup which can cause feather damage and bumblefoot. The best opon is fine (0.5cm) non-knoed coon neng using PVC pipe as a frame and suspended at least 15cm above floor. • Alternavely blue tube mang can be used (available at hardware stores). • Avoid oil coming into contact with a concrete floor as it is very difficult to clean. Line floor with heavy duty plasc sheets (e.g. pond liner or large garbage bags) then place neng or tube mang on top. Housing Enclosure post-cleaning Outdoor aviary with shade cloth covering the roof and walls. Large enough to allow them to stretch (no oil) their wings. Minimum recommended dimensions are 3m2 of floor space per bird. Height of enclosure 2.5m. Flooring Blue tube mang on floor to prevent uric acid and faecal buildup and bumblefoot. NOTE: grey tube flooring is harder than the blue version which increases risk of bumblefoot. Gregarious species Gannets roost on land in groups and should be housed together in an aviary, but ensure that it is 2 not overcrowded and watch for bullying. Allow for floor space of 3m per bird. Perches Gannets require perches. Perches made of PVC tubing covered in blue tube mang are easy to make and clean. Diameter of piping should be appropriate for the size of their feet. Clean perches daily. Pool • Seabirds in the rehabilitaon phase need access to water in their enclosure to aid waterproofing. • Suitable in-aviary pool types: built-in, large plasc containers or children’s swimming pool or shell. • Non-slip ramps to allow easy access and exit of water. • Water must be deep enough to allow birds to swim on surface without feet touching the boom. • Preferably use seawater, but freshwater can be used. If using freshwater then provide birds with a salt supplement in order to maintain salt glands (see “Supplements” secon). • Heat water during winter months if ambient air temperature is below ~10-15°C. • Connuous flow of water is required to prevent buildup of fish oil and faeces on the surface of the water which inhibits the waterproofing process. This is most easily achieved by placing a hose above the pool allowing the running water to break the surface of the pool water and leng it overflow. Good drainage around the pool is required. • Surface skimmer is useful for removing oil, food and faeces floang on the surface. Transport As per handling instrucons. Wear safety glasses. within If bird is oiled then appropriate PPE must be worn to prevent oil exposure. Use large towels for facility restraint and dispose if contaminated with oil. Idenficaon Leg band (temporary idenficaon to be removed before release). Visually check leg band each day as leg bands oen get stuck at the top of the leg under the plumage. Australasian gannet NUTRITION, SUPPLEMENTS and FLUIDS At admission Triage assessment: physical examinaon by trained personnel (preferably a veterinarian) Record cloacal temperature. Give fluids at inial stabilisaon rates below. Dosing If large numbers of birds require dosing then calculate dose based on the weight of the heaviest bird. Group animals into age and/or size class for dosing calculaons. Fluid rate Inial stabilisaon: 75-80ml/kg body weight/day divided into two doses PO Once hydrated: 50-60ml/kg body weight/day divided into two doses PO Fluid type For long term maintenance use either isotonic saline (0.9%) or Vytrate®/Lectade® Amount Feed 10% of body weight (BW) TWICE a day. (i.e. 20% of body weight total each day) Food type If weak, emaciated, severely dehydrated or unable to hold head up: Give oral electrolyte fluids at inial stabilisaon rate listed above for 24 hours to rehydrate gut. Use either: Equal parts (50:50) Hartmann’s soluon and 2.5% dextrose in 0.45% saline 5% dextrose in 0.9% saline or Vytrate®/Lectade® Once gut is hydrated, then start with small amounts of fish slurry. If able to take solids: human grade small whole salmon. Food Fish slurry: Place human grade salmon in heavy duty blender and blend. Add just enough isotonic preparaon (0.9% NaCl) fluid into blender to achieve a smooth consistency. Sieve slurry using a metal sieve to remove any chunks that may clog the feeding tube. Discard aer 24 hours in the refrigerator. Do not let it sit at room temperature on bench. Whole fish: Ideally defrost covered in refrigerator to retain nutrional quality.