Yorkshire Vet star Rohin Aojula faced a race against time to save a pheasant that had been hit by a car, despite admitting he had little hope for the animal's survival. The incident occurred during the latest episode of the Channel 5 documentary programme, which is currently airing its 23rd season.
Rush back to work
Not long after finishing his early shift, the off-duty vet had to rush back to Donaldson's Vets in Huddersfield after spotting the injured bird. "I couldn't leave him, I just felt bad," Rohin said. "He was in the middle of a 60 mph road with cars whizzing past. I drove past him and was like, 'I can't leave him like that, because he's still alive, but he's gonna just get run over again and die.'"
Shortly after examining the pheasant, Rohin and nurse Jade spotted several problems. The animal's mucous membrane was incredibly pale, which meant that it had lost a "catastrophic" amount of blood following the blunt trauma.
Fighting for survival
Despite its obvious injuries, the pheasant seemed to be fighting as it continued to flap its wings. "I have to be honest, I don't think it's got a brilliant chance, but he's fighting, isn't he? It's a really tough one," Rohin noted.
"Probably the blunt trauma of the impact has caused it to become really anaemic and have internal bleeding. It's really tough though, because I don't want to write him off, when at the moment, he's still fighting." Rohin went on to say: "We know it's bad. He's really pale, and we are worried about internal bleeding. I haven't got a lot of hope for him," before using a probe to investigate the pheasant's injuries.
Remarkable recovery
Rohin didn't let the animal's slim chances deter him. He soon decided to use an IV drip to try and save the pheasant's life. "I can't bring myself to put him to sleep when he's trying, he's fighting," the vet shared.
It seemed as though the IV fluids did the trick, as Rohin later spotted a "remarkable" change in the pheasant's condition. Against all the odds, the pheasant was soon able to return to the wild. "That is a miracle. There was a real risk [with] how much blood he lost, that he'd just die overnight, in fact. I think that's remarkable to be honest with you," a stunned Rohin said.
Return to the wild
Rohin decided to release the pheasant near his dad Harmesh's home. The pair found a quiet spot in the countryside, shortly before Rohin opened the pheasant's cage. The animal didn't hesitate to fly out, something it wouldn't have been able to do just hours before. Rohin's dad noted: "You've done a good deed, so that's important. And within 24 hours, he's got his life back."
The Yorkshire Vet airs Thursday nights at 8pm on Channel 5.
