Wild return for shot-down cockatoo
Monday, June 7, 2010 at 14:29 
FREE AS A BIRD: Sam was released yesterday after recovering from a slug gun wound.NOT much could ruffle Sam's feathers yesterday when he returned to the wild almost seven weeks after he was shot in Queens Park.
The lucky sulphur-crested cockatoo was discovered wounded and in desperate need of help in late March and was treated by
Newtown veterinarian Dr Jane Miller, before recuperating at the Leopold Wildlife Shelter.
This x-ray shows the slug gun pellet which was removed from Sam's wing.Dubbed "Sam'' after his saviour Dr Miller's brother-in-law the cocky left his human helpers with little more than a screech and a flick of his tail.
"It was such a wonderful outcome,'' Dr Miller said.
"We opened the box, Sam climbed up onto the outside, had a look around and spread his wings and flew into a nearby tree.
"It all went very, very well.''
Dr Miller said the wildlife carers had kept the bird's interaction with humans to a minimum during his rehabilitation.
And the extra weight he had gained while recovering would help sustain Sam for a few days as he re-adjusted to the wild and found his flock, she said.
And whenever Sam O'Dwyer looks across his balcony towards the park he's promised to keep an eye out for his namesake.