Don't forget the wildlife this Christmas......

With all there is to be thankful for this Christmas season, don't forget those around you that are as needy as any child. Support your local animal shelters, rescue groups and wildlife rehabilitators. As a friend and fellow wildlife rehabilitator once said to me, "we never have happy customers". That's true a great deal of the time, my scars prove it, as do my volunteer Connie's scar's. But I believe these creatures do know that we are trying to help, at least the most critical of animals do. You see that pain, suffering and yes, sometimes the gratitude. Their souls reach out to connect on a deeper level. We suffer with them and when they win their fight, we rejoice with them. Help us to help them.
Now an update,
Glory, the adult female golden eagle, had her repeat blood work and things are much better. We have been giving her fluids every evening. We did this orally with a feeding tube. I have included a picture of us doing this one evening. She is non-releasable, and will be going to the Zuni tribe in Zuni, New Mexico. I believe she will be the 5th or 6th eagle they have of mine. They have a huge facility, one of only 2 in the U.S. for non-releasable eagles. Their permits are for education and they gather the feathers for their ceremonies.

Merle, the male adult golden eagle is ready to be released. We are just waiting for a day where the weather is good for release.

We released Vidor, our female Great Horned owl. My volunteer in Moab conditioned her for flight and we let her go Friday, December the 19th about 25 miles from here near East Carbon. An angry raven appeared just after Vidor landed in a tree. Poor Vidor was harassed by the raven for quite some time but it was a successful release!
Butters, our male Great Horned owl, is now in Moab. He is getting conditioned for his release. Normally, I would do this in my flight, but it is currently holding the 2 golden eagles, so Dave has been good to do this for me. Butters will be there for a few weeks.

We also have a new red-tail hawk in our care. He came in with a broken right leg, however, the leg had already healed, not perfectly aligned, but good enough. This meant that he had not been able to hunt for a while, so was very thin and dehydrated. He's coming along well and gaining weight finally. Today, we put him outside for a while, getting him used to the outside temperatures again. I brought him in tonight and we will adhere to this routine for a few days and then he'll be outside all the time, working on his strength to fly. His name is Lefty and there are a couple of pictures included with this post. He is a second year red-tail.

Walter, the turkey vulture is still looking for a home. I was hoping to have him somewhere before the end of the year, but it appears that will not be the case.
He's a cutie!

We did get in another young golden eagle, from near Blanding, Utah. This bird died and at this point, it appears to be lead poisoning. This poor eagle suffered greatly, but it's over now. I'll find out more tomorrow at my vet's office when I go to pick up our newest patient, a young bald eagle.
He is a sub-adult bald eagle. This means he is around 2 years old. Unfortunately, he will not be released. He came from the Green River area of Utah. He was shot twice, once in his right wing and the other in the abdomen. He has already had surgery and will be a patient for quite some time. Yes people, idiots still do exist and still shoot at eagles. Raptors are an unfortunate target for the smallest of minds amongst us of which there are plenty of in our area.
I'll keep everyone posted on his recovery. There is an open felony case for this bird, so hopefully, someday, this idiot is found and prosecuted.
Merry Christmas everyone......