Saturday, July 28, 2012

Finally, a minute to catch up with everyone

Things are still busy here, but things have slowed down a bit.  We have a lot of animals that are at the same place, in their rehab process, and that is a bit stressful.  Many are ready to kill-test and some have just finished that process and are ready for release.
Kestrel release near Price, Utah  5
We actually released 5 of our orphaned Kestrels, all at the same time.  None of them were related and the 5 were from various places all over the state.  We released 2 females and 3 males. 


Max, our youngest Kestrel still in rehab.
We still have two more Kestrels, but they are not ready to be released now.  One is older than the other, so I will let the littlest one get a couple of weeks older and then introduce him to the other Kestrel and they can start kill-testing together.  It's always better with more than one during this process.  Right now they can see and hear each other, but are not physically together.





 Screech owl release in Spring Canyon.  2
We also released our little Screech owls.  I turned them out in Spring Canyon, near Helper Utah.  What cuties!  I hope they do well.














Great Horned owl, Honey, with injured wing
Barn owl with trauma to right hand due to fishing line.
We have also taken in another juvenile Great Horned owl.  This female came to us from near the Utah/Colorado border after becoming entangled on a barbed wire fence.  Unfortunately, the land owner that found the owl chose to cut the owl off of the fence instead of cutting the fence.  What a mangled mess.  He healing process will be time consuming, but thankfully, vital tendons and connective tissue were missed in the process.  A good deal of skin and feathers are missing, so time will tell if she will heal well enough to be released.  She is going through cold laser therapy to help with the restoration of blood flow and tissue growth. 


 We also have another new Barn Owl that is also getting cold laser therapy after becoming entangled with fishing line and then being caught in tree, hanging upside down for a period of time, by the tangled wing.  When the bird was captured, the officer that caught her took the time to remove the fishing line, which was wrapped around the wrist portion of her wing 25 times.  Blood flow had been compromised and the hand portion was cold.  With little hope of saving that wing, we decided to try the cold laser therapy.  There is a great deal of swelling in that effected area and I am feeling a little change in the temperature of that area. 


 Baby steps!
Both owls will have their last treatment this coming Monday.  The services have been donated by a local chiropractor, Dr. Kenneth Thayn and his partner and son, Dr. John Thayn. We appreciate their willingness to help these birds return to the wild.  Each owl will have gone through 6 treatments when they are completed this coming Monday.  Each treatment lasts approximately 5-10 minutes and is not painful, but a comforting warmth to the area being treated.  This practice has been using cold laser therapy now for almost 30 years in the practice.  It is becoming common in veterinary medicine as well. 

There is so much more going on, but this will have to do for now.  I wear many 'hats' and this is all I have time for now.  I wish I had a staff of volunteers, but to no avail.................

Debbie


Feathered brothers and sisters, you came to us broken and as you bled…….we saw you desperate, dehydrated, desiccated, diseased, distressed, emaciated, famished, frayed, frightened, helpless, hungry, ragged, ravenous, shaken, shocked, shot, sickly, stressed, stunned, tattered, thirsty, traumatized, torn, weary and wounded. Defiantly, you stood us off with your last breath as we tried to tend to you. We saw you come in as cute, naked, fuzzy, cuddly youth, as mischievous, defiant adolescents, as fierce, regal rulers of the sky and as cunning, maimed elders whose time on earth was almost done. You endeared yourselves to us, bit us, charmed us, footed us, delighted us, hissed at us, talked to us, mantled at us, and graced us with your presence.

Some of you mended and were able to go on your way, never looking back. Some of you were injured in ways that prevented you from going, so you stayed with us to teach us…….And we came to love you. Others were too far gone, and you went home - where you fly free from pain with the Great One. All of you have touched us, and we are changed because of you.

used with permission by Arlene Powers


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