Sunday, March 24, 2013

Fundraising is a 365 day job

Most larger wildlife rehabilitation facilities have a fundraising staff.  Unfortunately, we do not, so we are either focused on our patients needs, our dwindling supplies, our ever growing vet bill for the wildlife and sometimes, all of these are on our mind at once.  We started another fundraising campaign for our remaining 2012 vet expenses.  Our vet does wonderful things for the wildlife and for us as well.  He is a patient man and we are forever grateful for this.  Please share this post with all of your wildlife loving friends, and contribute whatever you can.  Soon we will be full with orphans as well so we will need to stay stocked with formulas of different types for all of the wildlife we see.
Look through the archives to see what your donations pay for.  We do good work here!



http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wildlife-vetting-expenses/x/2642103


To donate, please click on the safe link above or the PayPal link on the left side of this page.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Secondary lead poisonings and wildlife

I need to pass along some information that is so important in the work we do as rehabilitators.  Lead plays an ugly role in our work unfortunately.  Some rehabilitators see it much more often than others, but it's out there causing all sorts of problems.  Most often, the occurance we see it is referred to as secondary lead poisoning.  This results from bodies of dead animals filled with lead being devoured by scavengers and predators.
This is a very lethal situation and has been well documented and known about for many years.  To have an animal dying from lead is one of the worse things I have ever seen.  I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.  Recently, the endangered California Condors living on the Utah/Arizona boarder have been dying at an alarming rate due to lead ingestion.  This has always been a problem for the Condors there and other scavengers as well, such as Golden Eagles.  Finally, this is getting some attention from the main stream media.  I've attached a story, from here in Utah.  Please educate yourself and those around you. 
 http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865575097/Death-toll-climbs-as-giant-birds-are-felled-by-tiny-lead-fragments.html?pg=all


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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