Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: busy as usual

Thursday, October 9, 2008

busy as usual

I guess I'd better catch everyone up to date.
The golden release was wonderful. Some photo's were taken, so when I get them, I'll include them on this blog. I hope he'll have a wonderful life and make many beautiful babies in his lifetime.

Our newest owl, which we have named Butters has now seen the vet. Just as it appeared on the initial evaluation, there are no broken bones and the x-ray showed no dislocations in the wing!
So we kept him on pain meds and antibiotics, which ended tonight. He is eating well and is aggressive. We will start working with the wing and it's movements in the next few days.
There are a few feathers missing from the injury, so it may be a few weeks or months until those grow back into place, I just hope they grow in correctly since there was and is tissue damage in that critical area. Only time will tell.

We had the barn owl re-evaluated last week as well. We will not be removing that portion of his wing. Some healthy tissue in growing around the dead bone but this doesn't change that fact that he is still non-releasable. We will be transferring him (Goshen) to his new home this coming Monday, the 13th. We hope he is comfortable with his new life.

We also had the new eagle examined again. The blood work was repeated and looks MUCH better. The bird is also getting heavier, which is good. He is still a bit wobbly and I hope this too shall end. He (Merle) has a great deal of fight which gives us hope.

We're still waiting to find a home for our non-releasable Turkey vulture Walter.

Vidor, the other Great-Horned owl is now out in our flight exercising his wings. He is well-fleshed and aggressive. His wound on his wing, (similar to Butters' injury) will take some time to completely heal. The term we use for this type of injury and it's healing is 'granulation'.

We recently took in a thin but other wise uninjured male Cooper's hawk. These birds are often seen in and around peoples yards, especially those with bird feeders. They hunt the small birds that feed at them.

We were not able to hold our yard sale due to heavy rains in our area. We are going to try to have it in a week when it appears to be more favorable weather wise.

Thanks for checking in and thank-you to those that have recently sent in donations. They are very appreciated and as you have just read, very much needed. These vet bills and trips back and forth quickly add up as does the medications we need and food THEY need.

Debbie

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ATTENTION

Spring is a very active wonderful time for all animals. Babies are born and learning what it takes to be wild from their parents. Unfortunately, many may end up in trouble and often times humans may try to intervene, whether or not it is necessary. The inexperienced human finding a baby bird, for instance, more than likely cannot tell if the bird is truely in need of help, or is learning to fly, something that can take a few days to master. Leaving the baby to learn what it needs is something an experienced birder can spot, but taking that baby home, thinking you're helping, when in fact, it is the worst thing possible for that baby, has now changed it's life forever.
Call a rehabilitator for answers. Yes, we want that baby to be safe from predators, but give that baby a chance. The worst thing that happens in these situations is an improper diet being fed by the 'rescuer'. This will result in death, if not right away, then in time, due to improper development. Different birds require different diets and different amounts of food at different times. Here is where a wildlife rehabilitators knowledge and experience makes all the difference. Don't try to do this yourself, only to attempt to find a rehabilitator as the baby is dying due to your 'efforts'. When they are at this stage, there is very little that can be done AND it is also illegal to attempt raising wildlife. Only a permitted wildlife rehabilitator can do this legally, for we know how to keep them wild and ready for release as well. Making them pets, besides being illegal is very selfish and is not what's best for the wildlife. They need to be free and have learned how to find the food they will need to survive in the wild and know what to avoid and learn the language of their species. There is a lot that goes into a successful rehabilitation and the orphans out there deserve the best chance possible. Don't you agree?

DID YOU KNOW...........

Wildlife rehabilitation is a profession borne of a love and concern for wild things everywhere. We wildlife rehabilitators have taken this many steps forward, increasing our knowledge, skills and techniques into a career that most people do not know exists. Most people assume that the work that a wildlife rehabilitator does is something all state wildlife agencies perform as state employees. This could not be further from the truth.
The reality is, all wildlife rehabilitation is done, in all 50 states, by us, wildlife rehabilitators. State and federal officials MAY occasionally pick up the patients that come to us, but they bring them to us at our homes and facilities, not their state or federal offices or vets offices.
Ours is a specialized field that primarily involves vet/medical expertise. No, we are not veterinarians, but many of us have extensive backgrounds in medicine (people and animals).
We also have vast backgrounds in the natural history of the patients we care for. Our work involves many fields. State and federal wildlife folks just don't have that training or background.
The other aspect of our work that is not known, is that we are not paid by anyone. Our patients don't 'belong' to anyone. They are wild beings. So when they have medical needs, there is no one to step up to this challenge except wildlife rehabilitators. Most of us work basically 24/7. Holidays are no exception. When an animal is hurt, it needs help now!
To top it all off, whatever expenses these patient incure, the bills are paid by us, for vet care, surgeries, medications, all of it. We build their homes and repair them as needed. All of our patients need something. They are not here to visit, they are in trouble. So imagine if you will......going to work everyday, driving your own vehicle to do that work and never getting a paycheck. OK, so maybe you can do that.....now imaging having a source of income from somewhere, now, this is where things get really different. When you get that money, you just turn it over to other people to pay for what your patients need, regardless of your financial needs!
This is wildlife rehabilitation.
We also are constantly pursuing continuous education of the latest finds in our field. We strive to be the best we can for those entrusted to us.
So please, support your wildlife rehabilitator in your area. They need it and believe me, it is very much appreciated.

Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation

Thursday, October 9, 2008

busy as usual

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