Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: A snowy update..........

Monday, February 9, 2009

A snowy update..........

What a wet, cold slushy day. The ducks are the only 'happy' critters on the property!
Well, Shu, the bald eagle, is still doing well. Just as ornery as ever.
Ivy, the female golden eagle, is also doing well, though I'd like to see her a bit more feisty. We had to wrap her wing again today as it was drooping a little.
Walter, the turkey vulture is doing well. He's definitely more interested in the pieces of rabbits that the eagles have left behind than the fresh pieces of red deer meat or elk meat he used to love. Typical turkey vulture!

Fremont, the eagle hit by a coal truck is getting stronger every day. He took a bad turn for a few days. No energy, very listless. We starting his antibiotics again and added a second one as well. We also started his pain med's again and added a second one of those also. We started giving him some good gut flora, such as lactobacillis and acidophillis. This will help with all of the antibiotics he is getting. He also had some heat at his surgery site so another reason for all of the antibiotics.
I've included some pic's of the wing area we're concerned with.

The newest eagle, the female from the Moab area, is doing very well. We had her banded last week, anticipating a release here in the next few days. We're just waiting for the weather to cooperate. We plan on releasing her at an area called 'Dead Horse Point' near Moab.
We put her in the flight pen today. There, she can exercise her wings and move about freely.
She's in there with Glory. They seem to be tolerating each other.

I'll be glad when the weather changes. We have a lot of cleaning to do that we're unable to do during the cold winter months. Hopefully, we can get some volunteers this year to help out with that and some improvements I'd like to make. Right now, I'm just focused on feeding everyone and stressing about funds to care for this years patients. One of our local sources that I've used 3-4 times told me today that they can no longer donate meat to the wildlife as their store policy has changed and it will now be going to the local food bank. Once again, the wildlife loses out to people. When the two come head to head over an issue, the animals lose almost 100% of the time. This applies to those working in domestic rescues as well. I see it all too often!

Our next meeting with the Division of Wildlife Resources in Salt Lake will be in March. We'll have a lot to discuss as the Ogden Nature Center has decided to end the wildlife rehabilitation program they have there. This facility was taking care of the load out of Salt Lake since Tracey Aviary chose not to renew their wildlife rehabilitation permit due to AZA accreditation conflicts.
This is horrible news for the wildlife in the most populated areas of Utah.
The state is so large, that the public, for the most part, isn't willing to drive long distances with their wildlife problems, so that means that they most likely will attempt to care for their 'animals' on their own, with no education, background, knowledge or permits.
We wildlife rehabilitators know all too well what this means and it isn't good.

Well, I'll close for now and hopefully we'll have some great pictures later this week of a release.
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

Monday, February 9, 2009

A snowy update..........

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