Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: A slow Sunday means time to update..............

Sunday, June 21, 2009

A slow Sunday means time to update..............

What a gray dreary day. It's been raining like crazy for the last week. I hear this is the wettest June in a LONG time. Feels like Seattle....

Well, today I've included release photo's of the Red tree squirrels. I took a lot of pic's but trying to take a picture of a living squirrel is, well, like trying to keep up with any other rodent on the move!
We also took in 2 more orphaned rock squirrels, but these little guys are so much smaller than the others, so they can't be together. We were not sure if they were going to make it. They are in bad shape, but just last night, they started eating much better and are becoming more active. They came in at about 57 grams in weight. The others were 68 grams when they came in and are now around 240 grams. I'm already dreading the day they are to be released. I've become ver

y attached to them. I'll be very happy for them, being free at last, but it's sad when they're gone

for good. This is one of the struggles a wildlife rehabilitator has to deal with every day. Still, I'm glad to have been a part of their lives. That experience is mine and will always be with me. I'm very lucky!

Ivy went to the vet's last week and had her pins removed only to have to have others put back in. She has now gone through five surgeries. The two broken ends of the ulna have not yet fused as they should. These new pins should be able to come out in about 8 weeks. This bird is just amazing. All she has been through and to keep fighting.
I'll be taking Zuma back in to the vet's in the next week or two. He has fluid building up in his wing below the break. This edema hasn't eased up like it should have, so we

need Jay to look at it and determine what's causing it and if it is anything to be concerned over.
Diane released two of our orphaned robins as they were ready to be on their own. She did a great job with them, teaching them to eat worms, fruit and all kinds of robin favorites. I've also included a photo from our Meadowlark's release at Desert Lake in Emery county.

We got in a new golden eagle this last week. This one went through the windshield of a jeep on highway 10 near Hiawatha, still in Carbon county. Amazingly, this bird appears to have no broken bones. Also, she has one of my bands on her. She has been in rehab before, here with us around 3 years ago from the West Nile virus. The area where she was hit is close to where she was found the first time, back in 2006. This is one tough girl. She's about 4 years old now.

I am going to have her eye's looked at by a specialist in Salt Lake who donates her services to us. With an impact like that, she may have a detached retina or two. That appointment will be later on.
Everyone else is doing great as well.
Until next time,
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

Sunday, June 21, 2009

A slow Sunday means time to update..............

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