Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: So there's this squirrel that walks into a bar.........

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

So there's this squirrel that walks into a bar.........

Things are hopping around here. The last 2 squirrel orphans are about a week until they are released. I haven't decided where to release these 2 but they will be released together.
The Peregrine is also doing very well. He is going into the vet's office in Payson next Tuesday. We will get some x-rays and then we'll know more about the severity of his injury. I hope there is nothing broken as he is an adult and more than likely has a mate waiting for him somewhere nearby.
Tomorrow (Thursday), Connie and I will be driving to Richfield to meet up with one of Best Friends volunteers. They will be taking possession of the Prairie falcon that was seized from a falconer here in Price. The bird will be hanging out there, growing in new feathers to replace the old broken ones on her right wing. When they are finished growing in, then she will be checked for her ability to kill successfully and then released there, in southern Utah.
My facility is smaller than Best Friends but we see pretty much the same number of patients in rehab each year, so since the Prairie falcon doesn't need anything medically, just time, they have more space to allow that to happen. We have a good working relationship and help each other out whenever possible. Their head rehabilitator (my equivalent) is Carmen Smith. What a sharp gal! When Utah changed their protocol for those wanting to be rehabilitators and not just a sub-permittee any longer, I was the first one to take the test (and pass) and Carmen was the second. That's how we became acquainted and I thank Suzanne McMullin for that!

We released the ring-neck dove we had in rehab this week. Something, I think a cat, had got ahold of the poor thing and it was in terrible shape; missing a lot of important flight feathers and puncture wounds and tears. With some antibiotics and time,

she's now out flying around, being a dove!
Yeah!!!

We're still working on the transfers for our bald eagle Shu to New York and the 2 America

n robins to Florida. I hate this part of rehab! Paperwork, yuk!

We also got in a little mystery bird, that has now been identified as a Willow flycatcher. What a sweet little thing. It was found, orphaned, in the desert on an ATV trail. The people that found him/her are from St George, Utah, but know me from a few years back when they

brought me a hummingbird. Lucky for this little bird that they were the ones tha

t found her and contacted me and where able to get the bird out of there right away. I've included a picture of her compared to a quarter to give you an idea of her size. That's full grown! She shouldn't be with us for long. I just need to introduce her to bugs any day now.
All of the eagles are doing great, eating us out of house and home. We had a local man donate some game meat to us the other day. It's not a lot, but it will sure help out and we can space out the quail feedings a little bit for a week or so until that meat is gone. The quail are $25 per bag of 10, without shipping and we go through 1 1/2 bags a day. Eagles are big birds and they eat a LOT of meat! That's why we're constantly looking for donations. We're not sitting around eating bon-bon's that we buy with the donations- we're buying food necessary for our patients and medicines that they require to heal. No one GIVES this stuff to us, unfortunately, but we have to buy it and the same goes for everything we use and need to do this job.
Well, I think that covers all of the patients that are currently with us.
I'll get pictures tomorrow of the transfer and include them in the next post.
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

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

So there's this squirrel that walks into a bar.........

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