Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: Goodbye Shu, Fremont and Zuma.................

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Goodbye Shu, Fremont and Zuma.................

It's been busy again, strange things coming in. We had a Wanderer Garter snake come in that a cat tangled with. He needed to be treated with antibiotics, so I called my friend Carmen at Best Friends in Kanab, Utah, to find out where to inject meds on a snake. She's the only rehabilitator in Utah that does reptiles, so I followed her advice and he made a successful

recovery and was released five days later near the Woodside area of Utah. It's pretty desolate there, no pets or people, but there is some water and a lot of cover for him. I know Connie's happy to see him gone; she did her best, as always and didn't complain, but it was obvious she wasn't thrilled working on a snake. She's a trooper!

A little chipmunk was dropped off at the local DWR office. It turned out to be a Least chipmunk. We still have him or her.

She was found in a driveway of a home here in Price, up near our

college. It looks like a predator of some kind tried to catch her, but she was able to get away, with part of her tail ripped off. We've have been treating her with antibiotics as well and hope to get her back out to her home in a day or two. What a sweetie! She weighs all of 20 grams if that helps you in picturing her size.

There's been a lot of driving these last couple of weeks. From Utah county and Grand county and back and forth. DWR needs to give me one of their vehicles....yeh, like that will ever happen!

We also got in a bat from near Price. Unfortunately, he did not survive. The people that found him (their dog initially brought the bat to them), then kept him in a room where he could see and hear everything which only makes things worse by adding a huge amount of stress to an alr

eady stressful situation. I told the lady that he needed to be moved to a quiet, dark room and she responded "but he's so cute". PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then while HANDLING him, he got away and her cat then got him. The poor thing was doomed in this particular situation.
He was a Western Pipistrelle. They are a very small species. The public always calls them 'babies'. People, just because something is small, doesn't make it a baby!
I have another bat on his way here from Ogden. Don't know what kind, only that he was found floating in a pool this morning.

I also picked up a first year sharp-shinned hawk. He had a lot of trauma from hitting something and heavy bruising on his body. He also had two broken wings at the shoulder area and he was thin as well. He died this morning. I was sort of surprised, but not. He showed the signs of serious trauma, besides what we could see. He probably had internal bleeding and that's why he died. We had him on pain medication so I hope we made him comfortable at the very least.

The really big news is, the three eagles, Zuma, Shu and Fremont, are now in Oklahoma. Victor and his wife Lisa drove all the way here and picked them up this past Saturday, the 11th.

What wonderful people! While here, he and I did an interview with the local TV station. I'm glad their journey is at it's conclusion. Three birds, with entirely different stories from different areas around Utah, all in Oklahoma, living with other eagles from all over the country with their own stories, but assuredly all human caused.

Well, the bat just showed up so need to go,
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, September 13, 2009

Goodbye Shu, Fremont and Zuma.................

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