Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: March 2010

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Just back from Seattle..............

Yes, I'm finally getting some time to update the blog.

Connie and I just returned from the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association conference in Seattle, Washington. After about the third day, my brain starts to say, 'I'm full, can we go home?' From early morning to the evening, we were in classes, of our choice, listening to lectures, taking notes and so on. I do this almost every year. This was Connie's first year. It makes us better rehabilitators, getting us the most update information and answering our questions with the same. There is usually 500+ rehabilitators at these things from all over the world. They are just wonderful and yes, we pay for this out of our own pockets as well.

Now onto the patient updates.

Aquila, the female golden eagle was finally released. It was a wonderful release that took place in

Emery county, Utah, near where she was found. I hope she will find her mate and maybe, just maybe they can get a late start to nest making and egg laying. I've included her release pictures. The release was done by Don Russell, a young man in the army, that just got home

from duty in Korea and soon will be leaving for Afghanistan. We appreciate all that he and his family has

sacrificed while serving his country.

I finally got the pictures of Horizon's capture, our other female golden eagle. If you'll recall from the last post, my friend Laurie went down the mountain with Connie to capture her and Laurie, like a true photographer, had her camera with her, which I didn't know. So enjoy these pictures as well.

Connie's son Cody has been helping me a little with the blog site, so I'm finally getting things back, somewhat, to the way I'd like them.

I'll be going up to my vet's office tomorrow with Kachina, the red-tail hawk that came in a few months ago from Eagle Mountain, Utah. She is non-releasable and I think we may have found placement for her, but she has developed a problem with one of her legs so our vet needs to do some x-rays. She has been in Moab, Utah with my apprentice Dave while we have been searching for a suitable permanent home for her.

We did get another new eagle in. Not sure if this one is a male or female. I initially thought male as this bird appeared smaller than a female, but now, after a few days, I'm not sure and when we took him/her to the vet's for x-ray's, we all forgot to weigh him/her.
The birds was found near I-70 and Highway 10 in Sevier county, Utah. You know, normally when they are found right off a road, especially with broken bones, you assume hit-by-vehicle as the reason they are down. But this bird has no broken bones and is covered with puncture marks, like bite marks. Now, what would cause an eagle to be down and approachable by another large predator. I guarantee you that an experienced predator KNOWS to stay away from an eagle, even on the ground, so it makes me wonder if the eagle was unconscious for some reason and then was grabbed and came-to during the assault. A lot of this is detective work and at times, can make a difference in how we render treatment, or what kind of treatment we proceed with. At other times, it doesn't make a bit of difference, it's just interesting!
I'll get some pictures of this new bird and post them next time.

Enjoy,
Debbie

The pictures of Horizon's capture are posted above. Since I'm so computer illiterate, they somehow refused to be a part of this post and chose to be posted separately before this post.
Sorry................

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

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Just back from Seattle..............

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