Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: A day in the life of wildlife rehabilitation..............

Sunday, July 17, 2011

A day in the life of wildlife rehabilitation..............

Yesterday was another crazy day. I planned on going into Utah county with my husband. I had some transfers that needed to be done, so I thought I may be able to slip everything into the day. The night before, a DWR biologist down in the four-corners area of Utah called me about an injured owl he had. So I went to bed and spent most of the night trying to figure out how I was going to get this owl from him tomorrow, while I was going to be in another part of the state. Connie had just got back from that area, sort of, (it's a pretty big area, Grand and San Juan counties) to pick up a Raven, so I wasn't about to ask her to do that again, plus, I needed her here to feed the numerous babies we have......how frustrating.

In the morning, yesterday, the DWR biologist called me to tell me the owl died during the night. That obviously changed things back to the original plan, sadly enough.

So, after taking care of the house and the wildlife in the morning, I loaded up the hummingbird baby in our care and her food. I also loaded the Pigeon that one of my volunteers brought me from Salt Lake that she found need her work and it wouldn't fly. Now, it flies well and although when it first came in, was horribly thin, now it's weight is good so back to Salt Lake she goes.

We also loaded up our Magpie and Robin to transfer to DaLyn in Ogden. The Magpie is an orphan and although he's grown and doing well, he needs to go hang out with other Magpies to help him learn what he needs to learn. I only had him, but DaLyn has several in his situation, so that was perfect.

The Robin, turned out to be non-releasable due to a shoulder injury, so she too went to DaLyn to become a foster parent for next years orphans.
We load up the van and head to Provo to meet one of my volunteers. We wait and wait at the coffee shop we agreed to meet. No volunteer, so we went and had lunch. She calls me just as we're finishing up, saying she was parked outside. We sat and visited for a bit and then headed out for the transfer.
I turned over the pigeon and she was going to release it the next day (today). I fed our little hummingbird while out there. I also handed over the Magpie and the robin and off she went, headed to Northern Utah.
Now, in turn, I took 3 Kestrel chicks so ours would have some to hang out with. This is so important as those idiots that fed her bread and milk, also socialized her to them. She needed to be with other Kestrels and that was the plan, so now, we needed to wait for the volunteer to get to Ogden and also pick up those Kestrels before heading back to Price. I also got a call from some people in Utah county that had another Kestrel they said was a baby and couldn't fly. So while waiting, I called them and they brought me the bird. Wasn't a baby at all, but an adult male and very thin. Finally, I get a call from the volunteer and 3 hours later, she just got to Ogden. I can't believe it. I can't wait around for another 3 hours!
I called another volunteer in Utah county and he agreed to meet her, the first volunteer in Utah county after she had the Kestrels and meet me in Spanish Fork canyon, the canyon that separates Utah county and Carbon county, where Price is. The canyon alone is about 60 miles.

So we head home, with the one Kestrel and hummer. I get back, start taking care of the night time wildlife responsibilities with Connie and then get the call that my volunteer Jim, now has the Kestrels, so I finish up and put everyone to bed and then got a friend to drive with me into the canyon to meet Jim. I have night blindness, so any night wildlife business has to have a second person involved. We got home about midnight. Then we had to start separating the new birds as the two little female Kestrels were trying to kill the little male. Not really uncommon but I didn't suspect that so quickly.

So now, we have 4 more new Kestrels and Connie got in another Robin while I was gone.
We sure put on the miles doing what we do with just 2-3 people helping with driving once in a while. I remember the good ol' days when I only worked 8 hours a day. What a woos.......

This is a bit different type of posting I normally do, but I just want to remind people of the hard work we do helping wildlife, unpaid, all volunteer and we respond 24/7, no days off, something a lot of people take for granted.

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, July 17, 2011

A day in the life of wildlife rehabilitation..............

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