Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: Nadia, the Great Blue Heron...

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Nadia, the Great Blue Heron...

We have in our care, a gorgeous female Great Blue Heron, whom we've named Nadia.

She came in several days ago, found in Moab, Utah. She had been observed hanging around in peoples yards, particularly those with small ponds. Now, those who know Great Blue Herons know that they like to go to small ponds and dine, but this gal had been hanging around far too long, not flying in and out, but walking. So, I asked some friends to try and catch her. They are very knowledgeable bird people and agreed.

Since they were able to catch her, something was obviously wrong. They drove her to Green River and I met them there.

Upon her exam, I found several fractures in her left wing and possibly up in that shoulder as well. We drove her to our vet's office after a couple of days (he wasn't working) and got the much needed x-rays. Turns out there are several closed fractures of the radius, all mid shaft and the clavicle and corocoid are dislocated. That was the swelling I felt up around the shoulder. And guess what caused all of this? She had been shot. Oh yes, another lovely gunshot victim. This is ridiculous. I have never seen this many gunshot cases in such a short time. It is obviously steel shot, so idiot waterfowl hunters shooting just to shoot. Poor little girl.

We put her on pain medication and the vet feels the clavicle and corocoid dislocation may not ground her. Time will only tell, but her felt that surgical intervention would not increase her odds of release, with either injury, so no surgery will be performed at this point. The radius fractures will heal with the ulna acting as a natural splint. Handling these type of fractures this way is quite common, so we just need to limit her movement as best as possible while healing.

She is still not eating willingly, so unfortunately, we are having to catch her twice a day to feed and medicate her. This is difficult since we want to keep her as still as we can, but we can't let her get too thin either. Sigh.

One day while feeding her, I noticed silver in her fleshy area in her 'mouth'. With all of the fish we had been putting down her, another piece of the steel shot had revealed itself. I grabbed some tweezers and pulled it out before she could swallow it.

I anticipate she will be with us for at least 8 more weeks. That should make it right with migration. The Moab area is a warmer part of Utah, so she could have stayed there the entire winter had this not happened.

That's today's update, more in a few more days.

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, January 22, 2012

Nadia, the Great Blue Heron...

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