Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: Spring is here...according to the animals!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Spring is here...according to the animals!

A lot has been happening these past couple of weeks.

Miracle, the Great Horned owl mention in the last post, is doing well and will have her pins removed this coming Friday.

We got another Great Horned owl brought to us from Green River Utah that had been struck on the highway where the speed is 75 MPH. She didn't fare as well. Her injuries were devastating and she had to be euthanized. I've attached photo's of that injury.

Both her Radius and Ulna were compounded right at the joint and much of the connecting tissue was gone.

Poor thing suffered terribly. That's the part that bothers me the most is what they are aware of. It troubles me a great deal.

We got in an adult male Sharp-shinned hawk. Kind of unusual. Usually, with this species, you get the young ones in.

This poor little guy has a fractured skull that has displaced his right eye. The swelling is going down and his eye lids have finally opened, really making the displacement apparent, but it's getting better everyday. The big

problem is he won't eat.....heck if my head looked like his, I'd be in some serious pain and wouldn't want to eat either. Baby steps everyday. I've included a pic of him as well. We are doing a lot of force feeding on this guy as his weight is dropping like crazy. Their metabolism is very fast and they burn a lot of calories, even just sitting.

Nadia, the Great Blue Heron is doing very well. We're just about ready to send her off to Southern Utah for more testing of her flight capabilities.

What a handful that girl is! So much attitude.

We also have a Red-Tail hawk that came in with a small fracture in the finger part of her right wing. She had been electrocuted and also had an injury to her body where the surge shot out of her, entering from her feet, which were burnt. She was very thin and anemic and critical, but has made a huge come back and will be banded tomorrow, anticipating release.

We are calling her Electra. She is an adult and we will put her back into the area she came from, as we're sure there is a mate involved with her.

There is more, but I'll save that for the next post......

Thanks for checking in,

Debbie

Oh, clean your bird feeders. It's that time of year to start getting them cleaned up for the birds that will be needing them that are migrating as we speak.

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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

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Spring is here...according to the animals!

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