Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: June 2012

Saturday, June 30, 2012

OK, I'm really ready for things to slow down........

Wow, is all I can say. Things are so busy here, made more so due to all the wildfires burning here in Utah. They are all around us and have affected one of my volunteers in Utah County. We were already picking up a good part of the animals in need of our care, but our wildlife officers are out there helping with the wildfires so they are mostly unavailable, which means more traveling, something extremely difficult to do right now since our patients need us here.
I worry so much for the animals that are terrified and confused as to what is happening to their world. No place to run that humans aren't occupying, so where do they go? The babies that CAN'T get away, unable to fly yet.....it's so sad.
We are completely full, but any animal needing our care will get it. Just don't know where we can put them, but we will work that out as needed.
Five nestling Great Horned owls, some at the branching stage. Screech owl juveniles, Barn owl juveniles, 7 Golden eagles, all with various injuries ranging from critical to some that just need some time to get stronger and take a rest.
Baby Sparrows, more Starlings and Robins, some as small as only a couple of days old. Several Red-Tail hawks and Kestrels. I think I've made my point! We are full!
All of this equals a lot of medical supplies, medications and food, of course. Our food costs alone right now, are around $75.00 per day. That's just food, not vet care or medications.
We have a PayPal account to help with all of these daily expenses on our blog.
I will post some pictures showing just some of the angels in our care and that your contributions can help. Remember, all wildlife rehabilitation is unpaid. We work for free, 24 hours a days, 7 days a week. All monies donated go 100% to the wildlife needs in our care.
Thank you, Enjoy the photo's.

Debbie

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

I guess I have to repeat myself.......

We are very busy with orphan season and I say this all the time, but I still get people that call regarding orphaned wildlife that think they can 'raise' the baby properly themselves, keeping it wild and teaching it what it needs to know to be successful in the wild. PEOPLE, quit being selfish. This isn't a 'fun project' you and your family can 'do'. This is a life that you know nothing about. Stop thinking about yourself and put the orphan first. We didn't learn everything it is we know about our profession from an email asking someone to 'tell us how to do it'. It takes years and even now, we are still learning as this information we have learned and studied, changes every year, just like human medicine, with updated proceedures and diets. It's so frustrating, knowing these animals will most likely die at the hands of selfish people; completely preventable. Wildlife rehabilitation is a true profession, not a hobby!

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

Saturday, June 30, 2012

OK, I'm really ready for things to slow down........

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

I guess I have to repeat myself.......

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