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

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Finally, a minute to catch up with everyone

Things are still busy here, but things have slowed down a bit. We have a lot of animals that are at the same place, in their rehab process, and that is a bit stressful. Many are ready to kill-test and some have just finished that process and are ready for release.

Kestrel release near Price, Utah 5

We actually released 5 of our orphaned Kestrels, all at the same time. None of them were related and the 5 were from various places all over the state. We released 2 females and 3 males.

Max, our youngest Kestrel still in rehab.

We still have two more Kestrels, but they are not ready to be released now. One is older than the other, so I will let the littlest one get a couple of weeks older and then introduce him to the other Kestrel and they can start kill-testing together. It's always better with more than one during this process. Right now they can see and hear each other, but are not physically together.

Screech owl release in Spring Canyon. 2

We also released our little Screech owls. I turned them out in Spring Canyon, near Helper Utah. What cuties! I hope they do well.

Great Horned owl, Honey, with injured wing

Barn owl with trauma to right hand due to fishing line.

We have also taken in another juvenile Great Horned owl. This female came to us from near the Utah/Colorado border after becoming entangled on a barbed wire fence. Unfortunately, the land owner that found the owl chose to cut the owl off of the fence instead of cutting the fence. What a mangled mess. He healing process will be time consuming, but thankfully, vital tendons and connective tissue were missed in the process. A good deal of skin and feathers are missing, so time will tell if she will heal well enough to be released. She is going through cold laser therapy to help with the restoration of blood flow and tissue growth.

We also have another new Barn Owl that is also getting cold laser therapy after becoming entangled with fishing line and then being caught in tree, hanging upside down for a period of time, by the tangled wing. When the bird was captured, the officer that caught her took the time to remove the fishing line, which was wrapped around the wrist portion of her wing 25 times. Blood flow had been compromised and the hand portion was cold. With little hope of saving that wing, we decided to try the cold laser therapy. There is a great deal of swelling in that effected area and I am feeling a little change in the temperature of that area.

Baby steps!

Both owls will have their last treatment this coming Monday. The services have been donated by a local chiropractor, Dr. Kenneth Thayn and his partner and son, Dr. John Thayn. We appreciate their willingness to help these birds return to the wild. Each owl will have gone through 6 treatments when they are completed this coming Monday. Each treatment lasts approximately 5-10 minutes and is not painful, but a comforting warmth to the area being treated. This practice has been using cold laser therapy now for almost 30 years in the practice. It is becoming common in veterinary medicine as well.

There is so much more going on, but this will have to do for now. I wear many 'hats' and this is all I have time for now. I wish I had a staff of volunteers, but to no avail.................

Debbie

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, July 28, 2012

Finally, a minute to catch up with everyone

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