Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: A cold December post...........

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A cold December post...........

We have now sold out of our calendars. Thank you everyone who purchased one. Our needs are year round. We don't get patients just this time of year.....this is just like an emergency room, patients coming and going all year long, all needing something, that's why they are here.

We must keep our facility stocked with everything we need for those encounters. We cannot survive with donations from those that bring us patients, that won't keep the doors open. It's an ongoing effort, so please consider ongoing support for our wildlife.

Our female Red-Tail hawk is doing well. We will soon be moving her into our flight to get into condition for her release. Right now, we have our Crow (a gunshot victim) and California Gull hanging out together in the large flight. I need to see what each of them can do and since they are not a threat to each other and have a large area, they can hang out there and they seem to be enjoying each others company. I have remote cameras hooked up in the flight and am able to watch what's going on throughout the day. It's been quite entertaining.

Cisco on transfer day

Cisco, our non-releasable Golden eagle was finally transferred to the Iowa Tribe in Oklahoma. He's a sweet boy and we will miss him. Right now, we have one eagle here and other eagle in southern Utah using a 100 foot flight belonging to Best Friends/Wild Friends department. We are trying to determine if that eagle, Sia, can be released.

Danny, our Great Horned owl that is also non-releasable due to his injuries, will be headed to Kansas, hopefully this week. The paperwork was finally finished and he had his health exam today for his permit to cross state lines. We are so happy for him. We are still waiting on the paperwork to be finalized for our one-eyed Swainsons hawk. He will be going to a facility in New York as an educational bird. Hopefully, we can get the paperwork finalized before Christmas.

We also have a Northern Flicker, a member of the woodpecker family, admitted as a patient. He came in after hitting his head on something and had a concussion. He also may have had a cat messing with him once on the ground. We treated him as though that happened since if it had and we hadn't treated him, we would have lost him. You only get one shot when that happens so better safe than sorry! Well that's it for now.

Stay warm and don't forget about the importance of water for all wildlife/birds this time of year.

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

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

A cold December post...........

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