Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: January 2013

Saturday, January 5, 2013

And so it starts....................

Well Danny is finally in Kansas. We hope he has a wonderful life ahead of him. That's what we want for him.

We attempted release of our little pigeon that came in burned on her crown. She said "no". She could have cared less about the other pigeons in the area. She wanted to stay with us. So I found a place for her to live the rest of her life with a non-releasable Eurasion Collared dove, so she'll have a friend. She went to Moab, Utah. We are very happy for her.

Our newest Golden eagle from Clarks Valley, Utah

We have a new Golden eagle with us. This guy is an adult and came from Carbon county and has been shot, so we have another open case with law enforcement. The bullet went through his left wing and into his body. This broke his wing fracturing the left ulna.

We also took in a new Ferruginous hawk, this one is a male and from the same area we get all of our Ferruginous hawks, the 4-corners area of Utah. He had an impact with a vehicle. I can't find any broken bones but this guy tangled with a vehicle, so I'm sure he's pretty sore. I'm hoping we may be dealing with minor issues, soft tissue injury, for example.

Our newest little Screech owl had an x-ray the other day as we took several patients up to our vets office for x-rays. Little Avon, as we are calling her, doesn't have any broken bones, but she still needs to see our veterinary eye specialist as there is damage, to what degree, the appointment will let us know. She does have one laceration to her right eye, but there is more. She is now eating on her own.

Jim has been busy as well, with wildlife issues in Utah and Salt Lake county. That guy is amazing!

Connie and Jim at our vets office in Payson, Utah

He met us at the vets office with our Red-Tail hawk that he has been holding while her bones heal. Now, she is in the flight, building her endurance for release. We are hoping she can be released sometime this coming week. We are so happy for her.

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, January 5, 2013

And so it starts....................

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