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

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Fundraising is a 365 day job

Most larger wildlife rehabilitation facilities have a fundraising staff. Unfortunately, we do not, so we are either focused on our patients needs, our dwindling supplies, our ever growing vet bill for the wildlife and sometimes, all of these are on our mind at once. We started another fundraising campaign for our remaining 2012 vet expenses. Our vet does wonderful things for the wildlife and for us as well. He is a patient man and we are forever grateful for this. Please share this post with all of your wildlife loving friends, and contribute whatever you can. Soon we will be full with orphans as well so we will need to stay stocked with formulas of different types for all of the wildlife we see.
Look through the archives to see what your donations pay for. We do good work here!

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/wildlife-vetting-expenses/x/2642103

To donate, please click on the safe link above or the PayPal link on the left side of this page.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Secondary lead poisonings and wildlife

I need to pass along some information that is so important in the work we do as rehabilitators. Lead plays an ugly role in our work unfortunately. Some rehabilitators see it much more often than others, but it's out there causing all sorts of problems. Most often, the occurance we see it is referred to as secondary lead poisoning. This results from bodies of dead animals filled with lead being devoured by scavengers and predators.
This is a very lethal situation and has been well documented and known about for many years. To have an animal dying from lead is one of the worse things I have ever seen. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Recently, the endangered California Condors living on the Utah/Arizona boarder have been dying at an alarming rate due to lead ingestion. This has always been a problem for the Condors there and other scavengers as well, such as Golden Eagles. Finally, this is getting some attention from the main stream media. I've attached a story, from here in Utah. Please educate yourself and those around you.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865575097/Death-toll-climbs-as-giant-birds-are-felled-by-tiny-lead-fragments.html?pg=all

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

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Fundraising is a 365 day job

Friday, March 8, 2013

Secondary lead poisonings and wildlife

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