Wildlife Rehabilitation in Utah/Second Chance Wildlife Rehabilitation: January 2014

Thursday, January 23, 2014

A cold January day for everyone....................at least it's sunny!

This winter has been odd. Very cold but hardly any snow. Down in Utah and Salt Lake counties, the inversions keep everything gray and dirty. We are high enough in the mountains that we don't see any of that. We really do need the snow for our water usage however............what a dilemma. It's also been odd for the wildlife in our care. Usually, we have just a few patients during the winter months, but this year we have been full. Much of the critters in our care are here waiting for decisions and paperwork from the feds so they are just waiting on them. We recently released one of our Coopers Hawks that has been with us for quite a while. She came in as a first year bird and was extremely thin. I don't thing she would have lived another 2 days. She suffered from 2 different blood parasites which caused this problem and for a long time, no matter how much food she ate, she did not thrive and this was a great concern. Then, months later, she started gaining weight at acting fiesty and things just took a drastic turn for her for the better. We obviously were hoping at some point we could release her and now, this looked like a possibility. Earlier in January of this year, we drove her to Moab where the weather is better during winter months and many passerines don't migrate as a result so there will be food year round for her. We released her near town and she took off, hiding in the dense overgrowth, just like an ambush predator should. We hope the best for her and possibly a mate and babies in the future.

Connie with the Coopers Hawk on day of release

Coopers Hawk now free in Moab, just after toss

We also released a Golden eagle of ours that had come in last year with West Nile Virus. She needed time and supportive care and was able to survive that bout and now was strong enough to release. We kill tested her just to make sure her vision hadn't suffered as many West Nile victims can. She did well and we decided to put her down near Boulder Mountain in Wayne or Garfield county so that's where we took her. She flew off very well despite extra weight. I tend to over feed my patients......must be the Italian in me. ;o)

Getting her USFW band

We took in a Northern Pintail duck that has a severely fractured right wing wrist joint. Unfortunately, he cannot be released because of this injury, but once we can that joint stable, Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City has offered to take him. He will be living in a huge pond area where he has free range and can do what he wants, when he wants! It's a great opportunity for him and we are so grateful for their offer to take him. Hopefully we can make the transfer happen by the first week of February or so.

We are working with a Red-Tail hawk that came in from near the Utah Colorado border after being struck by a car. This bird has no fractures but did have head trauma. We have a volunteer in Moab that is a falconer, so he is working with this bird for us to determine if he can now be released. Hopefully we will have an answer in the next week or so. At some point, we will be taking him another Red-Tail hawk, this one is a juvenile female. She came in with a fractured humerus and needed surgery. She had that surgery and now, it's time to work that wing and see what she can do. The fracture was mid-shaft so we are anticipating no problems with her range of motion with that wing. Both of these birds will need to come back to Price to be banded for release should it be determined that's what will happen. As rehabilitators, that is ALWAYS what we hope for. This is what is BEST for THEM.

Red-Tail from near Utah Colorado border

Thanks for catching up on things around here. We are busy as usual, but this winter has been busier than any I've seen before....................don't know what that means. I hope it's not a trend.
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

Thursday, January 23, 2014

A cold January day for everyone....................at least it's sunny!

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