Laurens Wildlife Rescue
  • Home
  • I found a wild baby - what do I do?
  • How can I help?
  • Contact us
  • FAQ
  • This week in wildlife

The floodgates are opening!

5/1/2008

0 Comments

 

It’s been a hectic couple of weeks. Since April 13 I’ve received a nestling Carolina wren, a chipmunk, a fawn (a little buck), a nestling house finch and two nestling mockers!

The wren and finch are already attempting short flights; the chipmunk has been released; the fawn is eating well. I contacted another rehabber to see about transferring him, to avoid the possibility of imprinting because he’s so very young. Deer, especially really young ones, really need companions of their own species. Unfortunately, the next-closest rehabber has no deer at the moment, so I’m being VERY careful to avoid anything other than the contact needed to feed this baby. He needs to retain his innate distrust of humans.


Actually, this is the goal with all wildlife rehab: the animals should trust the person who feeds them but remain fearful of all other humans. This is difficult for some people to understand, as these little wildlings are sooo cute and cuddly and helpless...but you don’t cuddle them, and you don’t over-handle ‘em, and you do everything possible to make sure they have all the skills they need to survive in the wild. By the time they’re approaching release age, they should be at the point that they don’t even want their rehabber to handle them. Remember, the goal of wildlife rehab isn’t to make pets of these critters; it’s to raise them to be able to take their rightful places in nature.


After all, it’s human activity that lands most of these animals in a wildlife rehab facility, to begin with: overdevelopment, encroaching on their breeding grounds, pruning/cutting down trees during the height of breeding season, driving like maniacs and mowing down animals who have no defenses against automobiles - the list of human damage goes on and on. The very least we can do is give these animals a second chance at life, and trying to make pets of them is a death sentence, not a chance at the life they deserve.

Sermon over...did someone pass the collection plate??


The two mockers aren’t nestmates; they aren’t even the same age. But they’re close enough to be housed together. The older of the two came in with a broken right leg, just above the foot. Because it was so close to an open fracture, I asked Peggy Hobby of Smalley’s Animal Hospital to take a look at it. Even though I wasn’t able to get the bird to the clinic until after they’d closed, Peggy waited for me and not only examined but also splinted the leg. The vets at Smalley’s, as I may have mentioned once or twice, are amazing people!



The gray squirrels have all been released; the flyer was released but came back. I do soft releases, meaning that the animals have the option of returning until they’re totally comfortable in their new environment, so having them come back or hang around for supplemental feedings for a while is the norm.

The wood ducks are growing like weeds - they’re already getting tail feathers in! By the end of May, I’m guessing I should be able to move them into a flight pen with a wading pool.



Sadly, two of the three blue gray gnatcatchers died from unknown causes. All three were hale and hearty at their last feeding one night, and the next morning two were goners. This can be one of the frustrating aspects of wildlife rehab, when you know you’re doing everything right and the animals seem to be thriving and then die for no apparent reason.

The surviving gnatcatcher is doing well and about ready for release. I’ve been waiting until I knew she was eating on her own, and she’s been carefully hiding the fact that she’s doing so for several days now, the little sneak! She’s been flying beautifully for about a week, and now that I know for a fact that she can catch insects for herself, it’s time to offer her freedom. Mind you, she may refuse to leave the first several times or hang around for days or weeks for supplemental feedings from me, and that’s fine - goes back to the soft release concept.

Keep checking regularly for updates on the critters I’ve mentioned here. I can’t promise weekly updates, which was my original goal, but I’ll certainly try!


0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    February 2009
    January 2009
    December 2008
    November 2008
    October 2008
    September 2008
    August 2008
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008

    Categories

    All
    Baby Birds
    Baby Deer
    Baby Opossums
    Baby Possums
    Baby Rabbits
    Bluegray Gnatcatchers
    Carolina Wren
    Common Loons
    Epd
    Fawns
    House Finch
    Mbta
    Migratory Bird Treaty Act
    Mockers
    Mockingbirds
    Orphaned Birds
    Orphaned Deer
    Orphaned Fawns
    Orphaned Opossums
    Orphaned Possums
    Orphaned Rabbits
    Orphaned Wildlife
    Squirrels
    Wildlife
    Wood Ducks

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.