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

Times that try rehabbers' souls

2/14/2016

4 Comments

 
Last week was bookended by horrific situations that resulted in reports being filed with both Georgia DNR and US Fish & Wildlife.

Monday LWR received a red-tailed hawk via a volunteer transporter. This hawk had been taken in by a mammal rehabber in another county, who is NOT federally licensed for birds and has NO clue what she’s doing with them and who has been reported to DNR several times for taking and keeping federally protected birds without the proper permits. She then took this bird to a vet in that county who, while also a licensed rehabber, is also NOT licensed for or competent to deal with birds. She has a documented history of incompetence with raptors, in fact.

In the case of the red tail LWR eventually received, this incompetent vet, with NO x-rays or proper physical exam, told the mammal rehabber that the bird was “fine” and all she needed to do was “fatten it up” and let it go. Mammal rehabber decided, after the bird wouldn’t fly for her, that it needed to be in a flight pen first, but did she contact one of THREE licensed raptor rehabbers near her? Nope; that would mean admitting she’d had the bird illegally for nearly two weeks.

Instead, this poor bird spent almost a week with yet another mammal rehabber in another county, who is also not federally licensed and has openly bragged in the past that she’s not going to “get in trouble” for taking MBTA-protected birds and outright lied to a member of the public last year, telling them she had “all the permits” so she could take an injured raptor from them. This was reported as well, and where that poor bird ended up is anybody’s guess. Probably with the incompetent vet for non-treatment until it died. The current bird was sent by Mammal Rehabber 1 to Mammal Rehabber 2 because Mammal Rehabber 2 has a flight pen—now, I ask you, if you are NOT licensed for birds, why do you need a flight pen???

So all told, this particular hawk spent THREE WEEKS circulating among non-federally licensed individuals who knew they were in violation of both state and federal law AND incompetent to deal with the red tail but put boosting their own petty egos over the welfare of the bird.
​
Upon taking the hawk to my vets within 90 minutes of intake, x-rays revealed fractures of the radius and ulna in the left wing. These fractures would have been cause for euthanasia three weeks earlier had the bird been in competent hands then. As it is, these three incompetents played “pass the raptor” for three weeks while he suffered from the pain of those fractures and then, when they tired of “playing raptor rehabber”, he was sent to LWR to end his suffering.  And the illegal activities of these people who should know better were immediately reported to the state and feds.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​Adding to the general crappiness of the week, late Friday night, LWR received a call from a concerned family whose sons had found an injured great horned owl grounded in the woods behind their house. Upon intake that night, it was clear the left leg was broken but, of course, required x-rays to determine the exact nature of the break. The left foot was unresponsive to stimuli, which didn’t bode well. The left pupil was extremely dilated and unresponsive. The wings seemed uninjured but breaks that aren’t badly displaced can sometimes be hard to feel. 
Picture
Picture
​Saturday morning, I took the owl to Smalley’s Animal Hospital, where x-rays revealed not only a leg fracture but also two fractures in the left wing—and lead pellets all through the body and head, including the left eye. Vet Richie Hatcher and I speculate someone shot the bird while it was in flight. Given the number of lead pellets, the impossibility of removing them all, the fractures in both left leg and wing, and the damage to the eye, we opted for euthanasia. We also noticed as the bird was going down that the inside of his beak was white—not pale, bone-white. This indicated to us that there was also internal bleeding, so even if we’d opted to attempt treatment, he would’ve bled out shortly.
Picture
Picture
Picture
​The couple whose sons who found the owl are outraged that anyone would shoot “their” owl, as they had been enjoying seeing it come up in the trees near their house for the past couple of months. They said they’d heard no gunshots in the past few days—nothing unusual. To their credit, the family who found the owl put their concern into further action by spending Saturday afternoon tramping through the woods looking for the nest, but they were unable to locate it.
 
This incident was also reported to the state and feds. The problem, however, is that without an actual eyewitness to the shooting, the chance of prosecution is nonexistent. 
 
And putting aside all attempts at professionalism, let me tell you right now that there’s a very special level of hell reserved for cretins like the one(s) who shot this owl—during great horned nesting season, no less, so yeah, there’s another nest of babies who likely won’t make it.
 
Normally I’d hop on a soapbox and rant a little more about these situations, but honestly, I’m still too infuriated to do more than spew profanity, and I try to keep this site family-friendly. So the bare-bones details will have to do.
 
Thankfully, there is good news from last week: the squirrels continue to develop nicely, and the female’s lower incisors came in so she is indeed about 10 days older than the male.
Picture
​Even better, the barred owl finally made it into the flight pen. He’s flying beautifully and will be released within the next few days if the weather cooperates.
Picture
​Not the best video ever—he popped out of the box like he was rocket-propelled and then just hung there on the side of the flight, glaring at me.
 
If you’ve not participated in the Great Backyard Bird Count yet, you still have today and tomorrow. Details are at http://gbbc.birdcount.org/.
 
And just a final note: next week’s update will be posted late Monday, Feb. 22.
4 Comments
Ann Feldman
2/14/2016 05:44:19 pm

That is really nasty about the shot up owl. I hope "his" family is mad enough that they make inquiries in the neighborhood. Disgusting.

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
2/14/2016 06:42:28 pm

Agreed, Ann--nasty and disgusting and infuriating. The parents said they'd see what they could find out but unless somebody is stupid enough to brag about it they're not likely to have any luck.

Reply
Laurie Jackson
2/15/2016 06:48:32 am

So sad! Almost didn't read your post because I was afraid I already knew the outcome of that beautiful hawk. At least, he didn't have to suffer one more day. And that beautiful owl.....Why would anyone shoot such a gorgeous bird?
Thank you for all you do to try and help these beautiful creatures.

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
2/15/2016 09:16:57 am

Thank you and Marshall and AJ for transporting these birds for me so we can, if nothing else, end their suffering. While we know ego caused the hawk's prolonged suffering, I can only attribute the owl's shooting to sheer human asininity and cruelty.

Reply

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.