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

Yet another barred owl

12/12/2021

4 Comments

 
Barreds are the world’s worst at ending up in rehab, partially because they tend to hunt along the edges of roads and end up getting whacked by vehicles. As a result, they’re probably the most common species raptor rehabbers see as intakes. One year LWR had something like 23 come in, and not one was savable—that was a really bad year. Fortunately, few years see that sort of 100% euthanasia rate.

This past week, this barred came in with head trauma. He was lucky; nothing was broken. He was just having trouble adjusting his horizontal and vertical hold, as it were. Then we had several days of rain, a wet spell that just ended in the wee hours this morning. So he’s been sitting on ready for a few days now and will be released early this week.
Picture
Picture
The broken-foot barred continues to eat well and remains antsy—I honestly don’t see how that foot will ever heal, the way he bounces around in his box, but we’ll see. And he delights in trashing his box daily, as you can see... At least he’s leaving the boot on, which vet Jim Hobby and I really didn’t expect. We figured we’d be re-wrapping it nonstop.
Picture
Picture
And the red tail won himself a slight reprieve when twice last week I saw him attempting low flight—I mean VERY low and not far. But it was a vast improvement over seeing him just run along the ground, and he IS a red tail, so he gets another chance. However, he’s also developed bumblefoot where he and the older red tail released last month locked talons one day, so now that will need treating, as well. It’s always something...
Picture
Picture
As for the fundraiser, it ended at midnight Saturday with under 50% of the goal met. Heartfelt thanks to those who donated; to those who waited for “someone else” to donate, let me explain some hard facts to you: In the entire state of Georgia, there are just 11 licensed raptor rehabbers, most of whom are in the metro- Atlanta area. Currently I’m the only one listed for the mid-state area; there are two in South Georgia and one on the coast. If those of us outside the metro-Atlanta area stop taking birds, that means there’s no one south of the metro area licensed to take them—which would mean a drive to Atlanta if you wanted help for an injured raptor. Those few of us south of Atlanta keep people from having to make that day trip.

LWR doesn’t do fundraisers because they’re fun; they’re not. Quite frankly, they’re a massive headache, especially given the low response rate, and the funds raised come nowhere close to covering our expenses. But we feel that the fundraisers give the public some stake—some sense of “partnership”—in our efforts. Not everyone can rehab, but most people can spare a donation now and then. Sadly, even the people who bring us birds seldom donate toward their care, and the general public seems not to care at all—until they need a rehabber. Then they cannot understand why no one is within convenient driving distance, why no one can drop everything they’re doing to come get their one bird...or, in extreme cases, why the rehabber whose number they were given says they can’t take anything else at the moment due to space or financial constraints.

Y’all, we don’t do this to make money, but it takes money to do it. And most of us use our own funds to cover the shortfall in our rehab budgets. THIS is why fundraisers are important to us. And they should be to you, as well, because if the state/feds ever decide to create paid positions for wildlife rehabbers, YOUR taxes would go up to cover the salaries for those new government employees. A tax-deductible donation to LWR or your nearest wildlife rehabber keeps us in business and keeps your taxes from increasing. Something for you to consider...
4 Comments
John C. Hall, Jr.
12/12/2021 09:35:32 pm

Tax season will come soon.....should be able contribute then....keep up the great work Vonda!

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
12/19/2021 06:53:47 pm

Thanks John!

Reply
Ann Feldman
12/12/2021 11:28:30 pm

I'll never forget "Swede" who drove 30 miles on Cape Cod to pick up an injured Great Black Back who showed up in the driveway of our motel. The bird's leg was necrotic and it had to be euthanized but at least it didn't die slowly and miserably.

Reply
Laurens Wildlife Rescue
12/19/2021 06:53:03 pm

Ann, yeah, all too often all we can do is offer a quick and humane release from suffering.

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.