Up For Discussion The upcoming issue of JWR will feature a Letter to the Editor questioning the ethics of treating and releasing non-native, invasive species. In this particular case, the species in question is Virginia opossums in California (introduced in 1910, according to Jameson & Peeters (California Mammals, University of California Press, 1988)). But rehabilitators across the U.S. are familiar with the dilemma of caring for European starlings and English (house) sparrows. And this concern is not limited to North America. In Australia the problem may be European rabbits, red foxes, and cane toads. Africa’s invasive species include the...
01 April 2012November 4, 2021Kai
Attending the 11th International Effects of Oil on Wildlife Conference
By Susan Wylie, IWRC Board Member Last month I attended the 11th International Effects of Oil on Wildlife conference in New Orleans, Louisiana. This conference was attended by a variety of professionals including government agencies, wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians, biologists, researchers and oil response companies. With oil spills occurring more frequently around the globe, I attended this symposium to acquire a better understanding of what is required to respond to oil spills and to determine what I could do to help with a response effort . Sadly, oil spills happen every day and it is likely that as a rehabilitator, I...
23 December 2011November 4, 2021Kai
Mega-Agriculture and Wildlife Health
At the 2011 IWRC Symposium the Keynote Speaker was Dr Greg Harrison. He gave a fabulous talk about mega-agriculture and its far reaching effects, yes, even into wildlife rehabilitation. We are pleased to provide a full copy of his speech here! I highly recommend listening to the full hour below, but you can also access a short 5 minute introduction at the Harrison’s Pet Food YouTube Page. Enjoy! Kai
22 December 2011November 4, 2021Kai
Home by the Holidays
Update January 10 2012: The puffin has been released in the Grand Banks region near other puffins. A rehab center just outside of Montreal has been in the news recently, due to an unusual visitor, an immature Atlantic puffin a long way from home.
01 December 2011November 4, 2021Kai
Kakapo Ambassador
Many rehabilitators deal with species that are not endangered, or at least still have a number of living members. But regardless of whether we rehab red squirrels or hyacinth macaws, we feel the specter of population loss. While not truly a rehab case, the below article is an interesting account of one member of one species with only 129 members. It highlights the important role we rehabilitators play in the protection and healing of threatened and endangered species. – Kai By Barbara Heidenreich Austin, Nov 30, 2011 – Sirocco is one of 129 Kakapo left in the world. This large,...
01 December 2011November 4, 2021Kai
The Gulls Runneth Over
By Susan Wylie In early June, Le Nichoir, a wild bird rehabilitation center in Hudson, Quebec received 240 nestling and fledgling ring-billed gulls and 1 herring gull chick after the birds fell off the roofs of some industrial buildings in Montreal. Unfortunately this is becoming a common issue in the area with gulls nesting in inappropriate areas such as on flat roofed, industrial buildings. These initially offer the adults an apparently great nesting site with few predators to harass their chicks. Unfortunately, there are other problems that can result in high levels of chick mortality. After many attempts at encouraging...
29 November 2011November 4, 2021Kai
Reuniting and Fostering Wildlife
By Anne Miller (reprinted from the November 2011 IWRC newsletter) A ground-breaking session on Reuniting and Fostering Wildlife was one of the highlights of the IWRC Symposium in Ft. Lauderdale this November. A panel of seven speakers described methods of reuniting and fostering most species of native North American wildlife in a series of half-hour programs that provided persuasive proof that reuniting healthy young wild animals with parents should be ‘an obligation, not an option’ in nearly all situations. The presentations underscored the fact that juveniles raised in the wild by their own parents learn valuable skills such as prey...
28 November 2011November 4, 2021Kai
Thoughts on Imprinting vs Socialization
Aardvarks to Zebu: Post 2 Every so often we choose a challenging rehabilitation question and poll two to four experts on the topic. This time, we chose “Explain the difference between an imprinted or socialized animal, or are they the same thing?” and asked it of a behavioral scientist who works at an education and behavioral research facility with captive canids. If you have your own burning question, email me at director@theiwrc.org. The question just might find its way into a future post! _________________________________________________________ Aardvarks to Zebu: Wildlife Rehabilitation Quandaries and Conundrums _________________________________________________________ Explain the difference between an imprinted or...
28 November 2011November 4, 2021Kai
President’s Report Fall 2011
From the President’s desk I am writing this letter from my aunt’s garden in England, for the most part hearing strange bird calls with the odd one I recognize. All punctuated with that odd sound squirrels make, yes I do recognize those, our grey squirrel, now a problem species here in the UK. I have been in Ireland to attend the Irish Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference and present the IWRC’s Basic Course to a small group of Irish wildlife rehabbers. What a thrill for me to teach the course, but of course I was somewhat concerned about the differences in species....
28 November 2011November 4, 2021Kai
President’s Report Summer 2011
Dear Colleagues Summer is at its height in the Northern Hemisphere and rehab centers are loaded with babies and injured adults to care for, and a phone that never stops. We often forget to take time to care for ourselves. Having been there and gotten many tee-shirts, I can only ask you, my dear colleagues, to try and take time for yourselves. Some years ago, I wrote a talk entitled ‘Stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, and adrenal fatigue – the dark side of rehab’ (yes it is a bit like do as I say and not as I do!). In preparing...