WildCare

This baby Eastern Fox Squirrel and his sister were found on the ground after heavy winds and rain. Unfortunately, two other siblings didn't survive the fall when their nest was blown out of the tree. These babies' arrival at the Wildlife Hospital means Wildlife Baby Season is HERE! Although bad weather caused this nest to tumble to the ground, most orphaned baby squirrels arrive at WildCare due to tree-trimming and pruning. Preventable accidents, not natural causes, orphan too many animals this time of year. Go to https://lnkd.in/g3JB-Sqh to meet this young squirrel in video and watch him gulp down the hydrating electrolyte solution offered by WildCare's Veterinarian, Dr. Sorem. Then scroll down to learn how YOU can Respect the Nest this spring and help protect baby wildlife this season!

"Can’t I just move this raccoon family somewhere nicer?" ?? ? It sounds humane, right? Every day, WildCare’s Hotline gets calls from well-meaning people looking for DIY solutions to wildlife conflicts—often asking about trapping and relocating raccoons, skunks, foxes, or opossums. The problem? Relocation is almost always a death sentence for the animal. Watch to learn why and find out what to do instead! ?? #WildlifeConservation #CoexistWithWildlife #LiveWellWithWildlife

March is Women’s History Month and today is International Women’s Day — what better way to celebrate than by remembering the inimitable Elizabeth Terwilliger, the beloved Marin environmental activist and educator who?founded WildCare's renowned Nature Education Programs? Elizabeth Terwilliger was born in 1909 on the beautiful island of Oahu.?After moving to the mainland?and focusing on nutrition and nursing at various prestigious universities, she eventually found her true home (and true calling) in Marin County, spending her time tirelessly advocating for things like the?preservation of important wildlife habitat in places like Angel Island, Muir Woods, and Muir Beach,?Monarch Butterfly conservation, the protection of precious wetlands,?and even?playgrounds for children and greater access to bicycle paths for the residents of Marin. Known by children?and adults throughout the County?as “Mrs. T,” she led countless educational nature walks to teach and inspire local schoolchildren?to love, understand and appreciate nature and wildlife,?which she continued to do into her 80s. In 1975, the Elizabeth Terwilliger Nature Education Foundation—which would later?merge with the California Center for Wildlife to?become WildCare—was formed to provide nature education to Bay Area schools. Today, more than 10,000 Bay Area children attend WildCare's educational programs, which were originally developed by Mrs. Terwilliger. Following her passing?at age 97 in 2006, it is our honor to continue her legacy through our mission to teach people of all ages, but especially children, to be passionate stewards of our natural world. "Teach children to love nature,"?Mrs. T?often said. "People take care of what they love."

Caring for grebes in the Wildlife Hospital brings its own set of challenges for WildCare's Medical Staff.? Grebes are diving waterbirds, commonly seen in the San Francisco Bay and in bodies of water throughout the Bay Area. This patient is a Western Grebe, easily recognized by his long neck, sharp bill, puffy black cap, and lobed feet.? Unlike ducks with their webbed toes, grebes have fleshy lobes on their toes that flatten when the bird paddles. The lobes increase the surface area to enhance paddling force while still allowing the birds to balance and walk on the reeds in which they nest. Standing upright on dry land is awkward for a Western Grebe because their legs are located so far back on the body. Because of this, and also because Western Grebes spend most of their time floating, when we admit one to the Wildlife Hospital, we do our best to emulate that floating position by placing the bird on a tightly-stretched net. This reduces pressure on the bird's chest and keel and keeps him comfortable during his stay. This grebe patient was rescued from Stinson Beach in West Marin. Bystanders saw him being tossed in the breaking waves unable to paddle or right himself. They called Marin Humane and an officer was dispatched to safely capture and bring the bird to WildCare. An exam revealed no apparent injuries, but the bird was very dehydrated and weak. He may have crash-landed in the surf and been unable to escape the crashing waves.? This video provides insight into another challenge with grebes in care... getting them to eat! The grebe received tube-feedings of a special slurry called "Piscivore Care" when he first arrived at the Wildlife Hospital, but teaching him to self-feed from a bowl is easier and less stressful for a wild patient. Here, WildCare’s Director of Animal Care offers the bird pieces of chopped fish from tongs, but clearly this grebe has no interest in what he's being offered! Watch him fling the pieces of fish away and loudly honk his disapproval. Fortunately, the grebe eventually overcame his antipathy and the notes in his patient record indicate he finally ate some of the fish in the bowl.?

Did you happen to see the exciting post earlier this week about the “extremely low speed pursuit,” of a wayward opossum on the Bay Bridge? The California Highway Patrol was directly involved with the rescue, along with at least one good samaritan who also happens to own the local non-profit animal shelter, Jelly's Place. As the CHP put it: “While we typically don't condone stopping on a freeway or bridge to rescue an animal due to the dangers of speeding traffic… this was a unique and unusual situation where someone who was prepared and capable of assisting was able to help.” The next chapter in this opossum’s story will include some time recovering with us here at WildCare! Upon intake, we noted right away that she’s not only female, she’s a mother with at least ten jelly bean sized babies in her marsupium (pouch), so it wasn’t just one life that was saved that day! We suspect, based on her singed fur, feet, and tail, that she was actually holed up in the engine block of a vehicle and fell out on the bridge, which led to her harrowing rescue. It sounds a little wild but this happens! Opossums and other small animals will gladly curl up in a warm engine compartment to rest, not realizing the vehicle is eventually going to move. It's already a wonderful story (bravo to the CHP officer, the 911 caller, and the brave rescuer!) and we're so glad this amazing mama opossum is now recovering with us! She is thoroughly enjoying the smorgasbord of healthy food she is receiving during her stay at WildCare so far, and her wounds are expected to heal up just fine. After a little detective work on our part to figure out where she most likely came from, we are optimistically planning her release back to the wild. See video of her in the hospital and read more at https://lnkd.in/gV758Cka. Stay tuned for updates on this amazing survivor! Photos: Mama Opossum getting pain meds in WildCare’s Clinic, her burned foot pad up close, and a peek inside her pouch, or marsupium.

Is poison the best way to deal with rats? If you know WildCare, you know the answer is a resounding NO! Putting poison into the environment means causing harm to animals of many species, not just the ones you're trying to target.? Many people now know about the dangers of anticoagulant rodenticides (rat poisons) like brodifacoum and bromadiolone, the active (read: highly toxic!) ingredients in many well-known rat poison brands. In California, the sale and use of these poisons is effectively banned through a moratorium that has been in place since 2020 and will remain until the California Department of Pesticide Regulation finishes its reevaluation process.?This ongoing moratorium is excellent news for WildCare because anticoagulant poisons travel up the food chain. A hawk, owl, fox or other animal that eats a rodent poisoned by one of these chemicals ends up poisoned too. WildCare tracked secondary poisoning in our wildlife patients for many years, and the data we collected have helped curtail these dangerous chemicals' approval and use in California and beyond.? But the newer, not anticoagulant, offerings from the companies that make rat poisons also cause harm to wildlife! Increasing evidence shows that even poisons that aren't supposed to cause secondary poisoning up the food chain may persist in various tissues, and the risks of direct poisoning (that is, non-target animals eating the poison itself) are always high.? So, without poisons, how should you deal with nuisance rodents? The answer is always prevention! Remove what is attracting the animals to your property and you will no longer have rodent problems. Rodents are attracted to food, water, or shelter in your yard. Easy steps like sweeping up fallen birdseed, picking up fallen fruit, clearing ivy away from the home, and not feeding pets outdoors can make a real difference. Finding where rodents are entering buildings and sealing those entrances using 1/4" metal mesh and insulation foam is also very effective. Learn more at?https://lnkd.in/gp7kE68M and you can find even more info and resources at raptorsarethesolution.org.

The amazing creature you see here is a Mexican Free-tailed Bat, known to speed through the skies at altitudes over 10k feet while reaching ground speeds of nearly 100 mph! Like most bats, these stealthy insectivores use echolocation to hunt prey, usually in mid-flight. Mexican Free-tailed Bats are one of 23 bat species that live in California, 13 of which can be found here in Marin County! The Mexican Free-tailed bat (also known as the Brazilian Free-tailed Bat) is remarkable enough as a species but also holds a very odd and interesting position in United States History! In 1942, following the attack on Pearl Harbor, a man named Lytle Adams wrote to President Roosevelt proposing the use of bats in a seemingly hare-brained scheme to burn down Tokyo. The plans for this “bat bomb” involved attaching tiny containers of napalm to millions of bats and releasing them over Tokyo, a city constructed, at that time, primarily of flammable wood. Adams, clearly not a fan of bats, called them the “lowest form of animal life” and questioned the reasoning for their very existence. Though this bizarre proposal was approved by the White House and heavily researched by multiple branches of the US Military, it was cancelled in 1943, most likely because officials knew that the up and coming atomic bomb would be far more powerful than a million bats armed with tiny incendiary weapons. The bat in this video was rescued after being found on the ground with hypothermia and possible head trauma, but recovered well in care and has already been released back to the wild! Turn up the volume and watch (and listen to) this amazing ten-gram titan munching on mealworms in WildCare’s Wildlife Hospital. Stay tuned through to the last clip to hear him share some fantastically strange vocalizations including clicks and high-pitched squeaks! If you find a bat in need of rescue, never touch it with bare hands! Call WildCare’s Wildlife Hotline at 415-456-SAVE for expert advice on how to help.

?? Protect Your Cat from H5N1 Avian Influenza ?? Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (also known as “Bird Flu,” HPAI or H5N1) is something we have been contending with in our wild avian patients for the past few years, but as you may have heard, it is now also spreading among mammals like cats and dairy cows. While the risk to humans remains low, cats face a serious threat. Since 2022, over 85 cats have been infected, with a devastating ~67% mortality rate. Most recently, an outdoor cat in San Mateo County in California tested positive. Cats can contract H5N1 by:? ?? Eating raw meat, eggs, or unpasteurized milk from infected animals? ?? Hunting or scavenging infected wildlife outdoors? ?? Exposure to contaminated environments or surfaces Keeping your cat indoors doesn’t just protect them—keeping kitties safe inside protects both your pet and local wildlife! Help us safeguard all animals by doing the right thing and spreading the word! ??

SAVE THE DATE! Join WildCare in partnership with Richardson Bay Audubon for another Family Nature Day honoring Elizabeth Terwilliger on Saturday, April 26th from 10 am – 2 pm at Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary in Tiburon.? Learn about our local wildlife “Mrs. T-style!” Go on a naturalist-led hike, create a wildlife themed craft, take the scavenger hunt challenge, use spotting scopes to watch birds from the patio of the historic Lyford House, meet live non-releasable wildlife, and much more. Bring a picnic to enjoy overlooking the bay. Organizations attending and offering activities are Marin County Parks, One Tam’s Roving Ranger, Marin Humane, International Bird Rescue, The Marine Mammal Center, and Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County. This is a FREE family event and free parking is available! Elizabeth Terwilliger, known best as “Mrs. T,” was an inspiration for generations of Marin County residents. Her multi-sensory approach to teaching children about nature engendered a lifelong love of the natural world, and a desire to protect it in the hearts of people throughout the Bay Area and beyond. The children that went on hikes with Mrs. T grew up to be the environmental advocates overseeing the protection of Bay Area wildlands today. Marin County is a better place thanks to Mrs. T, and both her legacy and her creative and compelling teaching methods live on at WildCare. This event is in her honor. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gkNakF5u. ?? Lyford House and Mohave the CA Desert Tortoise by Hannah Menthe

What is happening with this little pigeon and why are his legs bound together? This young feral Rock Pigeon was brought to WildCare after being found in a grocery store parking lot struggling to survive. He was limping, congested, too weak to fly and dealing with an onslaught of external parasites. X-rays revealed he was suffering from metabolic bone disease, or MBD, which had resulted in numerous folding fractures. Metabolic bone disease is caused by an imbalance of essential nutrients in an animal’s diet which results in weak, brittle bones and other painful degenerative issues. Folding fractures occur when an animal’s bones have become too weak to support their own weight and just standing or walking can cause legs to become bowed and twisted over time and toes to break. To compensate, a young bird will often start using an outstretched wing to support the body, which of course ends up compromising the wing bones as well. Folding fractures are just what they sound like: because the bones are weak and pliable and not as solid or hard as they should be, they don’t snap, they fold. Fortunately, this little fellow was picked up and brought to us before things had progressed to the point of no return, and WildCare’s Med Staff is working hard to correct a slew of issues, all of them caused by a lack of proper nutrition. As urban birds that live around people, feral pigeons in cities don't have access to natural food sources that provide balanced nutrition?and it means we see cases of MBD in juvenile pigeon patients all too often. This is also very common in young scavengers like?American Crows, House Sparrows, and Virginia Opossums, who sometimes have trouble getting adequate, appropriate nutrition in increasingly urbanized habitats.? For now, this little Rock Pigeon is being a very good sport standing upright in his splints and hobble-bandage and eating like a champ while his legs grow straighter and his bones get stronger. In addition to getting pain medications during the healing process, he is being given vitamin supplements to help increase bone density. Once he graduates to an outdoor aviary, UV radiation—also known as good old fashioned sunshine—will continue to help improve the condition of his bones, feathers, beak, and feet before he is ready for release back to the wild.