Give the gift of love this Mother's Day

 

This Mother’s Day, give that special woman in your life a gift that gives back. Give her the gift of love when you make a donation in her name to PAWS!

Honor your mother, grandmother, wife, sister or friend and help thousands of injured, orphaned or abandoned animals get the lifesaving care they need. Make your gift by Wednesday May 8 to ensure delivery of your special Mother’s Day card.

Your gift to PAWS in honor of Mom will help animals like Tiger Lily, a formerly homeless cat who was discovered living in an abandoned alleyway with no food or shelter.

Tiger Lily and her three small kittens were brought to PAWS where they received everything they needed to grow healthy and strong.

Your Mother’s Day donation will give animals like Tiger Lily and her sweet kittens the second chance they deserve and help feed, shelter and care for them while they’re at PAWS.

Send your Mother's Day gift today!

 

The Hummingbirds Have Hatched in the Latest Campus Update

 

A mother Anna's Hummingbird raises her brood and some colorful migrants pay us a visit in the latest Campus Update. Click below to download the PDF version.

 

Download Campus Update 050513

New Kits on the Block

 

Just as we were releasing our last three Raccoon kits from the 2012 baby season, the new 2013 models were arriving. As I write this, our Raccoon nursery is filled with the sounds of chattering, churring, and occasionally squealing, babies.

Baby Raccoon are brought to us for a variety of reasons. Sometimes they are found after their mothers have been hit by cars. Sometimes families are evicted from attics, and mothers and babies become separated. The number of calls we receive from people who are having some sort of conflict or challenge with their masked neighbors increases dramatically at this time of year. The needs of growing Raccoon families often put them on a collision course with the wishes of the humans with whom they share their space. Our goal in addressing these human/Raccoon conflicts is to come up with a humane solution that both parties will be able to live with.

Whether you're currently involved in a Raccoon-related conflict or not, I encourage you to review the Raccoon information found on the PAWS website. Also, feel free to give us a call at 425.412.4040 if you would like advice on solving conflicts with Raccoons or any other of your wild neighbors. We are always happy to help.

Having a wildlife problem? Check out PAWS.org

 

Opossums in the road may not be alone

An old joke poses the question, "Why did the chicken cross the road?" One of many possible answers to this question is, "To show the opossum that it could be done." Unfortunately, opossums find themselves the butt of this joke because they really are prone to getting hit by cars. This susceptibility to being run over is a direct result of the opossum's primary defense. Freezing, baring your teeth, or rolling over and playing dead might work if you are under attack from a predator, but it is less than effective against an oncoming automobile.

At this time of year, the opossum you see laying in the road may not be the only victim. Virginia Opossum breeding season is in full swing, so many females are currently transporting up to 13 babies in their pouch. The opossum's pouch is located on her abomen. At birth, the opossum's bean-sized babies climb inside the pouch and attach themselves to a nipple. They spend about 60 days nursing and growing in the pouch before emerging to cling to their mother's back for an additional 30-40 days. In the photo below, you can see a number of babies partially enclosed by their mothers pouch as she nurses them.

 
And here's a closer view of the babies and the pouch.

So if you see an opossum that has been hit by a car, and if it is safe to do so, consider stopping to check for babies. Young in the pouch frequently survive, even when their mother is fatally injured, and they may hold on for a day or more.

Whether babies are present or not, move the opossums body off the road so that it does not attract and endanger other animals. If older, furred babies are present, they can be gently removed from the pouch and placed in a warm, dry container lined with a towel. For tiny, unfurred babies, it may be best to leave them in the pouch and place the mother's body in a box for transport.

Bring the babies to PAWS or another licensed wildlife rehabilitation organization. Very tiny babies may be too small to save, but you will be doing them a great service by ensuring that they are not left to suffer on the road.

As always, if you have any questions you can give us a call at 425.412.4040. Thank you!  

Learn more tips for dealing with wildlife at PAWS.org

 

After a Long Winter, Three Raccoons Go Free

 

The PAWS Wildlife Center raises dozens of orphaned Raccoon kits every summer. Most of these babies have lost their mothers to cars or other human-related causes, and most are ready for release by late summer or early fall. Every year, however, we receive a few late summer babies who are not ready for release before cold winter weather sets in. These kits spend the winter with us, growing and playing with one another, while awaiting their release in the spring.

For three Raccoon kits who were with us this winter, their long-awaited day of freedom came on April 25. As evening fell, the Raccoons' transport carriers were opened next to a creek in a beautiful King County Natural Area. The following photos will give you a glimpse of their initial exploration as they made their transition back to the wild.

Release day is exciting, but it's also a bit overwhelming for the young Raccoons. They often spend time assessing their surroundings from inside or on top of their transport carriers.

The sound of the stream flowing nearby seemed to have a hypnotic effect on the Raccoons. They spent much time just looking and listenting in the direction of the water.

Eventually curiosity got the best of them and they began to investigate their surroundings. Some of them even stopped to smell the flowers.

Two of the Raccoons headed off into the forest. One stayed behind to climb a mossy tree on the bank of the stream.

The moss was loose, and climbing the tree proved challenging. The Raccoon slid back down a little ways and attempted to relocate to a thinner trunk nearby.

It took him a few tries, but the Raccoon eventually made it over to the other trunk. We watched as he climbed around on his new perch, but he was a little nervous with our presence. He periodically stopped and looked our way.

We decided to depart and let the Raccoons continue their exploration without our influence. We wished them well and left them to enjoy their newly restored freedom.

 

Mallard Families on the March

There was a time when a Mallard duck could lay her eggs pretty much anywhere without concern that there might be impassable obstacles between her future hatchlings and the nearest body of water. But human changes to the landscape, including buildings, fences, roads and the draining of countless acres of wetlands, have put an end to those relatively carefree nesting days. Unfortunately, the ducks have yet to realize it.

As I write this I know that there are mallards all over the Greater Seattle Area that are sitting on eggs in planters, hedgerows and at the edges of lawns. Others are already marching newly hatched ducklings toward the nearest water source. I know this both from past experience, and from the fact that we have already received many young mallards this year that have gone astray during their first overland journey.

As you go about your daily business, keep a look out for these tiny, downy travelers. If you spot a mom leading a brood, try to determine where she might be headed and what obstacles may lie in her path. Does she have to cross a busy road? Is there a fence or other barrier that the babies might not be able to navigate? If the family seems to be on a collision course with trouble, consider providing them with a little assistance. Alert other people to their presence and ask them to give the ducks some space and let them pass.

If a situation arises that you feel requires more direct intervention, call 425.412.4040 to speak to us here at the PAWS Wildlife Center. We have years of experience troubleshooting just about every situation you can imagine with young mallards on the move, and we are just a phone call away.

Get more wildlife information at PAWS.org

 

What's at the End of the Line?

It’s never a good sign when a wild bird arrives at PAWS with fishing line hanging out of its mouth. The line itself is dangerous enough, causing injury through entanglement and laceration of skin, but the real danger lies at the far end of that line disappearing down the animal’s esophagus. You never know what might be down there, but you can be certain it's nothing good.

The most recent patient who presented us with the “what’s at the end of the line?” puzzle was a Common Loon. She was picked up by a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officer in Shelton, WA after she became too entangled in fishing line to move. She was transported to West Sound Wildlife Center on Bainbridge Island who then transferred her to PAWS. Radiographs taken here at the wildlife center answered the question of the day.

A hook was lodged deep in the loon’s digestive tract. The PAWS Wildlife Center’s veterinarians have a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to minimally traumatic hook removal, but this particular hook refused to budge. Surgery was an option, but that would have meant a long stay in care for a species of bird that does not normally fare well in captivity. Fortunately, the VCA Veterinary Specialty Center of Seattle offered an alternative.

On April 17, we drove the loon to the VCA office in Lynnwood. A VCA veterinarian successfully removed the hook from the loon using an endoscopic procedure. With the hook no longer an issue, all that was left to do was get the bird in the water so she could preen and work on her waterproofing, and fatten her up for release.

Four days after the hook was removed, the loon was ready to resume her life in the wild. She was released into Puget Sound, but she and her kind will be moving inland during the coming weeks as they migrate to freshwater lakes and ponds to breed.

Derelict fishing gear poses a threat not only to birds, but to wildlife in general. Keep an eye out for abandoned nets, line, hooks, and other tackle whenever you are near the water, and properly dispose of any that you find. By doing so, you may be helping to save wild lives.

Learn more about helping local wildlife at PAWS.org

 

Letting Go

On April 17, while I was on my way to release a River Otter, a reporter asked me if I ever feel sad while letting an animal go. It's a question I've been asked many times, and it's a valid one considering the charismatic nature of the animals with whom we work and the amount of time many of them spend in our care.

To be honest, sometimes the animals we receive are so adorable it seems nearly impossible that a human being could resist becoming attached to them. The otter I was releasing on April 17 is a perfect example. He came to us on May 25, 2012. He was only a few weeks old at the time, and he'd been stuck in a retaining wall for five days on the banks of Lake Union in Seattle. He was weak, dehydrated and in need of help. He was also heartbreakingly cute.

From the time the otter was admitted, we were committed to meeting his every need. He flourished under our care, growing into a sleek, sub-adult animal.

His charisma never faded. Although he no longer possessed the classic “big head/small body” cuteness of a baby, he had a very endearing personality that was hard to resist.

So was I sad when I stood on the banks of a beaver pond and watched the otter slip out of a transport carrier and into the water? The answer is an emphatic “no.”

No matter how cute and cuddly the animals with whom we work may appear, this isn't what defines them in our eyes. Our patients are first and foremost wild animals. They are independent beings with needs and behaviors inseparably tied to the habitats in which they evolved. In captivity, they can never fully express who and what they are. Their full potential can only be realized when they are set free.

Naturalist Edwin Way Teale once wrote, “Those who wish to pet and baby wild animals ‘love’ them. But those who respect their natures and wish to let them live normal lives, love them more.” I was very present with the meaning of those words as I watched the otter we had raised returning to his normal life, and what I felt in that moment was about as far from sadness as emotions can get.

 

A Very Vocal Baby Bear Arrives at PAWS

The halls of the PAWS Wildlife Center today were filled with the vocal protestations of our newest ursine patient. The three-month-old black bear was found on a beach in Charleston, OR, and it was his extremely loud bawling that first brought him to the attention of concerned people in the area. Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officers observed the 10-pound cub until they were certain that his mother was nowhere to be found. Then they captured him and drove him to PAWS for care.



The cub was given a quick physical exam when he arrived, and he appears to be in good health.  Like the 86 other bears that PAWS has worked with, we will ensure that this cub grows strong and remains wild so that he has the best possible chance for survival when he is released next spring.

 

Great Horned Owl Chick Finds His Way Home

 

Two weeks ago, the PAWS Wildlife Center received a call from a very confused park maintenance staff member at the Farrel-McWhirter Farm Park in Redmond. The employee had been conducting a routine sweep of the park, along one of their heavily used pathways, when she came across a Great Horned Owl chick sitting on the ground looking quite stunned. Directly above, she spied the mother owl and two other chicks peering down from the branches more than 50 feet above.

The park worker was concerned that the extensive fall had severely injured the owl, so she brought him to PAWS to be checked out. Upon arrival, the owl chick had already perked up significantly, but a low red blood cell count in the bird's initial blood work indicated that he was slightly anemic.

Just to be safe, the PAWS Wildlife Center staff decided to keep the chick overnight in order to monitor his progress. The following day, the veterinary staff did a full check up and found the owl to be not only uninjured by his 50 foot descent, but also that his blood cell count was back in normal range. With this great news, PAWS staff rushed to get the chick back to his mother as quickly as possible.

The chick was driven back to the Farrel-McWhirter Farm Park where the park staff member helped locate the mother and two siblings. In a neighboring tree, PAWS staff constructed a make-shift nest out of a plastic laundry basket filled with leaves, and suspended it by rope 10 feet in the air.

The Great Horned Owl chick was then placed into the new “nest” where he immediately burrowed in amongst the leaves. Meanwhile, the mother owl was watching all this very closely from her lofty vantage point. Everyone then cleared the area to give the mother and her chick some peace and quiet, and hoped for the best.

The next day, PAWS received an excited phone call from Farrel-McWhirter Farm Park with an update: the makeshift nest was empty, and the mother owl could be seen far up in the trees, with not two but three white puff-ball chicks perched on the branch beside her.

Jamie Thomas
PAWS Assistant Wildlife Rehabilitator