Wildlife Rehabilitators of North Carolina

Transcription

1 Wildlife Rehabilitatrs f Nrth Carlina Message frm the President Asking fr help is encuraged, helping thers is vital ISSUE 57 ISSUE 57 FALL 2016 FALL 2016 I watched the Olympics in Ri De Janeir pretty much every night while the games were n. I admit it, I may have been addicted t the Olympics, but in a gd way. It was inspiring and encuraging t see athletes frm all ver the wrld cngratulating each ther, even helping each ther. They cmpete against each ther, but they als learn frm each ther. They need each ther. I have recvered since then and it gt me thinking - wildlife rehabilitatin is a team sprt. It starts with the peple wh find the animal and take the time t call fr help r deliver the animal. Then vlunteers, staff, veterinarians, and dnrs all g t wrk tgether, ften fr weeks and mnths, ne patient at a time. The cmmn gal is simple - 2 minutes f glry, a.k.a. the release f that ne bird r mammal r turtle back int the wild. I believe wildlife rehabilitatrs shuld never stp learning and ne f the better ways t learn is frm each ther. If yu dn t knw smething, start asking arund. Lk fr legitimate resurces, talk t peple face t face, but dn t believe everything yu see n the internet unless yu knw the surce. Cnferences are a great way t get lts f ne-n-ne time with well-knwn rehabilitatrs at the larger facilities. But dn t cunt ut the individual rehabilitatr because they are frced t wrk n their wn in many cases, with fewer resurces and fewer helping hands, licensed rehabilitatrs wrking ut f their hmes might be mre likely t develp a unique way f handling a challenge. While yu re attending a cnference yu shuld cnsider visiting nearby wildlife facilities. It s amazing what yu can learn by turing a big r small place and by talking t their staff and vlunteers. There are many individual rehabilitatrs and wildlife centers all ver the cuntry. All thse flks cllectively wrk n tens f thusands f patients every year. They are bund t cme up with new and innvative ideas. Hpefully they are sharing thse ideas thrugh publicatins, turs, s, and talks at cnferences. Yu shuld make it yur missin t learn frm their mistakes and successes, fr the animals sake. At the same time, I encurage yu t teach thers, t share yur success stries and yur mistakes. The minute yu stp learning, yu fall behind. Bard Members: Mathias Engelmann - President Cathy Burns - Vice President Savannah Trantham - Secretary Ann Rgers - Treasurer Linda Bergman Jean Chamberlain Elizabeth Hanrahan Christina Hildreth Carla Jhnsn Kathy Lillard Kelley Odell Tni O Neil Jni Seymur, DVM Mischa Trinks Mary Weiss Vet Student Liaisns: Casey Clicchi Jamie Gerlach Rebekah Harp Crystal Schellman NCSU Sympsium Advisr : Greg Lewbart, DVM

2 Turtles On The Mve! by Linda Bergman-Althuse as written fr Carlina Salt Magazine Turtles are mre cmplicated than they lk, and getting t knw each species f turtle that calls Nrth Carlina hme is a challenge fr staff and vlunteers at the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter (OWLS) in Newprt, NC. Turtles cme in different shapes (althugh they all resemble a circle), sizes, clring, capabilities and live in a variety f habitats. They represent the ldest f all living reptiles, and have undergne little change since their beginnings early in the Triassic perid f histry. Yu ll find turtles thrughut Nrth Carlina, frm the Castal Plain t ur muntains in the west. Overall, twenty species f turtles, belnging t six different families inhabit Nrth Carlina. Five f these species are sea turtles and ne (the Eastern Bx Turtle) is terrestrial which means it lives primarily n land. The rest Phtgraph by Jhn Althuse are semi-aquatic, inhabiting Nrth Carlina's pnds, wetlands, and ther water bdies. We, n the cast, leave the rehabilitatin effrts f sea turtles like Lggerheads, Leatherbacks and Kemp Ridley s t the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle and Rehabilitatin Center crew at Nrth Tpsail Beach. They care fr the guys and girls wh need t eventually get back t the cean. Our fcus is land and semi-aquatic turtles; Bx, Yellwbelly & Redbelly Sliders, Diamndback Terrapins, Spiny Sft-Shells, River Cters, Bg, Painted, Mud, Sptted, Musk and the Cmmn Snapping Turtle r ften referred t as an Alligatr Turtle. Turtles are admitted t shelters fr a variety f reasns. We ve seen them injured by fishing gear (mainly hks r line wraps), litter, lawn mwers, a dg that held it a little t tightly in his jaws; als suffering frm upper respiratry infectins due t envirnmental pllutants such as pesticides, eye r ear infectins, brken bnes and quite ften, hit by a car, which usually results in crush injuries and shell fractures. As with any wild animal admit, the injury r disease will determine the treatment plan. If a turtle s injury is beynd ur areas f expertise and requires extensive surgery, we will transprt the turtle t the Turtle Rescue Team at Nrth Carlina State University s Cllege f Veterinary Medicine. The greatest threat t turtles is habitat lss, particularly destructin and degradatin f aquatic habitats. The destructin f terrestrial habitat surrunding wetlands and pnds which is required fr nesting, and hibernatin fr sme species, pses significant threats, frcing turtles n the mve t find new habitat. Sadly, thusands f turtles are Phtgraph by Jhn Althuse Cntinued n page 3 2

3 Turtles On The Mve! (cntinued) crushed every year by cars n Nrth Carlina's rads and highways, which brings us t the questin f the day regarding turtles and thse wh care abut them. Hw d yu mve a turtle ut f the rad? The first thing yu want t d is safely psitin yur car n the side f the rad, (with yur hazard lights blinking) t ensure yu d nt put yurself r thers at risk while yu rescue the turtle. It wuld be great if yu just happened t have a pair f wrk r rubber glves in the car but mst peple dn t. Just wash yur hands after handling the turtle because they can carry salmnella like mst ther animals d, including pet cats and dgs. Gently pick up Phtgraph by Jhn Althuse a turtle and mve it ut f harm s way, in the directin he r she was heading. What yu shuldn t d is pick up a turtle and mve it t what yu, as a human, deem t be a safe spt. They always have a gd turtle reasn why they are heading in the directin they are ging. There is a certain time f year, usually April thrugh June, when turtle crssing is quite prevalent because mates need t be fund and eggs need t be laid. If it is a sizeable turtle, especially a snapping turtle, yu can use a stick, shvel r brm t push it ff the rad. Never put yur hands r feet near a snapping turtle. A snapper has a neck the length yu wuldn t believe and will be able t reach sme part f yu. Their vice-grip jaws can cause serius injury. Als, never pick up a turtle by the tail. That hld culd easily damage their vertebrae. BUT abve all, when mving a turtle frm ptential disaster in the rad, please be CAREFUL and DO NOT put yur life at risk. Turtle mving nly applies when yu are driving dwn a rad where YOU CAN stp and mve abut safely. Yu might be wndering why they crss the rad in the first place. It desn t seem smart when yu cnsider turtle speed versus vehicular speed. They can t truly make a serius run fr it when they finally d see Cntinued n page 4 3

4 Turtles On The Mve! (cntinued) an appraching autmbile. Turtles genuinely need t crss the rad because, quite simply, they were here befre the rad existed and ancestral mapping is instinctual. S, a turtle trying t crss the rad is nt heading in the wrng directin. Her instincts are telling her where t g. They crss the rad, mving frm ne bdy f water t anther t find mates, expand territry, find nesting sites, and lay eggs, smetimes pausing t bask n the warm asphalt alng the way. The turtles day-tripping ut int traffic are usually females heading fr that predetermined nesting site. Turtles mature slwly and mst are unable t lay eggs befre age ten. Eggs will be laid in spring and early summer and can number nly 3 t 8 fr a Bx and up t 20 t 40 fr a Snapper. The female will usually spend an hur digging her eggs nest befre depsiting and may take an hur cvering and camuflaging the nest area. S, it s a Phtgraph by Jhn Althuse meticulus and tedius prcess. The mrtality rate fr eggs and hatchlings is very high, but when ne makes it, barring any ther catastrphe, man induced r ther, land and semi-aquatic turtles can live fifty r mre years. And in thse years, that turtle will directly impact ther fauna and wildlife species thrugh seed dispersal, helping t clean ur waterways and as a scavenger, tidying up a lt f dying, dead and decaying plant and animal matter. Three cheers fr ne f the garbageman r garbagegirl species in the wild! Let s keep these envirnmental partners n the mve! We re giving away mney! by Mathias Engelmann (I bet I have yur attentin nw) The WRNC Bard f Directrs recently vted t increase the grant amunts awarded every year. Starting with this applicatin cycle, each f the tw cage grants and the tw Chimney Swift twer grants will be in the amunt f $500. In additin, we have increased the number f sympsium schlarships frm tw t three. These schlarships are awarded t deserving individuals wh cannt affrd the htel and registratin cst fr the annual sympsium. If yu want (almst) free mney, g t WRNC s website fr mre infrmatin and applicatin frms. 4

5 Effects f Feeding Wildlife Fd fr Thught by Halley D Buckanff Wildlife enthusiasts will ften put up bird feeders r prvide fd t wildlife bth in an attempt t assist wildlife presumed in need as well as t engage with wildlife. Wildlife rehabilitatrs may als prvide supplemental fd t hand-reared r rehabilitated and released wildlife. Hwever, this practice f prviding an easily accessible fd surce, especially fr prlnged perids, may be negatively impacting ur wildlife. Fd fr thught, cnsider the implicatins f lng-term supplemental feeding pst-release culd it affect assimilatin int wild ppulatins? If dependent n humans fr fd culd the animal becme a nuisance t thers? If the prvider shuld leave fr a perid f time will the animal be able t fend fr itself? Culd it put them at greater risks fr diseases, cmpetitin and predatin? When yung wild animals are taught t depend n a human-prvided fd surce, they may nt fully develp essential fraging skills. Prgressive Animal Welfare Sciety (PAWS), Lynwd, WA. While shrt-term supplementatin pst-release may assist captive cared-fr animals as they transitin t the wild, human-based fds ffered lng-term may nt be helpful t acquiring essential survival skills. Offering at least a prtin f wild diets and/ r presenting the diet in a mre naturalistic and enriching way (i.e. clipping berries t branches/perches and hiding fds in the enclsure) may help develp techniques that will enhance their chances f survival. Feeding can create unintended cnflicts with humans. Wild animals that are used t being fed by humans cmmnly lse their fear f peple. Animals that are unafraid f peple will apprach them fr fd, and are smetimes mistaken as rabid, aggressive r mean, then killed fr that behavir. An instinctive wariness f peple is imprtant t a wild animal s survival (Nrth Carlina Wildlife Resurces Cmmissin). Discuraging human assciatins with fd is imprtant, especially during pre-release cnditining. Cntinuing t feed animals pst-release will just increase the risks f habituatin and the likely-hd that the animal will be reliant n humans fr fd and survival. We can t assume that the animal will nly psitively assciate with its primary caregiver. We dn t necessarily knw if that lss f fear f ne persn impacts lss f fear f thers and/r reduces wariness f any pssible threat. Anther cntrversial aspect f wildlife feeding is nt just fd recgnitin nr the dependency n human-based Phtgraph by Mathias Engelmann fd, but the unnatural cngregatins at readily available fd surces. When wild animals gather fr fd handuts, it can cause crwding and cmpetitin. These unnatural cnditins increase the chances f fighting and injury amng animals. It can als increase the spread f diseases... (Humane Sciety). S while we may think we are prviding fd t assist ur recently released rehabilitated patients, whm may be a little mre naïve than their wild reared cunterparts, we may actually be putting them at greater risks; the fd prvided may be inviting clse cntact with cnspecifics increasing disease transmissin, inviting predatrs in, r encuraging mre aggressive individuals t ut-cmpete them. If yu are ging t prvide shrt-term r ccasinal fd, it may be mre advantageus t spread it ut rather than put it in a feeder r in ne place. Cntinued n page 6 5

6 Effects f Feeding Wildlife Fd fr Thught (cntinued) It seems highly likely that natural selectin is being artificially perturbed, as feeding influences almst every aspect f bird eclgy, including reprductin, behavir, demgraphy, and distributin. (Rbb et al.). And it s pssible that this affects ther species besides birds as well. While seemingly helpful, it may be mre advantageus t nt cntinuusly prvide a readily available fd surce fr ur wildlife. In case yu dn t knw, WRNC bard members serve n varius cmmittees. These cmmittees are respnsible fr putting many f ur gals int actin. A great example is the sympsium cmmittee team members wrk n the Nuts and Blts f this event fr mnths in advance t ensure that everything happens as planned. Cmmittee members typically crrespnd via because they are all busy leading a nrmal wrking life r being a wildlife rehabilitatr/educatr (r bth). The gd news is that yu dn t have t be a bard member t help ut n a cmmittee. We are always lking fr individuals with particular skills r interests. Check ut the fllwing cmmittees and cntact a bard member if yu are interested in helping. Fr additinal reading n this tpic: Rbb, G. N., McDnald, R. A., Chamberlain, D. E. and Bearhp, S. (2008), Fd fr thught: supplementary feeding as a driver f eclgical change in avian ppulatins. Frntiers in Eclgy and the Envirnment, 6: di: / WRNC is lking fr cmmittee members by Mathias Engelmann Sympsium Cage Grant Chimney Swift Twer Grant Nminating Emergency Disaster Newsletter Newsletter Rewrk/Edit Training Rabies Vectr Species Rehabilitatin Website Cmmittee Membership 6

7 D Yu See The Fracture? by Mathias Engelmann Take a lk at this radigraph f a Red-tailed Hawk. Can yu find the fracture? R L Lk n page 9 fr a clue 7

8 Tales Frm The Field by Kelley Odell One evening while n vacatin in the wilds f New Hampshire, I received an urgent turtle rescue call frm a lady in NC. Nt a turtle expert myself, I decided put her in tuch with the NC State Turtle Team. S, while scrlling thrugh my cntacts list fr the phne number I asked the caller: KELLEY: has the turtle been hit by a car? CALLER: Oh! I dn t think s. KELLEY: What is wrng with him? CALLER: I dn t knw KELLEY: why d yu need a turtle rehabber? CALLER: well, the turtle is laying in the mulch beside my mther- in- law s dr step. KELLEY: Oh! I see, and that is a prblem because?? CALLER: She is afraid he will get in the huse, s she wants him mved. KELLEY: Oh! CALLER: I think he might live in the pnd behind the huse KELLEY: (Ya think, I thught t myself.) Oh! Is it a snapping turtle? Des it have a lng tail? (Wndering t myself why they culdn t just mve the darn thing.) CALLER: N, it s a regular turtle. KELLEY: Well then, just mve him away frm the dr. Can yu d that? At that pint, the caller hllered can ya all mve this turtle? A reply, came frm a distance. What turtle? CALLER: Shuld we take it t the pnd? KELLEY: Wnderful. CALLER: Ok. KELLEY: Have a great evening. CALLER: Thanks again. KELLEY: Gd night. 8

9 D Yu See The Fracture? (cntinued) Here s yur next clue a clse-up f the shulder regin f the same radigraph. Have any ideas yet? R L Lk n page 17 fr the answer 9

10 Hw T Age A Barred Owl Determining the age f a Barred Owl is fairly simple - theretically. The flight feathers are the key and there are a cuple f imprtant pints t keep in mind: by Mathias Engelmann The nly time a Barred Owl mlts an entire set f flight feathers is during the nestling/fledgling perid. All thse flight feathers will be unifrm in length, clr, pattern and signs f wear. During every mlt after that, Barred Owls replace a limited number f flight feathers every year. There is a certain rder and symmetry t this mlt. Only a few feathers are replaced at any given time t ensure the bird can still functin nrmally. Juvenile flight feathers shw a slightly different pattern than adult flight feathers. Typically, the utermst three r fur stripes r bands n each primary and secndary are narrw in juvenile birds and wide in adults. Daily activity results in wear and tear n flight feathers. Over time, feathers will fade in clratin. New feathers tend t be darker, ld nes paler. Pic 1 The nrmal mlting seasn fr adult Barred Owls lasts abut 6 mnths starting in late April r May. Smetime arund Octber the mlt will be suspended, nly t resume the fllwing spring. Why is it imprtant t knw the age f a Barred Owl? If yu are rehabilitating a bird, it might be gd t knw if yur patient is an experienced adult bird r a juvenile just ut f the nest. Or maybe the next injured Barred Owl delivered t yur facility was fund near an active nest. Wuldn t it be great t knw if yur patient is an adult and pssibly ne f the parent birds. All Phtgraphs by CRC In the phtgraph n the right, ntice the difference between the brwn, pale juvenile feathers and the gray, darker adult feathers. Ntice als the width f the last 2 bands f these feathers. Pic 2 Cntinued n page 11 10

11 Hw T Age A Barred Owl (cntinued) We ll fllw a hypthetical Barred Owl alng as it ages ver the years. Our wl was hatched in the spring f Until it can fly lng distances, it is aged as Lcal r L. At this age all flight feathers are still develping r in bld. Pic 3 Pic 4 Our Barred Owl (BDOW) pictured abve is aged as L all flight feathers are in bld and still fairly shrt Age cdes fr birds L Lcal : a bird t yung t fly, such as a dwny baby HY Hatching Year: a bird hatched in the current calendar year that can sustain flight SY Secnd Year: a bird hatched during the previus calendar year TY Third Year: a bird hatched 2 calendar years ag AHY After Hatching Year : a bird hatched during the previus calendar year r earlier ASY After Secnd Year : a bird hatched at least tw calendar years ag ATY After Third Year : a bird hatched at least three calendar years ag Cntinued n page 12 11

12 Hw T Age A Barred Owl (cntinued) We ll jump ahead t the summer f All flight feathers (primaries and secndaries) are nw fully frmed and unifrm in length, clr, wear and pattern. Our wl will have sme dwny feathers left n its head and bdy fr at least a few mre weeks. Our BDOW is nw aged as HY (Pics 5-7) All flight feathers are fully develped and shw similar patterns (bands), similar wear, length and clratin. The utermst fur stripes (2 light and 2 dark nes) are the mst imprtant nes t lk at. Nte that if yu admit this wl n January 1st, it wuld be aged as SY. Pic 5 Pic 6 Pic 7 Ntice the last three bands all narrw. Cntinued n page 13 12

13 Hw T Age A Barred Owl (cntinued) We jump ahead t January The same Barred Owl (Pic 8) is nw aged as SY (secnd year). There shuld nt be any dwny feathers left anywhere, including its head. It lks like yur average Barred Owl. Withut clser inspectin yu culd nt tell it apart frm a 3-yr ld Barred Owl. Pic 8 It is nw the summer f Our Owl is mnths ld Mlting seasn has started and new flight feathers are grwing in (Pic 9). Ntice the difference in the clr new, darker feathers cntrast with lder faded feathers. Als ntice the width f the utermst stripes/bands, clsest t the tip. The new adult feathers have much wider stripes. Pic 9 A few imprtant abbreviatins and definitins: BDOW the fficial abbreviatin fr Barred Owls as determined by the American Ornithlgical Unin Primaries the 10 uter flight feathers, riginating alng the metacarpals Secndaries the inner flight feathers, riginating alng the ulna Remiges cllective term fr all primaries and secndaries Feather in bld the feather is actively grwing and the feather shaft is filled with bld Every bird ages by ne year n January 1st Cntinued n page 14 13

14 Hw T Age A Barred Owl (cntinued) Jump ahead t the fall f 2017 ur Barred Owl is nw mnths ld, still called SY, and has finished mlting fr the year. It did nt replace all f its juvenile flight feathers, s nw we have a mix f ld/faded juvenile feathers (narrw bands) and new, slightly darker adult feathers (wider bands) (Pic 10). Pic 10 Pic 11 Yu can hpefully appreciate the difference in the clr f the feather shafts between ld and new feathers. This is mst nticeable n the drsal (back) side f the feathers and is smetimes the best clue t determine age. Ntice that in Pic 11, a clse-up f several ld, faded feathers, the ff-white prtins f the feathers are actually almst cmpletely wrn thrugh. Spring f 2018 ur wl is nw abut tw years ld and is starting t mlt again. It is aged as TY r ASY (bth are crrect, but TY is mre accurate). The wl will replace the last f the juvenile flight feathers this summer. Fall f 2018 Mlting seasn cmes t an end. Nw ur wl has nly adult flight feathers. (Pic 12) That means all f them have wide stripes near the tips. Hwever, sme f these feathers are a year lder and shw signs f wear and fading and beynd Our wl will cntinue t age by 1 year every January. It will mlt a number f new flight feathers every summer. Frm 2019 n, early in the year, befre the next mlting seasn cmmences, we can age it as ATY. I hpe this makes sense. I will tell yu that, just like everything else, it takes practice t get gd at aging birds. Gd Luck! Pic 12 14

15 Make Rm In Yur Wardrbe Fr The NEW WRNC T-SHIRT! by Linda Bergman-Althuse The new WRNC shrt sleeved, crew neck T-Shirt is Chestnut Brwn and will lk GREAT n everybdy, earth tnes usually d!!!! All T-shirts will be fr sale during Sympsium 2017!!! The brwn we selected is a rich clr that shwcases ur WRNC appliqué quite nicely. We still have ur Galapags (deep blue-green) and Heather Indig Blue (light blue) available as well. The new shirts range in multiple sizes frm small t XXL and are $ The remaining inventry f Galapags and Indig will be $10.00 each. Dn't frget t pad yur budget t make sure yu pick ne (r a few!) up. Check them ut, and if yu want yurs early r need a unique gift fr smene special please cntact Linda Bergman- Althuse, WRNC T-Shirt Guru, at r lbergman@ec.rr.cm t make mailing r pick up arrangements. Besides persnally wearing ne prudly t let peple knw wh we are and what we d, they make excellent gifts as well! Chimney Swift Twer Grant Prgram - Grant Award Increased!" by Linda Bergman-Althuse The 5 January deadline fr the Chimney Swift Twer Grant prgram is nly ne Hliday Seasn away!!! S, NOW is a gd time t think abut yur Chimney Swifts' needs and wants fr next year. The pprtunity fr mnetary assistance, which has been increased with WRNC Bard Member prpsal and apprval frm $300 t $500, is available thrugh ur rganizatin t effect much needed alternative habitat fr Chimney Swifts in ur Nrth Carlina cmmunities. Cage Grants are als available fr wildlife rehabilitatrs wh are WRNC members, have the rm and want t increase the excellence f their rehabilitative prcess. Cnstructin f alternative habitat fr ur feathered envirnmental partner, the Chimney Swift, encurages them t return and thrive in ur state. If yu r yur rganizatin have nticed the lss f Chimney Swift habitat (pssibly due t the capping f chimneys) r a decrease in numbers f Chimney Swift presence, yu r smene yu knw may als see the need and chse t cnstruct and maintain a Chimney Swift twer. Such a twer shuld entice the residency f Chimney Swifts, these acrbatic insectivres wh vacuum the sky at dawn Cntinued n page 16 Adult Chimney Swift 15

16 Chimney Swift Twer (cntinued) and dusk ridding ur areas f pesky flying bugs, especially the dangerus msquit. WRNC is nw ffering a $ grant and the Paul & Gergean Kyle Adult bk, "New Habitat fr America's Mysterius Birds (A Cnstructin Guide)" t assist yu r yur grup in the undertaking f this valuable cnservatin prject and can award three grants per year. Please refer t WRNC's website fr details f eligibility and applicatin requirements fr the CST grant prgram. Fr further questins feel free t cntact the WRNC Chimney Swift Twer Grant Crdinatr, Linda Bergman- Althuse at r lbergman@ec.rr.cm. Jim Fulcher (and Linda) frm Sneads Ferry, NC Chimney Swift Twer cnstructed with WRNC financial assistance in 2016 by Karin Reynlds, Wildlife Rehabilitatr frm Whipprwill Wildlife Sanctuary, Denver, NC. 16

17 Newsletter Editrs Linda Bergman Althuse Teresa Clwers Jni Seymur, DVM Jean Chamberlain Mathias Engelmann Carla Jhnsn D Yu See The Fracture? (the answer) R L Cngratulatins it s a fractured R Cracid. The patient was laying n its back, s R and L are reversed. Alignment f ur patient was nt quite perfect (bdy slightly rtated t the right). The gd L cracid edges are highlighted in green. Sme f the edges f the brken pieces are difficult t see. In additin, the scapula is directly behind each cracid and therefre superimpsed. 17