Sunday, May 1, 2011
Nesting Season: Please don't cut trees down now
Please check out the below link posted by one of our rehab colleagues in the USA. Cutting trees in the spring often creates orphans. Trees are best cut outside of nesting season.
Red- Tailed Hawk Release
This Red-tailed Hawk was found behind the Truro Mall on January 25, 2011. The hawk had suffered head trauma and a broken leg from a collision with a car. It was in a very weak state and suffering from shock. The hawk received a physical exam and stabilization at Central Nova Animal Hospital in Bible Hill, including fluid therapy for shock. It was then taken to the CWRC and placed in an incubator and left in peace and quiet to stabilize.
The next day the hawk was taken for x-rays and further assessment. Based upon the x-rays it was determined by Dr. Macmillan and Dr. Van Doninck that the hawk was a good candidate for surgery and the leg had a high chance of being successfully healed.
The surgery took place on January 27, 2011. It took almost two hours to complete but went very smoothly without any problems. The hawk returned to the CWRC for the next 11 weeks for rehabilitation during which time the leg healed. Periodic X-rays were taking during this time to confirm the break was healing normally. Pins were removed several weeks later.
A release date was chosen based upon the return of good weather and the fact that the bird started a molt (seasonal feather loss and regrowth) while in our care.
The bird continued to recover in our flight cage. After ensuring the hawk was flight ready, it was returned to the area it was found and successfully released on April 30, 2011.
Photo Essay:
https://picasaweb.google.com/CWRC.Net/RedTailedHawkBrokenLeg?feat=directlink#
Friday, April 1, 2011
Non-Lead Ammunition
Here at CWRC we try to educate as much as possible, especially regarding issues that bring wildlife to our door. Lead poisoning in wildlife is an issue that rears its ugly head time and time again and I like to pass on anything I can find that may help convince people to stop using lead...period! We have known for years that it's poisonous and it seems like a no-brainer that lead ammunition and fishing gear should be banned or at least phased out. I came across some great links showing info about Alternatives to Lead Ammunition :
and a list of retailers and manufactures who sell or produce non-lead ammunition:
Feel free to share and spread the word. If we don't ask for alternatives, the market demand will keep them low on the priority list. Talk to your suppliers and ask them to stock alternatives.
Helene
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Preventing Bird Deaths from Lead Poisoning and Car Collisions
Hi all, I've recently been asked to do a monthly guest blogger post for Nature Canada. Quite an honour. My post this month was about lead poisoning, a problem I see all too frequently. Love to hear your comments.
As a wildlife veterinarian and rehabilitator, I get a first hand glimpse into what happens when wild birds and humans interact. While many of these encounters are positive, I often see the results when the outcome is negative for the bird. More than ninety percent of the admissions to our rehabilitation centre are a direct result of interaction with humans or our structures.
Each year we analyze the reasons birds and other wildlife are brought to us seeking medical aid. The top reasons for admission include birds that are: hit by a vehicle, victims of cat predation, poisoned (lead poisoning in particular), injured from striking a window, orphaned, oiled, and shot.
We spend a considerable amount of time trying to provide education that will help to decrease the number of animals that are victims of human interaction. People who bring us birds often ask how they can help. For several of the causative reasons listed above, the solution is obvious.
Thousands of wild animals are struck by vehicles every year and simply driving slower and being more aware during dawn and dusk-periods of increased activity may help decrease collisions. Birds of prey and scavenging species are often struck when they opportunistically consume other vehicle collision victims. To help prevent this (not for the faint of heart), I personally carry a shovel in my vehicle and if it is safe to do so, will move dead animals to the ditch or well off the road to prevent another wildlife death. In 2010, we admitted 2 bald eagles that had been struck while scavenging. Both died of their injuries despite medical care.
In recent years we have seen an increase in bird deaths due to lead poisoning. Sadly, these deaths are easily preventable. It has been known for years that lead is toxic, yet it is still used to make hunting and fishing gear and in the manufacturing of other items. Lead shot was banned in waterfowl hunting years ago, but it is still legal to use for hunting other species.
The most common species to get lead poisoning are bald eagles and common loons. Eagles can ingest lead shot (just one ingested pellet or sinker can kill) when scavenging bodies or remnants of bodies left behind by hunters. Some animals are also wounded but not killed and then scavenged by eagles. Loons can ingest lead sinkers or lures left behind on lake beds – lines are often cut when the sinker or gear gets entangled under the water. It is thought that loons either see the reflective lure and go after it, assuming it is a fish, or accidentally ingest the sinker when picking up bits of rock on the lake bed, which is necessary for proper digestion.
Lead poisoned loons are weakened and unable to fly or dive. They will stop eating, have seizures, and get diarrhoea and paralysis of neck muscles. Lead poisoned bald eagles are usually found on the ground unable to fly in a weakened and thin state. They often have a drooped head and wings and are unable to respond to threats by other predators. The poisoning is fatal without treatment and can be fatal even with treatment if the lead levels are high enough or the animal goes too long without receiving care.
Anytime we receive a bald eagle that is unable to fly, but with no signs of injury, lead is my first suspicion. The bird is x-rayed to look for lead, though absence of lead on an x-ray still warrants further investigation in a symptomatic bird. If the eagle ingested the pellet more than two weeks ago, the powerful muscles and presence of other grit in the digestive tract will grind the lead down and release it into the blood stream, making it undetectable by x-rays. In these kinds of cases, a blood sample is sent to confirm the diagnosis and then we start the long process of chelation therapy to try and remove the lead from the victim. This means injections for five to ten days, follow-up blood work, intravenous fluids and tube-feeding to support an animal too sick and weak to ingest food or water. These birds require high maintenance, supportive care until they can stand and eat on their own – they will be in recovery for weeks to months if they survive.
One typical case we received involved a loon seen swimming in circles and unable to dive. The people who noted this were unable to capture it and monitored the loon for one day. The next day the bird, a mature male, was found on land in a weakened state. It was brought to us and died within hours despite medical therapy – it was simply too far gone. We confirmed a diagnosis of lead poisoning with x-rays, blood tests and an autopsy. One lead sinker killed this bird. The person who found the bird called me several days later to tell me that its mate swam back and forth near where the poisoned loon beached, making distress vocalizations for days after its mate died an unnecessary death.
How can you prevent this?
The answer is simple. Avoid using products containing lead, and in particular, do not use lead shot or fishing gear. Alternatives such as steel and bismuth do exist and are available. Ask for and demand these alternatives in tackle, hunting and bait shops. You may just save a life.
Each year we analyze the reasons birds and other wildlife are brought to us seeking medical aid. The top reasons for admission include birds that are: hit by a vehicle, victims of cat predation, poisoned (lead poisoning in particular), injured from striking a window, orphaned, oiled, and shot.
We spend a considerable amount of time trying to provide education that will help to decrease the number of animals that are victims of human interaction. People who bring us birds often ask how they can help. For several of the causative reasons listed above, the solution is obvious.
Thousands of wild animals are struck by vehicles every year and simply driving slower and being more aware during dawn and dusk-periods of increased activity may help decrease collisions. Birds of prey and scavenging species are often struck when they opportunistically consume other vehicle collision victims. To help prevent this (not for the faint of heart), I personally carry a shovel in my vehicle and if it is safe to do so, will move dead animals to the ditch or well off the road to prevent another wildlife death. In 2010, we admitted 2 bald eagles that had been struck while scavenging. Both died of their injuries despite medical care.
In recent years we have seen an increase in bird deaths due to lead poisoning. Sadly, these deaths are easily preventable. It has been known for years that lead is toxic, yet it is still used to make hunting and fishing gear and in the manufacturing of other items. Lead shot was banned in waterfowl hunting years ago, but it is still legal to use for hunting other species.
The most common species to get lead poisoning are bald eagles and common loons. Eagles can ingest lead shot (just one ingested pellet or sinker can kill) when scavenging bodies or remnants of bodies left behind by hunters. Some animals are also wounded but not killed and then scavenged by eagles. Loons can ingest lead sinkers or lures left behind on lake beds – lines are often cut when the sinker or gear gets entangled under the water. It is thought that loons either see the reflective lure and go after it, assuming it is a fish, or accidentally ingest the sinker when picking up bits of rock on the lake bed, which is necessary for proper digestion.
Lead poisoned loons are weakened and unable to fly or dive. They will stop eating, have seizures, and get diarrhoea and paralysis of neck muscles. Lead poisoned bald eagles are usually found on the ground unable to fly in a weakened and thin state. They often have a drooped head and wings and are unable to respond to threats by other predators. The poisoning is fatal without treatment and can be fatal even with treatment if the lead levels are high enough or the animal goes too long without receiving care.
Anytime we receive a bald eagle that is unable to fly, but with no signs of injury, lead is my first suspicion. The bird is x-rayed to look for lead, though absence of lead on an x-ray still warrants further investigation in a symptomatic bird. If the eagle ingested the pellet more than two weeks ago, the powerful muscles and presence of other grit in the digestive tract will grind the lead down and release it into the blood stream, making it undetectable by x-rays. In these kinds of cases, a blood sample is sent to confirm the diagnosis and then we start the long process of chelation therapy to try and remove the lead from the victim. This means injections for five to ten days, follow-up blood work, intravenous fluids and tube-feeding to support an animal too sick and weak to ingest food or water. These birds require high maintenance, supportive care until they can stand and eat on their own – they will be in recovery for weeks to months if they survive.
One typical case we received involved a loon seen swimming in circles and unable to dive. The people who noted this were unable to capture it and monitored the loon for one day. The next day the bird, a mature male, was found on land in a weakened state. It was brought to us and died within hours despite medical therapy – it was simply too far gone. We confirmed a diagnosis of lead poisoning with x-rays, blood tests and an autopsy. One lead sinker killed this bird. The person who found the bird called me several days later to tell me that its mate swam back and forth near where the poisoned loon beached, making distress vocalizations for days after its mate died an unnecessary death.
How can you prevent this?
The answer is simple. Avoid using products containing lead, and in particular, do not use lead shot or fishing gear. Alternatives such as steel and bismuth do exist and are available. Ask for and demand these alternatives in tackle, hunting and bait shops. You may just save a life.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
CWRC in the news
There was a nice story about our work in the Herald today. Thanks to reporter Michael Gorman for stopping out to see us
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Red-Tailed Hawk Update and Back at It!
Hello all and welcome to March.
I took a 10 day vacation in February, it was lovely to escape for a few days. We had one of our regular volunteers house -sit while we were away and she did a GREAT job: thanks Lori. I had tried to make sure any new animals would be diverted to another facility while we were away. Thanks to the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park for agreeing to deal with any animals that were sent our way. It seems to have taken almost a month to get back into the swing of things after all of the catch up I had to do on my return, but I'm happy to report a return to regular "service".
Spring is just around the corner and I will admit to being very excited that the snow is disappearing. We have been in operation here for 11 years now and for me this has been the worst snow year. That also coincides with us having the most number of winter patients yet and the unexpected temporary illness of our snowblower. NOT fun trudging through thigh deep snow everyday to care for our outdoor guests. Of course the coming of spring means the start of busy baby season, so while spring is great, our workload will grow exponentially over the next few months. Stay tuned.
We have had a Red-Tailed Hawk in for the past 6 weeks that was found hit by a car behind the Truro Mall. Luckily someone spotted him and transported him to CWRC within the hour. His broken leg was pinned 2 days later and last week we finally removed the last of the pins. I'm happy to report he is doing great and will soon go to an outdoor cage to start using that leg more and more. He had a brief period where he wasn't eating and we had to force-feed him, but now that he is less confined he seems happier. We still grab him every 1-2 days to do passive physiotherapy on his leg ( which he hates!). I predict a full recovery and release in the next couple of months.
Thanks for tuning in and I hope to keep in touch regularly
Helene
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Duck Frozen into a Lake
About a month ago we received a call from a former student of mine who noticed a domestic duck sitting in the same spot on a frozen lake for 2 days. Since it didn't sound like normal behaviour and since the weather was bad, I recommended that she investigate if she could do so safely. What she found was a domestic runner duck hybrid, literally frozen into the ice. It had a little hollow thawed out under if but was stuck to the surface of the ice by its feathers ( it came in with ice chunks still adhered to its flight feathers). Nearby lake residents had noted this bird and a mate in the area for several days, but the mate had disappeared ( we presume it either died or was a victim of some sort of predation).
The duck was hypothermic, weak, thin, dehydrated and shocky. It also had two large infected bite wounds above its tail. We immediately gave it IV fluids and it spent the next 3 days warming in an incubator, gradually building up strength. We knew the bite wounds needed attention so they were cleaned up and antibiotics were started, but I knew it wasn't strong enough to handle anesthesia. After medical care and food for 6 days I took it to Central Nova Animal Hospital, anesthetized it, and cleaned the wounds properly.
Since that time it has spent the last couple of weeks recovering in our bird room in a soft sided playpen as we wanted to keep it warm and keep the wounds uncontaminated. I am happy to report that today it went to a new home ( thanks Claudia!) where it will live its days with other ducks and geese and a caring owner. We don't normally handle domestic birds, but have so far had good luck placing stranded ducks and geese. A happy ending for a duck that was otherwise doomed. Thanks to Jennifer T. for taking the time to call and rescue this duck :)
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Guest Blog Posting for Nature Canada
I was asked this month to do a guest blog post for the Nature Canada website. This was quite an honour! It was wonderful to be able to reach an audience of this size and contribute for such a respected organization. I hope to do this again and feel free to check it out at:
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Barred Owl Release Video - Truro Daily News
Yet another video about the release of our barred owl, taken by Sherry Martell of the Truro Daily News. Enjoy!
Barred Owl Release Article
Looks like we made the local paper. Thanks to the reporter for a great story
http://www.trurodaily.com/News/Local/2011-01-16/article-2121285/Owl-released-after-stay-at-rehab-centre/1
Barred Owl release video
As promised, this is the release video for the barred owl today. She was trapped in some wire up against a barn window for several days before someone found her. She came to us in a near comatose state, very weak, cold and dehydrated. After some IV fluids and a few days in an incubator with regular tube feeding, she started to come around. She made a full recovery and was released tonight in New Annan in the presence of the man who found her and about 30 of his neighbours. We wish her well.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Barred Owl Release
Owl update!
In December we received an owl that had been trapped in the screening in a barn window. She was there long enough to be dehydrated and in a near comatose state when we got her. She spent her first week in and incubator and getting gradual rehydration and refeeding and has been slowly building up strength. Great news, she will be released tomorrow night in her own territory just in time for mating season. Hope to have a video for here tomorrow !
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Is banding birds harmful?
Just found this study about the effects of placing flipper bands on penguins. I have always wondered about this. There have been lots of long term studies on penguins based on the very visual bands traditionally placed on these birds. I imagine things will change now, this looks pretty conclusive.
Lost Duck in the Storm
Today we received a refugee from the storm...a male domestic duck ( possibly a Rouen). He sort of looks like a mallard with a white ring around the neck. We don't normally house domestic ducks here but occasionally one that needs rescuing finds its way here and we do our best to find a home for it if we can. So far we have managed to place all domestic birds who have found their way here. This duck was found wandering on the Salmon River Road in the middle of the storm last night, but local residents said he had been wandering around for about a week. I'm thinking he strayed from someone's property as he is quite tame. Will post pics soon and let me know if you know anyone who keeps ducks up that way. If we can't find his home, he will be soon looking for a home. Thanks to Justin Martin (volunteer extraordinaire! ) for another middle of the road rescue :).
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Birds Hit by Cars
We received a mourning dove tonight that was hit by a car. Surprisingly many little birds survive this type of trauma; I think they are light enough to be blown over the top or under the car. If you happen to hit a bird and you can safely stop and check, please do so as it may have survived and will need help. This bird lost tail feathers but will be fine once they grow back :)
Monday, January 10, 2011
Refugee from Florida
A new patient last night, an anole. Came in a shipment of plants from Florida at Walmart. Thanks to Amanda for making sure he got rescued, to Jennifer and Joey for braving the horrid weather last night to drive him out here, and to the security guard at Walmart who gave up a mitten for him to hide in. Just 4 inches long and was pretty cold and dehydrated last night but still alive this morning. Fingers crossed :)
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Welcome 2011
We've had our first patient of the year, an eagle! Believe it or not they were our most common admission for 2010. Let the games begin! Also had a crow with what I think is poxvirus, going to send that one to AVC for a postmortem.
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