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Fawn and cat get aquainted at the Witter Wildlife Refuge
Photo by Author
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Words For Wildlife
by State licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator, James Orr
ANIMAL RELEASES
One of the most rewarding aspects of my work is being able to release healthy self sufficient animals back to the wild. It is a bitter sweet moment as one must say goodbye to a respected and dear friend. This past couple weeks have been particularly successful in that a number of my wildlife friends have returned to their world having completed their recuperation in my world.
The infamous Bobcat that I have been unsuccessfully trying to get from a large pen into a small release cage finally met his match. After weeks of my enduring his out-smarting me and a humiliating battle of wits I finally resorted to tranquilizer darts to tip the scales in my favor. Even so it was not an easy task. He refused to give in even after 4 darts anyone of which could drop an animal twice his size. After the fourth dart he finally relaxed enough to allow me to get a catch pole noose on him with which I moved him into a transport cage as he growled in a way to make the MGM lion proud. He never closed his eyes and made a valiant effort to leave me with a parting snap of his powerful jaws. Fortunately for me I won this round and he was successfully released on hundreds of acres of private property after the drugs wore off.
A gray fox orphan graduated from rehabilitation class and was returned to the wild this past Sunday. He had grown up from a tiny fox kit to a handsome young man these past few months. He perfected his “Kujo” impersonation these past weeks and made it quite clear he was ready to go home.
“Speedy” the baby beaver was also released this past week. She had grown from barely two pounds when she arrived to a hefty 11 pounds. She too made it clear she was ready for freedom as she would stand at the door of her kennel and rattle the chain link. She now resides in a large creek on private property.
It is interesting to note that all of these animals are reluctant to leave their cages when the door is open. Most take a long cautious pause before stepping back into their world which tolerates few mistakes. As rehabilitators we often leave their open cages at the release site for several days with food in them to provide them with a secure hiding place and easy food until they get acclimated to their new surroundings.
The only patient that failed the scheduled graduation was the coyote pup. He got so excited when I moved him to an outdoor kennel he skidded into the cage wall and apparently pinched a nerve in his back as he started having trouble moving his rear legs. An X-ray revealed that he had no visible damage and in the last few days he has pretty much regained normal mobility. As soon as I am sure he is back to 100% he too will get to return to the wild.
The Red Tailed hawk chick I wrote about last week turned out to be a Kestrel Falcon as his new feathers gave away his true identity. He was transferred to a raptor specialist along with a juvenile great horned owl that had an eye injury. Both birds require larger flight cages than I can provide them here to fully develop their wing muscles.
The opportunity to get to know an animal on a personal basis is the great reward for the hours of volunteer rehabilitation work that is often tiring and demanding.
Besides the coyote I still have the resident eight wolves, two fawns, two raccoons, 8 opossum Joey's and a cardinal. The raccoons and coyote should be ready to go in the next few weeks.
Although I miss my friends it is nice to have some extra time to try to earn a living and get some much needed sleep.
As always donations are greatly appreciated. Deer drink $18.00 a day in goat milk in addition to their feed, fruits, and greens.
The wolves are each capable of eating 22 pounds of meat per day. Fortunately for me and my pocketbook they reserve this trick for the wild, gorging themselves after a kill that may have to last them for many days. The eight wolves combined that I care for eat only 10 to 20 pounds per day and much of that is a dry dog food.
Opossums nurse on a rather complicated formula that includes Puppy replacement milk, egg yolk, calcium supplement, brewers yeast , nutrical (calorie booster) and apple juice. As they start to eat solid foods they get baby food, fruits. cereal, cat food, yogurt, seeds, minnows, insects and night crawlers. Shopping for these guys involves more than a quick stop at the local Wallmart.
Although rehabilitation work can become both expensive and time consuming the pleasure of seeing a wild animal buddy returning to the wild to run free is unmatched. To paraphrase one of my favorite sayings, “A human does not fully know his sole until he sees his reflection in the eyes of an animal”.
DONATIONS NEEDED If you would like to help any donation amount it is greatly appreciated. Donations should be made out to Witter Wildlife Refuge and can be sent to P.O. Box 1118, Huntsville AR 72740.
See web page under "HOW YOU CAN HELP" for specific ways you can help us help wildlife
