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Photo by Alison Hermance
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December 18, 2013
The menacing growling emanating from the transport carrier let WildCare Medical Staff know that the Bobcat inside wasn't a sickly patient that would be easy to handle.
The Bobcat had been seen regularly over the past year at the Del Valle
Regional Park in the East Bay, raiding the dumpster where fishermen
cleaned their catch. She was very thin, and covered in ticks, fleas and ear mites.
Read more and watch the video...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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December 10, 2013
It was the day after Thanksgiving, and the shuttle stop to board the bus to Muir Woods was even more crowded than usual. The chilly temperatures made the waiting passengers look toward the bus shelter to escape the wind.
But the bus shelter was already occupied... by a Red-tailed Hawk!
The bird barely moved when people approached him, and fortunately, one person recognized that something was desperately wrong.
Read more and watch the video...
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Belted Kingfisher photo by Alison Hermance
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December 5, 2013
A Belted Kingfishers perch over bodies of water ready to grab fish with their powerful beaks, and although they're not rare in Northern California, we rarely see them as patients.
This male kingfisher was found in Corte Madera, sitting in the middle of the road with a drooping wing. At WildCare, we radiograph (x-ray) nearly every patient we admit, and the x-ray often determines the treatment the patient receives.
Read more and watch the video...
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Cackling geese (left) and Canada Goose Photo by Melanie Piazza
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November 20, 2013
Most of us are familiar with the Canada Geese waddling around our parks and playing fields. Not so the two similar-looking migrants called Cackling Geese that crash-landed at Ocean Beach in San Francisco and in Sausalito this fall.
Cackling Geese were recently reclassified as a different species of goose (Branta hutchinsii). They are smaller than Canada Geese, and it is very rare to admit them to WildCare. Both of these birds were starving.
Read more and watch the video...
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Hoary Bat examination photo by Alison Hermance
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November 20, 2013
Even Hoary Bats can have problems with tartar! As your dentist will tell you, good tooth brushing is the answer to proper dental hygiene and that even holds true for other animals.
This Hoary Bat came to WildCare with a compound fracture of the metacarpal bone in the fifth digit of her right wing, but she also had a tartar problem, exacerbated by the diet for bats available in the Wildlife Hospital.
After an extremely delicate surgery to pin the tiny bone, done by volunteer veterinarian Dr. Rebecca Duerr, this little bat is on the road to recovery.
As long as she remains in care, we need to do everything necessary to assure she is ready for release when her wing is healed. And that includes dentistry!
Watch the video...
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Mexican Free-tailed Bats photo by Marian Eschen
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November 20, 2013
WildCare Foster Care Bat Team Leader Marian Eschen writes, "I have never met a wildlife rehabilitator who hasn’t fallen in love
with bats after working with a Mexican Free-tailed Bat, and I am no
exception. Mexican Free-tailed Bats are gregarious, charismatic animals.
They chatter, chirp, purr, chastise each other and eventually go to
sleep layered one on top of another like tiles on a roof. They are
curious, intelligent and highly social."
"The exact opposite is true of the cantankerous Pallid Bat – the
only species of bat I have ever known to chew its way
out of a cage."
Take a look...
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Blond raccoon photo by Shelly Ross
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November 14, 2013
Imagine opening your door to a box on your doorstep and finding this little creature inside! Would you know what he is?
His twin brother looks just like he does, but his other brother's dark mask and ringed tail might give you a clue. The three orphans are raccoons, of course, but two of them are blond, a distinctly lighter color morph than other raccoons.
The three brothers spent almost three and a half months growing up in the excellent care of WildCare's Raccoon Foster Care team.
Watch the video...
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Silver raccoon photo by JoLynn Taylor
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November 14, 2013
When WildCare
admitted three orphaned baby raccoons from the Napa Wildlife Center this
summer, we saw
that two of these babies' morphology was a little different from the
ones we’ve
admitted before — two of the three were blondes. These little blonde
raccoons are examples of color
morphs.
A new study found that bird species with multiple plumage
color forms within the same population evolve into new species faster
than those with only one color form, while another study indicated that tameness in a species over time brought other physiological changes, including color morphs.
Take a look...
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November 5, 2013
Gift-giving season is starting early this year— Hanukkah starts on November 27!
Get a jump on your holiday shopping with wonderful WildCare merchandise. Choose from an amazing array of products that feature REAL WildCare patients!
These beautiful animals' stories were featured in our weekly emails throughout the year. (Scroll down to read about them!)
Show your support for these and all of WildCare's wildlife patients with the gift of WildCare this season!
Take a look...
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This little Western Screech Owl fell
down a chimney and ended up covered in soot. This is a surprisingly
common hazard to wildlife, but one that can be avoided. Photo by Mary
Morse
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October 31, 2013
When WildCare Wildlife Services Representative, Barbara Pritchard opened her email, she immediately identified this little bird as a Western Screech Owl, but what is the strange brown-gray dust covering his wings and back?
It's soot. From a chimney. This little raptor's rescuers had fished him out of their fireplace.
WildCare's records show seven sooty Screech Owls in recent years, a number of other birds, and even squirrels, rats and raccoons, some of which were nesting in the chimney. If your chimney doesn't have a cap, it may be just a matter of time until you're calling WildCare's hotline with your own sooty wildlife emergency.
It's autumn, which means it's time to take a look at YOUR home and take steps to prevent wildlife conundrums before they happen.
Take a look...
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Southern Alligator Lizard photo by Alison Hermance
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October 23, 2013
When a San Rafael resident decided to tile his garage, he didn't
expect to entrap a fierce-looking Southern Alligator Lizard. But then
who would?
Alligator Lizards eat insects, and as one of the larger species of lizard in the Bay Area, they provide excellent pest control.
A lizard wouldn't recognize glue as a hazard, so this one must have
skittered after insect prey in the vicinity of the tiling project, and
then suddenly found himself stuck and unable to move.
Fortunately for him, his finders knew about WildCare.
Take a look...
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Karen Wilson presented the WildCare Environmental Award to Dr. Jane Goodal
Photo by James Hall
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October 17, 2013
WildCare was thrilled to present our first annual WildCare
Environmental Award to world renowned chimpanzee expert and
environmentalist Jane Goodall at a sold-out event in Sausalito on
Tuesday, October 15, 2013.
"This is a wonderful organization, WildCare," Dr. Goodall said as she
looked out over the overflow crowd inside the building. "It's
impossible to overemphasize the importance of organizations like this.
We have harmed the animal kingdom a great deal and they need all the
help they can get. It's heartwarming to be here with so many people who
truly care, just as I do."
Take a look...
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Western Screech Owl tangled in Halloween decorations Photo by Dave Stapp
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October 10, 2013
This past week, WildCare's Wildlife Hospital has treated three different patients for entanglement injuries, including a young raccoon whose ensnarled tail was so damaged it required amputation.
None of the entanglements this week have been Halloween-related, but we know that the next very patient admitted could have something spooky or spangly snarled around his body. This is a dangerous time of year for wildlife. For example, one family's outdoor Halloween decorations weren't just scary, they were life-threatening!
Take a look...
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Striped skunk yawning during his exam Photo by Alison Hermance
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October 3, 2013
Patient #109 arrived at WildCare from Tiburon, very calm and extremely thin. An exam revealed no obvious reason for his condition, but Medical Staff suspected he had recovered from the canine distemper disease, which left him with neurological deficits and unable to hunt.
What do you do with a skunk that doesn't spray? We realized this mild-mannered little guy would make a perfect Wildlife Ambassador... but until we can move to our new site, we simply don't have a big enough enclosure to keep a skunk happy and healthy.
The Pocatello Zoo (native animals only here, thanks!) came to his rescue, and our members paid for his road trip!!!
Watch the video...
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Baja the California Brown Pelican photo by Alison Hermance
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September 25, 2013
Every injured animal that comes to WildCare has a story. Most of them we'll never know, but for Baja, our Wildlife Ambassador Brown Pelican, we can guess.
Baja came to Silicon Valley Wildlife, a wildlife hospital in the South Bay, tangled in fishing line. He had a big wound on his wing, probably the result of his entanglement.
Like so many wild animals in the autumn season, Baja was probably heading south for the winter. But Baja got entangled, and he never made it to Mexico. He now lives full-time at WildCare as a Wildlife Ambassador.
Did you know you can train a pelican?
Watch the video...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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September 25, 2013
Chosen from over 700 entries, "Oakley" brings to mind the oak trees and acorns that are so important for squirrels. It also celebrates our squirrel's California roots, and it's a fun name that kids will remember when they meet him during WildCare's Terwilliger nature education programs!
But four people submitted the name Oakley in the contest, and we only have one pair of tickets to our WildCare Environmental Award with Dr. Jane Goodall to give to the winner. We decided to let Oakley choose the winner in his own inimitable squirrel way...
Take a look...
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Red-tailed Hawk photo by Tom Grey
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September 25, 2013
The change of season that occurs in September and October in the Northern Hemisphere inspires a seasonal event that affects all living species on earth in one way or another. Shortened daylight hours trigger ancient circadian rhythms recognized even by those of us who feel removed from nature.
In humans, the new season means a change of wardrobe, food preferences and preferred activities. In other species, it means a time to migrate, fatten up or prepare to hibernate.
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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September 17, 2013
WildCare saves thousands of wild lives every year, and the vast majority of them are brought to our Wildlife Hospital by caring people who rescue them. This one checked herself in!
A police officer saw her running, frightened and alone, down Albert Park Lane, the one-way street in front of WildCare in downtown San Rafael. Nearly to our front door, she had just changed course and climbed a palm tree when the policeman got us involved.
A team of Medical Staff members and volunteers trooped out with nets, catch poles and other equipment to try to capture the little renegade.
Watch the video...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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September 10, 2013
Fire season is upon us again. The massive Rim Fire in Yosemite continues to devour acres of wilderness, and at WildCare we can't help but think about the wild animals affected by the flames.
Our Wildlife Ambassador Red-shouldered Hawk, appropriately named Phoenix, survived a deadly fire in the nearby Oakland hills in 1996. The fire destroyed the follicles of his flight feathers which meant he would never fly again.
Wildlife of all species suffers in the event of a fire. A personal account by a local wildlife rehabilitator of the aftermath of the 2009 Station Fire in Los Angeles County is a sobering reflection on what is even now occurring in the Yosemite area. Click to read her story...
She also shared a link to a video that was shot with a game camera lodged under a rock in a canyon, catching footage of the massive wildfire as it sweeps through a creek bed. The video does not show animals in peril.
Take a look...
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Photo by Derek Bruff
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August 22, 2013
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is once again considering the aerial dumping of hundreds of pounds of toxic rodent poison on the Farallon Islands to eradicate non-native house mice.
On August 29, 2013 from 6 - 8pm, the USFWS will hold a Public Scoping Meeting about the Farallon Islands proposal at Fort Mason in San Francisco (click for directions.) Sign our petition, which will be presented at the meeting, and then please join us to demand a safe, non-toxic and environmentally responsible approach to rodent population control on the Farallones!
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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August 13, 2013
In WildCare's aviaries right now we have four juvenile Red-tailed Hawks who were brought to our Wildlife Hospital grounded and emaciated.
When you're a young adult and just starting out on your own, life is full of challenges. You have to find a job, a new place to live and be responsible for your own food and other necessities, and this can be difficult! Adolescents in the wild are no different.
Because they are inexperienced at hunting, and possibly because of a lack of prey, these four birds couldn't catch enough food to sustain themselves.
Take a look... |
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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August 6, 2013
WildCare's new Wildlife Ambassador Fox Squirrel needs a name!
He came to WildCare's Wildlife Hospital after he fell from his nest as a baby. He hit his head during the fall, and although many animals recover from head trauma, he didn't. This means that, even after several months in care at WildCare, his lack of balance and coordination would keep him from being a successful wild squirrel. So he is the newest educational Wildlife Ambassador at WildCare.
Submit a name, and if your submission is chosen, you'll win two tickets to meet Dr. Jane Goodall at the WildCare Environmental Award ceremony on Tuesday
Take a look...
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Photo by Mike Hancock
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August 6, 2013
Have you taken an amazing wildlife photo? Is it a once-in-a-lifetime shot that you'd love the world to see?
WildCare's 7th Annual Living with Wildlife Photography Contest is now accepting entries, and photos from throughout California are eligible!
The judged Best in Show photograph will win a $500 prize and be featured in our Spring 2014 print newsletter. Winners in each of our four entry categories will also win cash prizes and be featured in print.
Deadline for entries is Friday, September 13, 2013. Enter today!
Take a look...
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Photo by Winnie Kelly
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August 6, 2013
Imagine running a day care for 20 children from completely different cultures and backgrounds.
You must keep them physically healthy and provide food they'll recognize, enjoy and that will be good for them. You also need to keep them mentally healthy.
We face this challenge every day as we care for the nearly 20 educational Wildlife Ambassadors that live in WildCare's courtyard.
Take a look...
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Photo by James Hall
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August 6, 2013
More than 80 people joined WildCare naturalists and special guests to view wildlife at the Las Gallinas ponds and get a sneak preview of the site that will become WildCare's future home!
Photographer James Hall captured some highlights.
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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July 30, 2013
Why, a baby Turkey Vulture of course! Most people will never see this funny face in person. Even at WildCare, a baby Turkey Vulture is unusual. In fact, in the last ten years, only four have been as young as this little patient.
But when a Nicasio resident walked out of her house and found this one sitting on the ground, she knew he needed help, so she brought him to WildCare.
Once he had been given fluids and was offered something to eat, he started to feel better. Then he thought he could soar!
Take a look...
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Photo by Winnie Kelly
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July 30, 2013
Everybody loves a free meal, but Turkey Vultures have evolved to make carrion-eating a specialty. Turkey Vultures have a distinctive featherless red heads similar to the condors that are their closest relatives. Naked heads prevent the birds’ feathers from getting fouled whenthey eat. Turkey Vultures are large birds, weighing 4-1/2 to 5 pounds, but for all their size, they are extremely shy and not at all dangerous, even to smaller animals.
There is a good reason for this shyness: an animal lying still on the ground may be dead or it may be just sleeping.
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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July 23, 2013
Two little Western Scrub Jays were admitted on a very hot day. Downy baby birds all jammed together in a nest get really hot. Sometimes a young bird will hop up on the edge of the nest for a breath of fresh air, but a slight breeze (or a wobbly sibling) can easily topple a not-yet flighted nestling to the ground.
If you find a baby bird on the ground, he very often can be returned to his nest. It's a myth that parent birds won't take back a baby that has been touched by humans— wild songbirds are excellent parents, and won't be deterred by your scent on their baby. But these baby jays were dehydrated and weak upon intake, so they stayed at WildCare.
Take a look at the video...
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Photo by Melanie Piazza
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June 26, 2013
When orphaned baby birds are brought to WildCare, they are kept inside in our “birdroom,” in small baskets or cages where they can be hand-fed frequently—every 30 minutes to 2 hours from daylight to dusk, depending on their age—and closely monitored for weight-gain and physical development.
When they are able to feed themselves from dishes and have grown healthy flight feathers, (and would be ready to “fledge” in the wild) they are ready to graduate to an aviary.
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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July 16, 2013
These little skunks were orphaned in April when their den was destroyed, and came to WildCare as tiny nursing babies.
They've grown up healthy and strong in Foster Care, and they're now learning the skills that will help them succeed as adult skunks in the real world.Today's exercise was the Cricket Hunt.
Take a look at the video...
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Photo by Tue Nam Ton
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July 2, 2013
At WildCare this holiday always reminds us of the best part of the work we do: the moment we release an animal whose life we have saved.
Each of these patients came to WildCare with little hope. But with the excellent care of Medical Staff and our dedicated volunteers, all survived to enjoy a second chance at their natural wild lives.
Take a look at the videos...
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Photo © the Jane Goodall Institute / Chase Pickering
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June 26, 2013
WildCare Environmental Award
Honors Dr. Jane Goodall
The new WildCare Environmental Award (WEA) recognizes leaders in the fields of animal welfare, conservation and the environment who are aligned with WildCare's mission. The first WEA will be presented to Dr. Jane Goodall at a very special event on Tuesday, October 15 at Cavallo Point in Sausalito.
We could not think of a more inspiring person than Dr. Goodall to inaugurate this award, and we invite you to be part of the award presentation as an Event Sponsor. Space is limited to 200 guests, and will undoubtedly sell out. It will be a spectacular evening!
By becoming an Event Sponsor now, you guarantee yourself reserved seating for the award ceremony and Dr. Goodall's speech, and access to the private sponsor reception that will take place before the ceremony begins.
Don't miss this incredible opportunity to meet Dr. Goodall and celebrate the WildCare Environmental Award! The deadline to secure your sponsorship is Tuesday, July 2. All remaining tickets will go on sale to our membership the week of July 15.
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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June 25, 2013
Three tiny Bushtits arrived at WildCare in the tattered remnants of their nest. The strong winds of the past week must have blown the nest out of the tree, and left these fluffy babies orphans.
Once at WildCare, they received the most delicate of medical examinations (each baby is only the size of a cotton ball, so examining them requires deft skill), and soon all three little birds were gaping widely for mealworms fed from tweezers (watch them in our VIDEO), and they were placed in a warm incubator.
But the thing that made these babies the most comfortable was a cozy hand-knitted nest— the perfect shape and size for them!
Take a look...
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Photo by Trish Carney
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June 20, 2013
Help the Bobcat Protection Act pass the Senate
It's time... AB 1213, the Bobcat Protection Act, passed the California State Assembly, but now the bill must pass the State Senate!
Please sign WildCare's petition telling the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water to support AB 1213 and other measures to end the trapping of Bobcats and sale of their fur for luxury clothing.
The newest revision of the bill bans the trapping of Bobcats adjacent to the Joshua Park National Park, and calls for the Fish and Game Commission to amend its regulations to prohibit the trapping of bobcats within, and adjacent to, the boundaries of other national or state parks, monuments or preserves, national wildlife refuges, and other public or private conservation areas.
But you must sign our petition today! The Committee hearing is set for Tuesday, June 25!
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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June 18, 2013
A little spotted fawn is uncertain on her wobbly legs as she trails behind her mother in the suburban town of Fairfax, California last Thursday evening.
Maybe she loses her balance, but somehow this baby ends up in the street, right in the path of a car. She's so small that she's below the driver's line of vision, and a glancing blow sends her tumbling underneath the vehicle as the driver, realizing she has hit something, desperately tries to stop.
Amazingly, the little deer seems mostly unhurt.
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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June 11, 2013
When a driver in the West Marin town of Nicasio saw the body of a fluffy baby bird lying exactly centered on the double yellow lines of the roadway, she thought how sad, and prepared to drive past.
But then it moved. A wing fluttered. A little head rotated.
Pulling over, she was astonished to find a baby American Kestrel blinking up at her from the asphalt. He was filthy and matted, but very vocal as she gently wrapped him in a towel and placed him in a box to bring him to WildCare.
Kestrels are high-strung and sensitive, and difficult to hand-feed. But WildCare had another option: our Wildlife Ambassador American Kestrel, Kele.
Our new baby needed a Dad. Would Kele, who came to WildCare as an orphan himself, know how to be a foster Dad for a hungry baby bird? We used a hidden camera to find out.
Take a look...
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Photo by Tom Grey
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June 11, 2013
We all think our Dad is the best, but a human father may be surprised to hear he has some competition for the title “Best Dad” among our wild neighbors.
Baby birds need to be fed nearly continuously from dawn to dark, and different species use different tactics. Some bird parents, like Bald Eagles, share just about all their duties evenly. Others, like robins, share some chores, and divide up the others.
Take a look...
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Photo by Marian Eschen
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June 11, 2013
Imagine running a day care for 20 children from completely different cultures and backgrounds. You must keep them physically healthy and provide food they'll recognize, enjoy and that will be good for them.
You also need to keep them mentally healthy. We face this challenge every day as we care for the nearly 20 educational Wildlife Ambassadors that live in WildCare's courtyard.
Behavioral enrichment is anything that promotes the expression of a
species’ appropriate behavioral and mental activities – in short,
activities and items which make an animal’s life more natural,
interesting, active and fun.
Take a look and meet our Wildlife Ambassadors...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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June 4, 2013
Hummingbirds are so light and quick when airborne, it is a strange sight to see one sitting still and hunched on the ground.
This little bird, a juvenile Allen's Hummingbird, was doing just that, looking ill and depressed at the side of the path in San Francisco's Presidio near Mountain Lake.
Although this tiny bird has most of his adult plumage, he's still a baby as you can tell from the last remaining white pin feathers on his forehead. There's no way to know how he ended up grounded, but whatever happened to him, this little bird needed help.
Watch the VIDEO...
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Photo by Christopher Whittier
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June 4, 2013
The smallest of all birds, hummingbirds weigh only 0.1 to 0.3 ounces. Their tiny bodies and long, slender bills and the distinctive blur and hum of their hovering wings set them apart from all other birds.
Adult and juvenile hummingbirds are struck by cars, hit windows, get caught by cats and get stuck inside houses and other structures.
Take a look...
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Photo by JoLynn Taylor
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June 4, 2013
Want to help hummingbirds? Don't give them sugar water, give them the real thing!
When creating a hummingbird garden, there are three things to remember: flower shape, flower placement and the color red. Hummingbirds will examine and sip nectar from flowers of many colors, but flowers in all shades of red — from pink to orange — have the most appeal.
Take a look...
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Photo by Melanie Piazza
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May 29, 2013
One of the most important jobs we have at WildCare is to teach the orphaned wild babies that are in our care the skills they'll need to survive in the wild.
The first step in that process is to get them to feed themselves instead of being fed by hand.
At WildCare right now we have nearly 40 orphaned baby American Crows, and these curious, quizzical, uncoordinated babies are some of our most charming patients.
Watch our VIDEO of these babies being fed... |
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Photo by Tom Grey
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May 29, 2013
Crows are some of the most interesting animals to watch, because we can observe them watching us back. They have good reason to keep a close eye on us. Crows are a commensal species, meaning they benefit from human civilization but without necessarily affecting us. They are among the three most intelligent bird species and their evolution is tied to ours.
Take a look... |
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Photo by Mary Pounder
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May 29, 2013
In the next few months, WildCare's Living with Wildlife Hotline (415-456-SAVE) operators will have their hands full answering phone calls about baby birds.
Every year hundreds of these tiny featherless creatures fall or are blown from their nests, or are found following an ill-timed tree trimming. So how do you know if a baby bird needs help? And what do you do to keep him safe until you can get him to WildCare?
Take a look...
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Photo by Melanie Piazza
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May 14, 2013
When a San Anselmo resident found two tiny fluffy things on the side of her driveway, she carefully picked the little creatures up and then called WildCare's 24-Hour Hotline (415-456-SAVE).
At W#ildCare's Wildlife Hospital, Medical Staff confirmed they were tiny owls, so recently-hatched that each one had his "egg tooth" still attached to his beak.
But what kind of owl? And how do you care for something this tiny?
Watch our VIDEO to find out...
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Photo by Melanie Piazza
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May 14, 2013
Screech Owls are small woodland owls that are common in both rural and suburban areas. They eat primarily small rodents and insects.
WildCare treats 20 – 30 Western Screech Owls every year, many of them orphaned babies.
Take a look...
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Photo by Melanie Piazza
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May 14, 2013
WildCare continues to test our predatory patients to determine if they have been exposed to toxic rat poisons (rodenticides), and the results continue to shock us.
78.6% of the patients we sent to the lab in the first quarter of 2013 tested positive for exposure to rodenticides.
Victims include several Barn Owls, Great Horned Owls and Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawks. Mammals such as skunks, raccoons and foxes also show high rates of exposure.
Take a look... |
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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May 7, 2013
When workmen at a Mill Valley storage facility moved a heavy storage container, they were astonished to find these roly-poly babies spilling out from behind it.
Unfortunately the mother skunk had chosen an unsafe place to have her babies. Moving the massive storage container destroyed her den and wiped out her nursery, leaving her babies exposed.
Take a look at the video...
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Photo by Sharon Ponsford
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May 7, 2013
The skunk, like the raccoon, is a mid-sized carnivore that has learned to thrive among humans. People worry more about skunks than about many other species because of their ability to spray. Test your knowledge about your nocturnal neighbors!
1. Skunks will spray you without warning. Fact or myth?
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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April 30, 2013
Virginia Opossums #265 - 268, arrived at WildCare the evening of April 5, 2013. They had been found still alive in the pouch of their mother who had been hit by a car.
The mother opossum and three of the seven babies did not survive, but four of the babies must have been well protected in their mother's pouch. They arrived at WildCare shivering, in shock and seeking a safe place to curl up.
Take a look at these little marsupials growing up...
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Photo by Mary Pounder
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April 30, 2013
Virginia Opossums are often mistaken for large rats, but these
interesting mammals are actually marsupials, related to kangaroos and
their cousins in Australia, not rodents. Like other marsupials, the
female opossum has a pouch, called a marsupium, in which she carries her
young until the babies are old enough to cling to their mother's back.
Take a look...
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Photo by Trish Carney
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April 24, 2013
A bill proposing curbs on the trade in pelts and trapping is currently being discussed and modified in preparation for a hearing in seven days in Sacramento.
This bill is AB 1213 (Bloom), the Bobcat Protection Act of 2013 and, although several revisions to the bill have been required, it is a positive step in the right direction for the preservation of these magnificent animals.
Take a look...
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Photo by Veronica Bowers
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April 124, 2013
The California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) has placed exclusion netting underneath the Petaluma River Bridge. The purpose of the netting is to stop migratory Cliff Swallows from nesting at a site they have flown 6,000 miles to reach.
Take a look...
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Watch this little Mallard duckling and his five orphaned siblings being weighed at WIldCare in our VIDEO. Photo by Alison Hermance
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April 17, 2013
You may remember Robert McClosky's children's book, Make Way for Ducklings, but no one made way for patients #283 - 289.
It was mid-day on April 8 at a busy intersection in northern San Rafael, and a mother Mallard duck was crossing the street with her ten tiny ducklings marching in a neat row behind her. To the horror of observers, an oblivious driver turned the corner and plowed right over the little family. Seven little ducklings survived. These tiny orphans were brought to WildCare.
Take a look...
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Fox squirrel photo by Alison Hermance
Get the t-shirt!
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April 9, 2013
April showers may bring May flowers, but at WildCare they also bring injured and orphaned baby animals. During every spring storm our Wildlife Hospital readies itself for an influx of new patients.
This little Fox Squirrel and her two siblings tumbled out of a palm tree during the wind and rain of last week's storm. All three showed signs of hypothermia (cold) and were very dehydrated.
They were very fortunate to have been found! A Marin Humane Society Officer brought them to WildCare's Squirrel Foster Care Team leader who warmed them up and gave them fluids to get them hydrated.
Take a look and watch the VIDEO...
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Fox squirrels photo by Alison Hermance
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April 9, 2013
WildCare has seen a sharp increase in orphaned Fox Squirrels taken into
foster care in recent years. Yearly intakes since 2002 ranged between 6
and 12 individuals per year; in 2007 we admitted 24 individuals and in
2012 we had 53!
Fox Squirrels are not native to Northern California, but
were probably introduced here by individuals for the purpose of
populating local parks. They are the largest of the North American squirrels, weighing in at up to 2.8 pounds.
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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April 3, 2013
When the fawn tottered up to them looking scared and crying piteously, Mill Valley residents knew something was wrong. Black-tailed Deer fawn #0423 came to WildCare, chilled and dehydrated, and his belly was very empty, so there was no doubt this baby needed help.
But not all the wild babies brought to WildCare actually needed rescue. Before you attempt to rescue a wild animal baby, ask yourself this question: "Is that baby truly Orphaned? Or, if I pick him up, will he be Kidnapped?" In other words, "Is that baby O-K?"
Take a look...
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Fledgling hummingbird photo by Alison Hermance
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April 3, 2013
It's spring, and if you look carefully, baby wild animals are everywhere. Most will grow up safely under the watchful eyes of their parents, but some will need our help.
But before you rescue a wild animal baby, ask yourself this question: Does that baby REALLY need assistance?
Take a look...
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Photo by Mary Pounder
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March 26, 2013
A tiny baby Jackrabbit is nestled in a patch of grass. His brown speckled coat blends into the bright green grass of spring, and he keeps his little ears pinned down to his shoulders to be as inconspicuous as possible.
Is he orphaned?
Take a look and watch our VIDEO... |
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Photo by Trish Carney
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March 26, 2013
While they are alone, baby Jackrabbits, called leverets, are often inadvertently kidnapped. Sometimes it is a pet dog or cat that finds one and brings it home. Often a person chances on the baby and assumes that, because they don’t see the mother nearby, the animal is orphaned.
He (or she) seems just like a domestic rabbit. Maybe she could be kept as a pet...
Take a look...
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Photo by David Taylor
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March 26, 2013
Join WildCare and special guest Doug McConnell in celebrating Earth Day on Saturday April 20th from 10am – noon at Lake Lagunitas.
Take a look...
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Grebe watercolor by Mary Blake
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March 26, 2013
Dine for a cause! On Tuesday May 21 and Wednesday May 22, 2013, WildCare and participating restaurants will offer diners the chance to enjoy a delicious meal while also supporting WildCare during the 28th annual Dining for Wildlife!
Take a look...
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Photo by Mary Pounder
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March 26, 2013
WildCare Terwilliger Nature Camps are a fun way to stimulate learning about naure and instill a life-long respect for the environment. They're also really fun!
Take a look...
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March 19, 2013
Even as WildCare's
Wildlife Hospital gears up for the orphaned babies of spring (click
for a video update on our first baby squirrel!), we're also admitting adult
animals with injuries of all kinds.
This tiny Pygmy Owl, less than five inches tall, arrived at WildCare on
February 27 with the tell-tale broken bones of a car-crash victim.
How does a bird this tiny get hit by a car and survive? We'll never know, but
this little owl, while very injured, was still feisty.
Click
to meet this tiny owl in video...
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March 19, 2013
Bats are one of nature's best sources of insect
control, they're the only truly flying mammal, and they are somewhat unusual
patients in the Wildlife Hospital, so we think bats are wonderful!
However, if you have bats living in your attic or walls, you may not be so
enamored of them.
WildCare Solutions experts say that "bat eviction season" is here,
but you have only a very short window between hibernation and pupping seasons
to safely move them on. Learn
more... |
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March 19, 2013
I have never met a wildlife rehabilitator who hasn’t fallen in love with
bats after working with a Mexican Free-tailed Bat, and I am no exception. Mexican
Free-tailed Bats are gregarious, charismatic animals. They chatter, chirp,
purr, chastise each other and eventually go to sleep layered one on top of
another like tiles on a roof. They are curious, intelligent and highly social.
Read
more...
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March 13, 2013
On Friday WildCare
signed a long-term lease on a fabulous new site—a beautiful location on the
Silveira Ranch property in San Rafael.
This is the perfect spot for WildCare, and it makes our critical need for
expansion possible.Existing buildings on
the property will be renovated to create a new, larger Wildlife Hospital.
Classrooms and exhibit space will be added to provide better quality and
quantity of space for our environmental education programs, and the Wildlife
Ambassadors will enjoy larger, more naturalized enclosures. Read more...
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Enjoy videos of our first baby squirrels of 2013,
and watch WildCare Medical Staff give one baby
a second chance at life!
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March 5, 2013
Three tiny baby squirrels tucked snugly into their treetop nest, had a rude awakening Wednesday morning.
Something, maybe landscaping work in the garden, shook the nest loose and suddenly the three little babies found themselves tumbling to the ground.
Too small to do anything except cheep in frustration, these tiny babies lay in the leaf litter until the gardener heard their high-pitched cries and brought them to WildCare.
Take a look at the VIDEO...
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Nestling Scrub Jays photo by Alison Hermance
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March 5, 2013
Is there a tree or bush in your yard that needs some pruning? Planning to trim it this weekend? WildCare asks you to please stop and consider the time of year-- if it's spring or summer, animals of all species may be using your tree as a nursery even as you read this!
Every spring, baby animals that have been orphaned or injured because their nests were damaged or removed arrive at WildCare. Most people are appalled to find they have caused these accidents, especially when the injury to wildlife is so easy to prevent: just procrastinate!
Take a look...
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Is there rodenticide in your neighborhood?
View our map to find out...
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February 27, 2013
WildCare's data indicates that the answer is probably yes.
Of the 138 samples sent to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory (CAHFS) at UC Davis in 2012, an astonishing 75.6% of tested patients show some exposure to these toxic poisons.
The consequences of that amount of toxic poison in our environment are staggering.
Take a look...
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Playground Photo by Alison Hermance
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February 27, 2013
It's not just wildlife (and rodents) that are affected. These toxic substances are not only available but are promoted to the general public, and their use in private homes, on school campuses, in public parks and even in child care centers puts our children and our pets at risk too!
Read more...
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Baby Barn Owls in attic Photo by Alex Godbe
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February 27, 2013
Test after test of WildCare patients has shown that raptors that eat poisoned rodents become poisoned themselves. Our recently released 2012 laboratory data on rodenticide exposure in tested predator animals reveals that an astonishing 75.6% of tested patients carried some rodenticide in their blood and body tissues.
But the only real and permanent solution to a rodent problem is prevention.
Take a look...
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Western Gray Squirrel by Doug Price
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February 19, 2013
by Lucy Burlingham, WildCare Squirrel Team Leader
Late winter and early spring are breeding season for tree squirrels
in Marin. This ensures that young emerge during a time of plenty as
trees begin producing buds, leaves and flowers after winter dormancy.
This could explain an unusually large number of Western Gray Squirrels I
observed recently around a house in Fairfax.
Take a look...
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Opossum #0050 at WildCare Photo by Alison Hermance
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February 19, 2013
A car sideswiped opossum #0050 on January 29, 2013, and it was a blow that should have killed him.
He
was seen tottering in circles in the parking lot of a 7-11— this
circling behavior an obvious sign of head trauma. The single-minded
commitment to his path indicated he was confused and disoriented too.
When rescuers approached to capture the opossum and bring him to
WildCare, they saw that his muzzle was completely covered in blood, and
more blood was dripping from a clearly-injured jaw.
Take a look...
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Anna's Hummingbirds mating photo by Tom Grey
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February 11, 2013
We may have invented the Valentine's Day holiday, but like almost
everything else we do, our choice of date in mid-February has roots in
the natural world.
All those amorous urges link us firmly to the animal kingdom, where
romance is the order of the month in February. Here’s what some of your
(wild) neighbors are getting up to.
Take a look...
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Photo by Kirk McCabe
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February 5, 2013
In a shocking revelation of exactly how dangerous rodenticides are to our environment, WildCare data reveal that even rare and endangered birds of prey like the Northern Spotted Owl are being affected.
The Northern Spotted Owl is listed as threatened under the Federal
Endangered Species Act, primarily due to habitat loss and competition
with another owl species.
Northern Spotted Owls thrive on the native Dusky-footed Woodrat found in their deep forest habitat, but as human and Spotted Owl territories overlap more and more, the birds are preying on non-native rodents like the roof and Norway rats that are targeted by people using rat poisons.
For three owls in 2012, eating non-native rodents probably contributed to their deaths.
The loss of these birds to an already threatened population is devastating.
Take a look...
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Northern Spotted Owls photo by Nick Cedar
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February 5, 2013
Northern Spotted Owls have been on the Federal Endangered Species List since 1990, but despite conservation efforts, this shy forest owl is still facing declining habitat and other significant threats including competition and interbreeding with an invasive owl species, the Barred Owl.
WildCare's Wildlife Ambassador Northern Spotted Owl Sequoia contributed blood samples to a genome project for these owls. He fell from his nest in Muir Woods before Barred Owls reached the area. Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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January 28, 2013
WildCare patient #0036 lost a fight. No
doubt a lovely lady attracted his attention with her elegant black and
white stripes, but another suitor proved stronger, and our little
patient was left disoriented and with a sorely disheartened attitude.
Greenbrae
residents woke in the middle of the night to the sounds of animals
fighting and the smell of skunk, but they didn't worry about it until
morning when they spied a huddled black and white figure sitting
shivering and unmoving near their front steps. Take a look...
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Install a chimney cap to prevent intruders of all stripes. Photo by Hal Brindley
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January 28, 2013
Wildlife likes your home as much as you do, and if there's access to food, water and shelter on your property, wildlife may be moving in with you this spring! With skunk mating season in full swing, it's only a matter of time before a pregnant female starts looking for a good denning site to raise her young.
Don't want her under your deck? Hurry! Follow our 24-point Self Home Inspection Guide to humanely exclude her from your property. OR call WildCare Solutions to do it for you at 415-453-1000 x23!
Take a look…
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A River Otter, named Sutro Sam by local biologists, eats a fish he
caught while swimming at the Sutro Baths. The otter may have come
from Marin County.
Photo: Sean Havey, The Chronicle
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January 28, 2013
The first River Otter in San Francisco for decades has become quite the star at Sutro Baths. The playful otter has attracted large numbers of visitors, but his popularity is putting him at serious risk.
It is wonderful to see people enjoying nature at its best, but the drawback is that WildCare is receiving reports that members of the public are feeding this otter, while others are actually allowing their dogs to swim with him. It is imperative for the otter's survival that these activities stop. If they do not they are likely to result in his death.
Take a look...
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Photo by Josephine Stipe
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January 23, 2013
Over the last several years, WildCare admitted a series of raccoons with unexplained neurological symptoms.
Using WildCare's data from amples sent to the California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAFHS) laboratory at UC Davis, the pathologists uncovered a never-before-documented brain tumor in the raccoons' olfactory regions as the cause of the animals' symptoms. Take a look...
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These tiny raccoons grew up to be healthy, happy juveniles who were released! Photo by Melanie Piazza
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January 23, 2013
Raccoons #445 and 446 were “admitted” on May 3, 2012 around 5pm under unusual circumstances. Their mother had been found circling at the intersection of Mission and G Streets in San Rafael, and was brought to WildCare.
X-rays and an exam showed no obvious injuries, but revealed that she was carrying two full-term fetuses! When the mother raccoon died on the exam table, we decided to save the unborn babies.
Take a look...
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Feeding a Great Horned Owl photo by Alison Hermance
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January 23, 2013
See some of the amazing things our volunteers get to do in collection of photos from two days in the Wildlife Hospital then register for one of the Volunteer Orientations on January 26 or 27, 2013!
Take a look...
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Photo by Alison Hermance
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January 14, 2013
In WildCare's Wildlife Hospital,
our volunteers get to see and do amazing things. We admit over 200
different species of wildlife, and each patient has his own fascinating
natural history and requirements for care.
Working in the
Wildlife Hospital is a great way to meet the weird, wonderful and wild
creatures with which we share our world-- creatures like these little
babies. Do you know what they are?
Hint: If you live in a city, you see them every day. What are they? Take a look...
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Band-tailed Pigeons on Dogwood illustration by John James Audubon
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January 14, 2013
Hardly anyone thinks of pigeons as
a threatened species, but that is because we tend to think of our city
Rock Pigeons, which have become very successful in human environments.
Not so for the Band-tailed Pigeon, however. Our only native
California pigeons have a tough time because their lifestyle is very
different.
Take a look...
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Ever wonder what's behind the scenes (or
under the wings?) at WildCare? Volunteers work hands-on with our more
than 4,000 wild animal patients.
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January 7, 2013
If you've ever brought an injured
animal to WildCare, you've probably wondered what happens once he's
admitted to the Wildlife Hospital.
For our patients' safety and welfare, our license from the California
Department of Fish and Wildlife does not permit visitors beyond the
front desk. But trained volunteers work behind the scenes and hands-on
with our wildlife patients every day!
Take a look at what happens behind the scenes at WildCare. Watch our video and meet some of our most wonderful patients!
Take a look...
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Resolve to think about your wild neighors when you trim trees or seal openings in your structure. Photo by Alison Hermance
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January 7, 2013
Along with your personal resolutions to maybe lose
weight, get more exercise, stop smoking and drink less, WildCare would
like you to consider making some resolutions that will help make the
world a better place for wildlife as well as people.
Take a look...
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