As the temperatures drop, the visiting birds head to warmer climates, the mammals hibernate or really slow down in activity, and all our native Indiana wildlife says a temporary goodbye to “new baby season”. This means a lot less work for our busy wildlife rehabiliators and clinic staff until next spring.
So how many wild animals actually passed through our doors this spring/summer? We lost count. However, we asked Liz Hatton of “For the Birds Of Indiana” a federally licensed wild bird rehabilitation center (see their website: http://home.mindspring.com/~chris.hatton/ )
While full statistics are not in, their facility cared for 507 federally protected birds, and 175 non-protected birds (pigeons and some other non-native birds) this spring and summer! At the end of the year, Liz will provide us with statistics on how many survived to be released back into the wild, and some other interesting data.
How can you help us and our wildlife rehabilitators? Save us those worn but still good towels, and consider a donation of heating pads, bleach, laundry detergent, or Science Diet small kibble size puppy food so our rehabilitators and staff will be ready for next spring. Or call and we’ll find out what our team needs most at the moment.
In the meantime, we expect to see the usual number of injured hawks and owls, as they tend to stay busy (and get into trouble) all year long!
One of the most interesting wildlife cases was these 3 poor sparrows who ended up in a sticky trap. Their wings were stuck to the trap, and covered with glue. We gave each bird a sedative to reduce the stress of handling and prevent them from struggling. Once freed, each bird was washed carefully. All made a complete recovery and were released back outside.