Rescue of the Week: The Sole Survivor (Baby Raccoon)

The Sole Survivor: would you like to help him?

A tree fell.

Little did the family who lived on the property know, at the time, that the tree was a home to another family.  By the time the homeowners found the raccoons, the mother and all of the babies were dead....

...Except for one.

The Sole Survivor was barely alive.  He was dehydrated and very weak.  When he was delivered to Wes at New York Wildlife Rescue Center, his chances for survival were slim.

He was given fluids and once rehydrated, attempts to feed were initiated.  The little fellow was so debilitated, that he could not even suck on the bottle.  Wes fed him for several days, 'round the clock, with an eye dropper and special formula.  Finally, he told the baby, "Listen, little guy, if you're going to survive, you're going to have to start putting some effort into it."

Shortly afterward, the baby raccoon figured out what the nipple was, and started to do his part.  Since then, he's been improving greatly, and is now a greedy little fellow who takes his meals happily.  His chances for survival have increased considerably, and we're now pretty confident that he'll survive to be released.

This little fellow is eating well, and going through about $10 worth of formula and supplies each week.  Once he gets older, he'll eat more, requiring other foods besides his bottle, so the cost of caring for this one baby is going to go up.  We're looking at between $250-$300 worth of care, food and supplies for this one baby raccoon through the summer months.

Would you like to help with his care?  If so, we at NYWRC, and this little Sole Survivor, would be ever so grateful.

Just click the Paypal button on this page, or if you prefer to mail a check, that can go to

New York Wildlife Rescue Center

c/o Wes Laraway

PO Box 410

Middleburgh, NY 12122

Thank you for visiting our blog, and thinking good thoughts for our little survivor!

Rainy Day Updates

     April Showers may bring May flowers but I am already seeing the little crocus flowers popping out all over the lawn. The Turkey Vultures have been back in the area for almost a month now. I can smell the air, look at the new mission in the birds attitudes and I know that spring is here. The extra daylight hours have given me more time after school (and weekends) to get spring chores done. Our lawn looks like a frozen minfield of defrosted dog poop.  My wife has been connected to a rake for hours but her persistence is looking great. I cant wait to mow the lawn, dont try to understand it......I love mowing the lawn.
     St Pattys Day was uneventful, Easter with family was nice.  I have sent in our taxes and now hope to win the lottery to pay all of the bills. A corporate sponsor would ease a lot of the financial pressure on what we do.  Since we are entirely not for profit, all donations are tax deductible.   Right now, your donations are the only thing keeping our mission going, we couldnt do it without you.   The demands placed upon us get greater every year.  Our Easter Photo (5th annual) Spring Fundraiser was great as always. Our sincere thanks go out to Shelly Wood Photography for doing this for us every year. We also need to thank Kelly's Farm and Garden in Cobleskill and our friends at the Middleburgh Hardware Store for providing the location and hospitality.
     The only other thing we are doing to generate operating expenses (besides teaching fulltime at MCS) are our awesome "Wildlife Alive" education shows.  I have been on the road a lot with our message of conservation and wildlife preservation. Mrs. Burgetts Environmental Class and I have gotten over 100 Kestral Boxes hung up around Schoharie County. What an awesome project and it is not too late to get your box for $20- and get it hung up in time to get a family of Kestral Falcons nesting in it this year.  I will have the last batch of boxes with me at the SUNY Cobleskill Wildlife Festival on April 27th.  All of our events are on our website, try to tell friends and family about what we do and that we survive entirely on donations and programs.
     All of the alpacas have found great homes and we are really happy about our involvement in making that a happy process for nearly 40 great alpacas. The dog that escaped from our place while being groomed has been found and is now back home where she belongs......Thanks Cheryl Baitsholt and Kelly Martin. The deer in Summit (that I was worried about) has spent the winter with an arrow sticking out of her shoulder but amazingly (as I hoped) she  has lost the arrow and has healed nicely.
     We lost two old friends recently. My uncle David Hallock has passed to the other side. I credit him and my aunt Joan for making me into a farmer. RIP.  Thank you for never being too busy to let a kid follow you around asking questions.  It is only appropriate that I mention our pet cow Claire has passed on as well. She was the best cow ever and we all miss her.   I want to Thank a few people right now that I never say thanks to.....my friends in particular. You know who you are and I couldnt do it without you.  You give me a kick in the ass when I need it and a helping hand when I get overwhelmed.  When I wonder outloud why I have to try to save the world,  you smile and give me encouragement.  I get to meet great people all of the time.  I want to thank everyone that sends a check or hits the paypal button when I am looking at the bottom line. I want to Thank everyone that comes to my wildlife shows and tells me how great the shows are afterward. Just in the last couple of weeks, I want to thank the lady that caught the duck with the broken leg. I want to thank the lady that spent days trying to catch a crow with a horrible wing injury because she couldnt stand watching it hop around her yard. I want to thank the guy that chased an injured Barred Owl in the road  over in  Sharon Springs and the SUNY Students that transported it over to me at the school.   When ever I have a bad day and question why I am doing this, I remind myself that it was a destiny not a decision.....  I am lucky to know people that will go out of their way to help a injured, sick or orphaned animal.  It  gives me faith and inspiration that there are good people out there that care about things other than themselves. I am glad that those types of people are those I keep around me as friends....THANKS. WES

Spring Is In The Air

Spring is in the air, I love spring.... I am not even going to complain about the mud this year. Things are getting busy at our farm and I am looking forward to wildlife orphan season starting soon. This past weekend, we picked up another trailer full of alpacas and a guard llama. They will be available for adoption so schedule an appointment to come and meet them. I am thrilled with the homes that we found for the female alpacas. I am confident that we can find great homes for these male alpacas as well.

We also have some very important events coming up. This Wednesday night we will be doing a program on the "Kestrel Project" for the Carlisle Historical Society. We will also be talking "All About Owls". The meeting starts at 7:30 pm. This weekend we encourage everyone to attend our 5th Spring Fundraiser. On Saturday from 11-2 we will be at Agway (in Cobleskill) for Easter Photos with the kids. We will have a bunny or a lamb and Shelley Wood does a beautiful job with the photos. On Sunday we will be at The Middleburgh Hardware from 11-2.... Please come by and see our birds of prey and support our cause.

Middleburgh Rebuilds, This Time for Kestrels

Press Release written by Mollie Burgett, Middleburgh Kestrel Project

                The American Kestrel is a small falcon native to most parts of North America. It feeds primarily on large insects and small rodents. Due to habitat loss and competition from invasive species, American Kestrel populations in our area have declined by an estimated 62% over the past 40 years. That is why students at Middleburgh High School have started a local kestrel conservation program. 

It is the Middleburgh Kestrel Project’s (MKP) hope that we can help to keep this amazing bird from being placed on the threatened species list in the years to come. The project started as a suggestion from local wildlife rehabilitator and teacher Wes Laraway. Mrs. Mollie Burgett’s AP Environmental science class was able to build thirty five nest boxes after a generous grant from the West Fulton Rod and Gun Club and assistance with space, tools and equipment training from David Dickerson in MCS’s technology department. It quickly became evident that thirty five boxes would not be enough to meet demand from the community. Students attending the Capital Region Career and Technical School in Schoharie in Mr. Matt Millard’s class constructed an additional twenty four boxes with another batch currently in the making. Wildlife Management students at SUNY Cobleskill have also placed several nest boxes in conjunction with New York Wildlife Rescue Center.

Middleburgh’s environmental science class will be placing 8 boxes around school grounds in the next week and submitting nesting data to the American Kestrel Partnership. The AKP is a national citizen scientist project that is working to research wide-spread kestrel declines and have recognized and praised the work being done by Middleburgh students. The MKP intends to partner with local business and land owners in placing more boxes for monitoring and research purposes. The Middleburgh Kestrel Project is also consulting local wildlife rehabilitator Kelly Martin as well as NYS DEC in the placement and construction of their boxes. 

The nest boxes are now up for sale. The $20 cost of each box will be put back into the program and used to buy more building supplies. The boxes measure 18 inches tall, eleven inches wide, and eleven inches deep with a 26 inch back mounting board. Boxes come with predrilled mounting holes, screws, shavings for nest substrate and mounting / monitoring instructions. They can be hung from most trees and poles, ideally 8-12 feet off of the ground, if not higher. Placement near a field is essential with the box ideally oriented south east. The best time to hang boxes is now; just before kestrels begin their northward migration, but can be hung as late as April in order to attract kestrels this year. If you have any questions about the project, or would like to purchase and place a kestrel nest box, or make a donation to the project please contact the Middleburgh Kestrel Project through their e-mail:  middleburghkestrels@yahoo.com

Ground Hog Day

      Another 6 weeks of winter, I think that I can handle that Phil.....now get back in your log and go back to sleep.  I couldn't sleep again last night. One of my many problems is that I think too much.  I wanted to start this blog with my condolences to the Burton family on the death of one of the two kittens that they adopted from us at Xmas time.  The little guy was a mess between ear mites and respirtory problems....many trips to the vet, I am really sorry that you (and your kids) had to go through that heartbreak and expense.  I really try to do the right thing. It was right to get all of those kittens into new loving homes.  I am so tired of so many things..... so many people, so many problems and so much animal abuse.....  I know I can't save the world but I can change the world for one animal at a time.  I have four favorite quotes on my desk at school.

     "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give" Churchill
   "Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little" Burke
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind dont matter and those who matter dont mind " Seuss
     " You can judge a nation by the way it treats its animals" Gandhi

    So many people want so many things.....I dont.    When all is said and done and they kick me in a hole, I want the world to have been a better place because I was in it.   If more people tried to make a difference, the world could be a much better place.  It isnt always about you. What have you done to make the world a better place lately? Volunteer for a community group or walk dogs at the local shelter? Help a kid get a winter jacket?  Save an unwanted pet?  I will get off my soap box, I am only one guy.....and one guy can make a difference.   Donating time or money does make a difference.

    Speaking of making a difference, I have to share what our science teacher Mrs. Burgett at MCS is doing with her students. She has started a Kestrel Nesting Box Project with her Environmental Ed students......  What she is doing is amazing and I will post her press release to the blog later today.   She has so many people involved in this project and it is so worthwhile.  The Kestrel Falcon has decreased drastically in numbers over the last couple of decades due in large part to loss of nesting sites.  With her students and students at Schoharie VOTEC, they are distributing Kestrel Nestboxes to anyone that wants to put one up for $20-.  That is very cheap and all profits after expenses are being invested right back into making more boxes which will be hung around the MCS property and where I have seen Kestrels locally.   They have built, sold and hung over 50 boxes already. I am really impressed by what they are doing and have bought several boxes to support the project. Great time of year to buy and hang a box since Kestrels will be returning from Central America soon and will be looking for nesting sites. Email me at Laraway@midtel.net if you would like to buy a box to get hung up this month.  I love this project.

     We have also already started to book a lot of events for 2013 already. Gayle and I will try to get the events page on our website updated on a regular basis so you can see where we will be doing Wildlife Alive Programs.  I also want everyone to take a look at our 2013 Donors page of the website.  Hopefully your name is on that list, these are the people that we could not continue without.    I have so many great plans, all it takes is a dollar and a dream.   Ill be back later with more info on the Kestrel project, WES

Winter Blues

    Not much new since last time I blogged. I went ice fishing for the first time ever. It was fun but it was really cold and windy.   I caught a fish when we were picking up the tip-ups to leave. I could see how on a nice day, with a shanty, cooler, bbq and some good friends it could be really fun.  I think that I am ready for spring. I am not looking forward to anymore of that -25 degree nonsense again.  It makes everything real miserable.   I love being outside and working.  I try not to complain about things that I can't change but that was just too cold.....
     Schoharie County finally had an animal rescue, see this weeks Times Journal.....a local cat hoarder got shut down.  She has been cooperating completely and asking for help.  She has even been getting cat food (for months) from the Animal Shelter.   Simple fact is that no one wants cats by the dozen and it is too expensive to have them neutered and spayed.  I dont really want to talk about it because I will get depressed.  I am sick of some of the other groups that call themselves "rescues".  I have said for years that there should be some sort of accrediation process for becoming a licensed or inspected rescue group.  I have seen it time and time again over the last 20+ years we have been saving animals.  Some of the worst rescues that I have ever been on have been other animal rescue groups that have gotten in over their heads and can no longer do things the right way.  I try not to judge the people, just help the animals.   Anyone calling themselves a rescue should be OPEN to the public and you should be able to visit their animals.
     The alpaca gals have been happily going to their new homes. I have 4 more leaving this weekend to go to their new forever home.   That should leave us with just 5 of the gals waiting for homes.
The hard part is going to be getting the next load of alpaca boys here in between bad weather, storms, etc....  They will all have to get gelded as well.   It will be a lot harder to manage 20-40 males. It will also be a lot more expensive than finding the female alpacas homes.   I know that this time of year is hard for everyone financially but donations are few and far between for the first quarter of every year.
      Have a great Superbowl this sunday.....enjoy the spring like weather today.  Tell anyone you know that would like to adopt alpacas to give me a call. :) Till next time, WES

Bloodhound x Coonhound pup needs new home

Update: Dixie has found a new home.  Thank you for your interest!
 

Hi, all.  One of our supporters is in need of a new home for her beautiful pup.  We offered to help her spread the word.

Please read the note below, enjoy the photos, and use the contact information provided by the puppy's current owner if you are interested in this pretty little girl.
--Your Friends at NYWRC--

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I NEED A GOOD HOME

I am an eight month old tri-color bloodhound/coonhound mix female.  I am very friendly, loving and playful.  I like to use my long legs to run and play ball and I get along well with kids, cats and other dogs.  My shots are up to date and was spayed in October.  I don’t have much room to play now and the road is too close.  I am a puppy in training and need more attention and a schedule.  I can bring along my bed to your house but need a large crate because I am around 50 lbs.

Call me Dixie