Yes, the results are in, the raccoon was positive for rabies. I really just dont get people. The whole story I blogged about is a classic example of everything that is wrong with wildlife regulations and peoples lack of knowledge in them. This motorist is lucky, we had his license plate. His good deed could have been a death sentence. I was lucky, I got to talk the ACO through procedures and didnt have to drive an hour to kill the coon for testing. I have no problems with laws, I repeat, I am a volunteer. I dont have a badge or any authority to deal with these coon problems.
As I blog, a very nice woman from Amsterdam called me. She has a drunk looking coon stumbling around her yard. She got it to walk in a dog crate by sitting the crate in front of the coon. She called everyone, everyone said they didnt want to deal with it...I dont like it. A Sherriffs Deputy is supposedly in route to answer the call. Lets hope the coon doesnt have to suffer any longer.
On a positive, Dean Haskins ( a friend I havnt seen since high school) transported the 5 Chinchillas down to me from up north, all have been adopted...I like happy endings. I try to focus on the happy endings....... My wife and I were talking last night about the coon from the Capital District Drama. The first thing she said was "While everyone was deciding who had to deal with it, did anyone take in to consideration that the animal was suffering for over 3 hours?" I did, I repeat, I did. I didnt like it......I dont like it now either. I cant blog anymore because it is happening again right now while I write this.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Raccoons and Regulations
"Saving just one animal wont change the world.....but surely, the world will change for that one animal". A friend sent me that quote last night, I like it. I got it right before the phone rang at about 930 at night, which is always a Trooper, Sherriff's Deputy, ACO (Animal Control Officer), or a upset civilian with animal issues. I had just got off the phone with a really great man. There are two dogs in a kennel, no shelter near his house and he is concerned for their well being....it is abuse, nothing will get done....I DONT have a badge or any ACO authority at all. I just run a huge animal rescue facility, have almost bankrupted my family several times and have no legal authority to get people to feed their horse or take care of their dogs. What I do know is that the squeeky wheel gets grease. I do know how to get people to do their jobs, it might take a couple of weeks but people can be pressured to do the right thing. I hung up the phone, kind of depressed about not being able to give the guy any quick solution. Remember do not take the law into your own hands, DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Write down dates, times, take photos and keep track of vital facts. It can all be used to force someone to feed their animals, get them shelter or for a law enforcement officer to write tickets....people dont like fines. My next advice is ALWAYS cover your ass, by documenting everything and knowing the laws....you can keep yourself from being sued.
Shortly after I hung up with the man concerned about the dogs left outside 24/7 with no shelter (a violation of Ag and Markets Animal Welfare Law). The phone rang again, ohhhh no I am thinking. Another Wildlife Rescue Network had gotten a call that they couldnt handle. RVS or Rabies Vector Species are tough to handle because few people in the State of NY are licensed to handle them. (That problem is another story, this story will show the need) I called the woman, It was an Animal Control Officer in the Capital District (I never use names/agencies). She had answered a call on a busy city street where a car had run over a Raccoon, which I thought was strange on a very cold, windy winter night. She had responded to the call where a concerned motorist had stopped, removed the Coon from the road and had left the scene. The first problem that I had with this was who is he, where did he go and DID HE TOUCH THE COON? As I was talking the ACO through what she needed to do and her options, the motorist showed up and was irate that she hadnt put the wounded coon in her van yet. She put me on speaker phone while she was getting the coon in a box into a crate and into the heated van. I tried to explain to the man that we needed his name and number and I would do whatever I could to help the Coon but procedure had to be followed. He said he paid taxes, said that we were doing everything wrong and fled the scene of the incident but luckily we had his license plate number. A witness (whose name and number we already had) said she saw him pick the Coon up and put it in the box with his bare hands. A foolish move to deny and a action that will cost the wounded coon his life. With the info up to this point, I told the ACO that she would have to take the Coon to a 24 hour Emergency Vet Clinic (name not included here), have it euthanized and they would need to send it to Wadsworth Lab for Rabies testing. The coon had been hit by 3 cars, was squealing in pain but fighting death. I thought that was the end of a bad day for the coon, concerned motorist and the ACO that had been "off duty" for 2 hours by this point. Once she got to the Vet Clinic, since the Coon was still alive, they wouldnt take it, wouldnt euthanize it and wouldnt help her...said they were not licensed.....Am I the only one in the State that has a license to handle Coons? Im back on speaker phone again by this point, the vet agreed to package and send it to the lab if it was dead.... they didnt have a pole syringe (which I find amazing). The ACO does not have her Rabies Vacinations (which I find amazing)....NO ONE wanted to deal with this. Dispatch was pissed the ACO picked the coon up (she had to there was human exposure, she is sworn to protect the public), No one would come to shoot the coon (not the humane euthanasia I had visioned) and this poor ACO was at the end of her options and talking about driving the coon an hour and a half to me.
Very few people are aware of rabies protocol, the hazards of raccoon roundworms in their feces (also fatal in humans), nor the procedures for dealing with a coon after a human has been exposed by touching them, being bitten, etc.. My last resort, I told her to call DEC Dispatch and have them send out a CO (Conservation Officer) to euthanize the coon. The ACO was thrilled and told me the officer that was responding, I know the officer so I called him to let him know what the situation was. I look forward to hearing the results of this rabies test, if it is positive, this motorist is really lucky that this ACO got his license plate number. I wish that I could have saved the coon but it wasnt in the cards in this hand. Im glad that I could do this one by phone and I wished that more law enforcement officers, veterinarians, ACO's, health departments and civilians knew the procedures for handling wildlife RVS rabies potential exposure. Your lesson for the day, if you see a injured animal in the road....do NOT touch it. Even if it is not rabid (which it most likely isnt) hooves and talons can be just as dangerous. I actually had someone bring me a deer last year (that had been hit by a car)in their backseat....very foolish. I should write a book.:) Later.
Shortly after I hung up with the man concerned about the dogs left outside 24/7 with no shelter (a violation of Ag and Markets Animal Welfare Law). The phone rang again, ohhhh no I am thinking. Another Wildlife Rescue Network had gotten a call that they couldnt handle. RVS or Rabies Vector Species are tough to handle because few people in the State of NY are licensed to handle them. (That problem is another story, this story will show the need) I called the woman, It was an Animal Control Officer in the Capital District (I never use names/agencies). She had answered a call on a busy city street where a car had run over a Raccoon, which I thought was strange on a very cold, windy winter night. She had responded to the call where a concerned motorist had stopped, removed the Coon from the road and had left the scene. The first problem that I had with this was who is he, where did he go and DID HE TOUCH THE COON? As I was talking the ACO through what she needed to do and her options, the motorist showed up and was irate that she hadnt put the wounded coon in her van yet. She put me on speaker phone while she was getting the coon in a box into a crate and into the heated van. I tried to explain to the man that we needed his name and number and I would do whatever I could to help the Coon but procedure had to be followed. He said he paid taxes, said that we were doing everything wrong and fled the scene of the incident but luckily we had his license plate number. A witness (whose name and number we already had) said she saw him pick the Coon up and put it in the box with his bare hands. A foolish move to deny and a action that will cost the wounded coon his life. With the info up to this point, I told the ACO that she would have to take the Coon to a 24 hour Emergency Vet Clinic (name not included here), have it euthanized and they would need to send it to Wadsworth Lab for Rabies testing. The coon had been hit by 3 cars, was squealing in pain but fighting death. I thought that was the end of a bad day for the coon, concerned motorist and the ACO that had been "off duty" for 2 hours by this point. Once she got to the Vet Clinic, since the Coon was still alive, they wouldnt take it, wouldnt euthanize it and wouldnt help her...said they were not licensed.....Am I the only one in the State that has a license to handle Coons? Im back on speaker phone again by this point, the vet agreed to package and send it to the lab if it was dead.... they didnt have a pole syringe (which I find amazing). The ACO does not have her Rabies Vacinations (which I find amazing)....NO ONE wanted to deal with this. Dispatch was pissed the ACO picked the coon up (she had to there was human exposure, she is sworn to protect the public), No one would come to shoot the coon (not the humane euthanasia I had visioned) and this poor ACO was at the end of her options and talking about driving the coon an hour and a half to me.
Very few people are aware of rabies protocol, the hazards of raccoon roundworms in their feces (also fatal in humans), nor the procedures for dealing with a coon after a human has been exposed by touching them, being bitten, etc.. My last resort, I told her to call DEC Dispatch and have them send out a CO (Conservation Officer) to euthanize the coon. The ACO was thrilled and told me the officer that was responding, I know the officer so I called him to let him know what the situation was. I look forward to hearing the results of this rabies test, if it is positive, this motorist is really lucky that this ACO got his license plate number. I wish that I could have saved the coon but it wasnt in the cards in this hand. Im glad that I could do this one by phone and I wished that more law enforcement officers, veterinarians, ACO's, health departments and civilians knew the procedures for handling wildlife RVS rabies potential exposure. Your lesson for the day, if you see a injured animal in the road....do NOT touch it. Even if it is not rabid (which it most likely isnt) hooves and talons can be just as dangerous. I actually had someone bring me a deer last year (that had been hit by a car)in their backseat....very foolish. I should write a book.:) Later.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Tis the Season
'Tis the Season to be Jolly and thankful for everything we all have ... friends, family, all types of critters, wildlife rescue facilities.... You get the drift. After my last post, I had to take a little break from my blogs. I never get sick of the animals, most of the folks I meet are cool people that do what they can to help an animal, send New York Wildlife Rescue Center a donation or help us out by volunteering up here. Just a quick reminder, there are some great products for sale in our store section of our website. For those of you that like to send out the support in the form of a check, you still have about two weeks to get the checks in for this tax year deduction.
I've spent the last few weeks catching up on reports, license renewals, rehab logs, etc. My individual Wildlife Rehabilitation Log for the DEC is 40 pages of wild birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. My RVS intake forms for the 40 raccoons, 10 skunks and a dozen bats are over 30 pages. This year alone, my log alone has over 200 wildlife entries. Add my wife's squirrels, and what our BOD and Associated Rehabbers in our network have done, I would not be surprised at all if the total for our group is well over 500 wild animals saved this year. It is NOT a contest to see how many animals I can save. I just do what I can do and we try to do things first class not half-assed, one animal at a time. Add in our domestic pet rescues, livestock and exotic animal rescues ... wow, no wonder I'm so tired lately. Being a perfectionist, I was complaining to a friend the other day about how much more I could do and was thinking out loud about how many more animals I could save. I often wonder if I am making a difference in the world ... maybe not, but as my friend pointed out, I make a big difference to the animals and kids I help. I do know that we wouldn't have a website and a lot of paperwork wouldn't have gotten done without the help of my very good friend Gayle Nastasi, visit her website from our links, it is great and she is very talented. I am lucky to have her as a friend and on our BOD.
When I was trying to figure out what to write about tonight, I figured I would start with my standard apology for not blogging. I don't want to do a reflection on the year (yet), but looking back over the last year ... we have accomplished more than many of the animal rescue facilities that have large budgets, with taxpayer support and paid staff members. I am very proud of what we have done. If I can keep up with fundraising, facility construction, rehabbing the animals, public relations, paperwork, my job teaching, my family and my wife ... we are going to build a facility here that will be second to none and will long outlive me.
In November I attended a NYS Falconers Banquet. It was a fun time, I bid on some great items in the secret auction. Unfortunately I didn't win any of it but hey, all it takes is a dollar and a dream. Also in November, I went to the NY Wildlife Rehabilitation Council's Conference in Lake George. It was a great conference, lots of great friends, food and drink (it is my vacation also). I went to as many of the classes as I could that were on Raptors. As always, I really learned a lot and it was well worth attending. Networking is half the battle of being a good rehabber. I got to see and meet a lot of great Wildlife Rehabbers at the conferences and I learn a lot over a few drinks. I really want to encourage EVERYONE to take the test and become a wildlife rehabilitator. Remember that becoming a rehabber is one of the most rewarding things you can do. You can put as much time into it as you can afford (mentally and financially) and say no when you are in over your head. The demand is huge for new rehabbers, I believe that there are only a couple of dozen licensed RVS Rehabbers that can legally do raccoons, skunks and bats in the entire STATE of NY. My wife is like most rehabbers, she found her niche, she only does squirrels. Some rehabbers only do rabbits (only have to be fed twice a day). Some only do baby birds, every 20 minutes ... yikes.... The key to being a good rehabber is having a good mentor. If you are interested in doing this crazy thing of saving wild animals, you MUST get a good mentor. A good teacher is better than any book and you will burn out if you don't get taught right and stay on the cutting edge in new techniques for giving animals (that often want to die) some life. I've had one of the best mentors; Kelly Martin has done this for over 20 years. She is President of NY Wildlife Rehab Council and she is one of the best rehabbers that I have ever met. You can go to DEC's website, order the study materials, enroll to take the test but it is almost impossible to figure out what license you need for what animals. It is impossible to keep track of renewals, applications and logs. I am the most organized person that I ever met and I often say "I need another license for that?" or "When is that form due?" or "No wonder why no one does this...." :) A good mentor is very important to show you how to do it right and keep your sanity in the process.
I have done my required hours working with Kelly, I have the hundreds of hours needed and have received my US Fish and Wildlife Federal Migratory Bird Rehabilitation Permit now. Kelly is a great teacher, she lets me learn some things on my own and then smiles when I figure it out, she often puts on her glasses when I now know I am going to see something new, she gives me a kick in the ass when I need it or am in need of a pep talk. I am waiting to receive my own Federal Special Purpose Migratory Bird Educational License. I will be learning how to rehab animals better for the rest of my life, it will be nice to be done collecting licenses.
Kelly lost a very special Raptor this week that anyone that has ever seen our educational shows knows well. Hooter the Great Horned Owl was one of Kelly's first educational raptors, added to her federal license in 1985. Hooter would go anywhere, would sit on your fist forever and was always the bird that never got off his stand, rarely gave us a hard time ... just the dream bird that will be missed greatly by all. I'm sorry for your loss Kelly.
Enough for tonight.
I've spent the last few weeks catching up on reports, license renewals, rehab logs, etc. My individual Wildlife Rehabilitation Log for the DEC is 40 pages of wild birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. My RVS intake forms for the 40 raccoons, 10 skunks and a dozen bats are over 30 pages. This year alone, my log alone has over 200 wildlife entries. Add my wife's squirrels, and what our BOD and Associated Rehabbers in our network have done, I would not be surprised at all if the total for our group is well over 500 wild animals saved this year. It is NOT a contest to see how many animals I can save. I just do what I can do and we try to do things first class not half-assed, one animal at a time. Add in our domestic pet rescues, livestock and exotic animal rescues ... wow, no wonder I'm so tired lately. Being a perfectionist, I was complaining to a friend the other day about how much more I could do and was thinking out loud about how many more animals I could save. I often wonder if I am making a difference in the world ... maybe not, but as my friend pointed out, I make a big difference to the animals and kids I help. I do know that we wouldn't have a website and a lot of paperwork wouldn't have gotten done without the help of my very good friend Gayle Nastasi, visit her website from our links, it is great and she is very talented. I am lucky to have her as a friend and on our BOD.
When I was trying to figure out what to write about tonight, I figured I would start with my standard apology for not blogging. I don't want to do a reflection on the year (yet), but looking back over the last year ... we have accomplished more than many of the animal rescue facilities that have large budgets, with taxpayer support and paid staff members. I am very proud of what we have done. If I can keep up with fundraising, facility construction, rehabbing the animals, public relations, paperwork, my job teaching, my family and my wife ... we are going to build a facility here that will be second to none and will long outlive me.
In November I attended a NYS Falconers Banquet. It was a fun time, I bid on some great items in the secret auction. Unfortunately I didn't win any of it but hey, all it takes is a dollar and a dream. Also in November, I went to the NY Wildlife Rehabilitation Council's Conference in Lake George. It was a great conference, lots of great friends, food and drink (it is my vacation also). I went to as many of the classes as I could that were on Raptors. As always, I really learned a lot and it was well worth attending. Networking is half the battle of being a good rehabber. I got to see and meet a lot of great Wildlife Rehabbers at the conferences and I learn a lot over a few drinks. I really want to encourage EVERYONE to take the test and become a wildlife rehabilitator. Remember that becoming a rehabber is one of the most rewarding things you can do. You can put as much time into it as you can afford (mentally and financially) and say no when you are in over your head. The demand is huge for new rehabbers, I believe that there are only a couple of dozen licensed RVS Rehabbers that can legally do raccoons, skunks and bats in the entire STATE of NY. My wife is like most rehabbers, she found her niche, she only does squirrels. Some rehabbers only do rabbits (only have to be fed twice a day). Some only do baby birds, every 20 minutes ... yikes.... The key to being a good rehabber is having a good mentor. If you are interested in doing this crazy thing of saving wild animals, you MUST get a good mentor. A good teacher is better than any book and you will burn out if you don't get taught right and stay on the cutting edge in new techniques for giving animals (that often want to die) some life. I've had one of the best mentors; Kelly Martin has done this for over 20 years. She is President of NY Wildlife Rehab Council and she is one of the best rehabbers that I have ever met. You can go to DEC's website, order the study materials, enroll to take the test but it is almost impossible to figure out what license you need for what animals. It is impossible to keep track of renewals, applications and logs. I am the most organized person that I ever met and I often say "I need another license for that?" or "When is that form due?" or "No wonder why no one does this...." :) A good mentor is very important to show you how to do it right and keep your sanity in the process.
I have done my required hours working with Kelly, I have the hundreds of hours needed and have received my US Fish and Wildlife Federal Migratory Bird Rehabilitation Permit now. Kelly is a great teacher, she lets me learn some things on my own and then smiles when I figure it out, she often puts on her glasses when I now know I am going to see something new, she gives me a kick in the ass when I need it or am in need of a pep talk. I am waiting to receive my own Federal Special Purpose Migratory Bird Educational License. I will be learning how to rehab animals better for the rest of my life, it will be nice to be done collecting licenses.
Kelly lost a very special Raptor this week that anyone that has ever seen our educational shows knows well. Hooter the Great Horned Owl was one of Kelly's first educational raptors, added to her federal license in 1985. Hooter would go anywhere, would sit on your fist forever and was always the bird that never got off his stand, rarely gave us a hard time ... just the dream bird that will be missed greatly by all. I'm sorry for your loss Kelly.
Enough for tonight.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Good, Bad, The Ugly
The last two weekends home have been good. I've gotten a lot of firewood cut for our outdoor wood furnace, hopefully by this weekend I will have enough to take us through most of the winter. I hate cutting, splitting and stacking firewood but as we clear the lower pasture and hedgerows on our property it makes sense to utilize the wood instead of burning it in brush piles. I had two friends help me this past weekend and we got a lot done. I have several people that cut wood at our facility with a 50/50 agreement. They help cut up wood, they take 50% ... it is a win/win for all and anything is better than buying thousands of dollars in oil. I would rather use that money towards the non-stop construction going on at NY Wildlife Rescue Center.
Things have been relatively slow with new animals in need coming in. Besides a little mourning dove, some very little 'possums and two raccoons. Due to the fact that fewer animals are coming in, it has opened up some time for me to do paperwork and get the facility ready for winter. I meet a lot of great people as a Wildlife Rehabilitator. Most people do the right thing for the animals that they find. I would imagine that it is tough for people to "give up" the wild animals that they find because it is a natural tendency to want to keep them as pets. If you read my blogs, you know that we don't normally name wildlife and they are not pets and do not get treated like pets. Our job is to get them back into the wild, something that we are good at and take a lot of pride in.
I don't have a lot of regrets or many negative experiences with "Humans" doing what we do. It always amazes me how many people want to volunteer to help me, that send a check (when I know that things are tight for everyone) and drop off their surplus dog kennels, hoses, pails and livestock equipment. Last week I had a negative experience with a person that I would like to share and forget. Everyone has natural tendency to want to be liked, myself included, but if forced to do what is right by an animal or make a human happy -- I will always do what is right by the animal and will never violate the many conditions of my several licenses. I'm not saying that I know everything or that I am perfect but I will do what it takes to do what is right. I will not mention any of them by name, I'm not looking to make enemies, just vent about how foolish some people can be.
I had a man call me last weekend. He said that he had been illegally raising a raccoon and that it was very sick. I told him that there were not many people that took in Rabies Vector Species (such as coons, skunks and bats) but I was one of the people that was licensed. I also explained that we raise a lot of coons, do it right and we are even building a "new" RVS facility due to the huge demand for this type of animal rehabilitation. I explained that what he was doing was illegal but I was more concerned about the safety of his family. Raccoons carry rabies (fatal) and also carry a roundworm parasite that can be fatal and killed two people recently that came into contact with their feces. He agreed to bring me the Coon, which turned out to be two coons when he actually arrived (he wasn't sure that he was going to give me both).
The one sick Coon had a bad urinary track infection. It was a holiday (Columbus Day), I followed procedure and got the coons set up in a large enclosure. They settled in to a large hollow log with food and water. I put the sick coon on some antibotics and wished that he had been brought them to me sooner. The Coon died. Many of the animals that are brought to me die; I try not to focus on the ones that we lose, I try to focus on the hundreds that we save. Due to the rabies exposure to this family, I packaged up the coon for Rabies testing at Wadsworth Lab. I even called the family to let them know that the coon had not survived. Instead of a Thanks for trying.....
This is where the story gets ugly and bad. The man that had brought me the coons (he had been raising illegally) had called a "self proclaimed" wildlife expert, a pathologist, who did not know the details of this case, did not know me and has never been to our facility. Without a license (that I am aware of) to rehab RVS Species himself, he started second guessing what I was doing. He actually told this man (in open violation of the law) to bring him the coons (dead and alive) to him at his place of employment. The man went to our facility knowing that I was in my classroom at school. He planned on taking the animals he had surrendered to us two days prior.
One of the girls that works in our dog grooming shop at our farm, realized what was going on. She knew that I would never allow a living wild animal to be removed from our facility (without a license or a badge) by the general public. She called me at school and told me that there was a man at our facility that was threatening to cut padlocks off of the raccoon enclosure to take "his" coon back. I asked her to put this man on the phone. I told him that what he had done was illegal but that I had never reported him, I can't possibly call DEC Conservation Officers to report every single person that brings me wild animals ... DEC would have to keep men stationed at our facility. When the public brings me wild animals (when they find them) they are doing a good deed and are NOT violating the law. Keeping them in your house for 4 months is illegal. Threatening to break into a locked wildlife facility to steal an animal back is not going to happen nor be tolerated at NY Wildlife Rescue Center. I told this man to remove himself from our facility, that DEC Officers and the State Police would be called. I went out of my way to help him and his raccoons. He was given some really poor advice and now he will have to be accountable for his actions. It really bothers me and this guy owes me and my staff a apology.
I do not get paid for saving the hundreds of animals that I save every year. Last year I spent tens of thousands of dollars of my own money to make our facility one of the best in the Northeast. I do not take kindly to people endangering themselves (and the public) by threatening to cut padlocks off of the wild animal enclosures ... this man will be arrested immediately if he ever sets foot on our property again.
I hope that this man realizes that he has created the current drama and trouble. I have better things to do with my time. Now I plan on putting the whole incident behind me and getting back to work.
Things have been relatively slow with new animals in need coming in. Besides a little mourning dove, some very little 'possums and two raccoons. Due to the fact that fewer animals are coming in, it has opened up some time for me to do paperwork and get the facility ready for winter. I meet a lot of great people as a Wildlife Rehabilitator. Most people do the right thing for the animals that they find. I would imagine that it is tough for people to "give up" the wild animals that they find because it is a natural tendency to want to keep them as pets. If you read my blogs, you know that we don't normally name wildlife and they are not pets and do not get treated like pets. Our job is to get them back into the wild, something that we are good at and take a lot of pride in.
I don't have a lot of regrets or many negative experiences with "Humans" doing what we do. It always amazes me how many people want to volunteer to help me, that send a check (when I know that things are tight for everyone) and drop off their surplus dog kennels, hoses, pails and livestock equipment. Last week I had a negative experience with a person that I would like to share and forget. Everyone has natural tendency to want to be liked, myself included, but if forced to do what is right by an animal or make a human happy -- I will always do what is right by the animal and will never violate the many conditions of my several licenses. I'm not saying that I know everything or that I am perfect but I will do what it takes to do what is right. I will not mention any of them by name, I'm not looking to make enemies, just vent about how foolish some people can be.
I had a man call me last weekend. He said that he had been illegally raising a raccoon and that it was very sick. I told him that there were not many people that took in Rabies Vector Species (such as coons, skunks and bats) but I was one of the people that was licensed. I also explained that we raise a lot of coons, do it right and we are even building a "new" RVS facility due to the huge demand for this type of animal rehabilitation. I explained that what he was doing was illegal but I was more concerned about the safety of his family. Raccoons carry rabies (fatal) and also carry a roundworm parasite that can be fatal and killed two people recently that came into contact with their feces. He agreed to bring me the Coon, which turned out to be two coons when he actually arrived (he wasn't sure that he was going to give me both).
The one sick Coon had a bad urinary track infection. It was a holiday (Columbus Day), I followed procedure and got the coons set up in a large enclosure. They settled in to a large hollow log with food and water. I put the sick coon on some antibotics and wished that he had been brought them to me sooner. The Coon died. Many of the animals that are brought to me die; I try not to focus on the ones that we lose, I try to focus on the hundreds that we save. Due to the rabies exposure to this family, I packaged up the coon for Rabies testing at Wadsworth Lab. I even called the family to let them know that the coon had not survived. Instead of a Thanks for trying.....
This is where the story gets ugly and bad. The man that had brought me the coons (he had been raising illegally) had called a "self proclaimed" wildlife expert, a pathologist, who did not know the details of this case, did not know me and has never been to our facility. Without a license (that I am aware of) to rehab RVS Species himself, he started second guessing what I was doing. He actually told this man (in open violation of the law) to bring him the coons (dead and alive) to him at his place of employment. The man went to our facility knowing that I was in my classroom at school. He planned on taking the animals he had surrendered to us two days prior.
One of the girls that works in our dog grooming shop at our farm, realized what was going on. She knew that I would never allow a living wild animal to be removed from our facility (without a license or a badge) by the general public. She called me at school and told me that there was a man at our facility that was threatening to cut padlocks off of the raccoon enclosure to take "his" coon back. I asked her to put this man on the phone. I told him that what he had done was illegal but that I had never reported him, I can't possibly call DEC Conservation Officers to report every single person that brings me wild animals ... DEC would have to keep men stationed at our facility. When the public brings me wild animals (when they find them) they are doing a good deed and are NOT violating the law. Keeping them in your house for 4 months is illegal. Threatening to break into a locked wildlife facility to steal an animal back is not going to happen nor be tolerated at NY Wildlife Rescue Center. I told this man to remove himself from our facility, that DEC Officers and the State Police would be called. I went out of my way to help him and his raccoons. He was given some really poor advice and now he will have to be accountable for his actions. It really bothers me and this guy owes me and my staff a apology.
I do not get paid for saving the hundreds of animals that I save every year. Last year I spent tens of thousands of dollars of my own money to make our facility one of the best in the Northeast. I do not take kindly to people endangering themselves (and the public) by threatening to cut padlocks off of the wild animal enclosures ... this man will be arrested immediately if he ever sets foot on our property again.
I hope that this man realizes that he has created the current drama and trouble. I have better things to do with my time. Now I plan on putting the whole incident behind me and getting back to work.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Busy,Busy, Busy
Don't call, don't write.... I'm not dead (yet), just really busy. Wildlife Authority at the Power Authority went well. I also took some wildlife to the Schoharie County Youth Conference on Monday. It went really well and the kids were great. Last weekend was the first weekend that I was home in months. I love traveling around and doing our shows but it is always nice to be home and get some work done. Winter is coming and some friends helped me get some projects finished up. I have to get firewood cut before it snows.
Oscar the bobcat went into his new enclosure. We poured concrete, built a building and specially designed a cage for him to be over-wintered in. If he is ever going to go back into the wild he needs lots of exercise but he couldn't have the high trees and dangerous heights that a lot of our other enclosures have because he could break his plate out of his hip if he got having too much fun. The entire enclosure including the concrete and building was around $2500 that I really didn't plan on spending but he is worth it. His cage is neat because it has a squeeze cage built into it for safely catching him. We always do things first class not half-assed around NY Wildlife Rescue Center.
Last weekend was also cool because we got the last of the releasable animals back into the wild before it got too late in the season. Derick and I released 2 skunks, 2 opposums, 2 squirrels and a red fox. These were all critters that needed every advantage of being in captivity but didn't need to be overwintered. We actually flew 2 redtails on a line, using a trick a falconer taught me. We really need to get this flight built so that we can get birds properly conditioned and exercised for release. We have about half of the money that I estimate for materials but I really don't want to start it if I don't think that we can afford to finish it before the snow flies.
This week could be described as "lets ditch our dog week". The week started off with a phone call about a sheep that has been home alone for months. The sheep is happily running around the pasture with my sheep now. I still have 4 kittens that are looking for homes and really wish that someone would adopt them. In the past two days I have adopted out a pitbull, a german wirehair pointer, two labs, a siamese cat, a beagle, and hopefully a little shitzu. I have done my good deed; now stop calling me to find a home for your dog, I am running out of friends to adopt them.
Yesterday, one of the rescued llamas from this spring blessed us with a little female cria. I miss the baby llamas so much, we don't breed any animals anymore so when we get little ones, it is always fun ... even if they are offspring of previously unwanted animals who were destined to a life of misery. They were lucky to be born at NY Wildlife Rescue center, I guess.
Till next time, adopt a kitten.
Wes
Oscar the bobcat went into his new enclosure. We poured concrete, built a building and specially designed a cage for him to be over-wintered in. If he is ever going to go back into the wild he needs lots of exercise but he couldn't have the high trees and dangerous heights that a lot of our other enclosures have because he could break his plate out of his hip if he got having too much fun. The entire enclosure including the concrete and building was around $2500 that I really didn't plan on spending but he is worth it. His cage is neat because it has a squeeze cage built into it for safely catching him. We always do things first class not half-assed around NY Wildlife Rescue Center.
Last weekend was also cool because we got the last of the releasable animals back into the wild before it got too late in the season. Derick and I released 2 skunks, 2 opposums, 2 squirrels and a red fox. These were all critters that needed every advantage of being in captivity but didn't need to be overwintered. We actually flew 2 redtails on a line, using a trick a falconer taught me. We really need to get this flight built so that we can get birds properly conditioned and exercised for release. We have about half of the money that I estimate for materials but I really don't want to start it if I don't think that we can afford to finish it before the snow flies.
This week could be described as "lets ditch our dog week". The week started off with a phone call about a sheep that has been home alone for months. The sheep is happily running around the pasture with my sheep now. I still have 4 kittens that are looking for homes and really wish that someone would adopt them. In the past two days I have adopted out a pitbull, a german wirehair pointer, two labs, a siamese cat, a beagle, and hopefully a little shitzu. I have done my good deed; now stop calling me to find a home for your dog, I am running out of friends to adopt them.
Yesterday, one of the rescued llamas from this spring blessed us with a little female cria. I miss the baby llamas so much, we don't breed any animals anymore so when we get little ones, it is always fun ... even if they are offspring of previously unwanted animals who were destined to a life of misery. They were lucky to be born at NY Wildlife Rescue center, I guess.
Till next time, adopt a kitten.
Wes
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Animal Control
Schoharie County needs an animal control officer. Here in 'Scary Co. we have Dog Wardens for individual townships (There are 16 towns in our county). I think that we need a county wide animal control officer. I know a good part time candidate for that job.... :) The last two nights I have been called out until all hours of the night helping the NY State Police and the Schoharie County Sheriff's Department on animal calls. I do dozens of calls a year for the law enforcement of our county. I receive no compensation at all. I don't even get invited to a Christmas Party. We need a County Wide Animal Control Officer. It could be a part time position. The ACO could coordinate communication between the different dog wardens, assist in natural disaster animal relocation, answer wildlife calls; the job description could be long. Most other counties have an ACO. Most are paid salary, receive a truck, benefits, etc. I would be interested in the position for mileage, stipend and getting it started for the good of the animals and people in this county. Email the Supervisors and Bill Cherry and express the need for creation of a paid ACO (on a part time basis) in Schoharie County.
The Coyote that I rescued Monday night was taken to Dan Sullivan, Grand Gorge Animal Hospital last night after school for an x-ray. We were both optimistic that it could be saved. It had feeling in its rear legs but x-rays revealed a different story. Vertebrae damage in the lower spine made it probable that this young coyote would never walk again. Neither Doctor Sullivan nor I saw any reason for it to endure the process of recovery toward such a bleak quality of life and the pup was humanely euthanized while still unconscious for the x-ray process. I try not to focus on the negatives, I need to stay focused on the positives. I did everything that I could to help this coyote. Dr. Sullivan also donated his time and services. I really appreciate his help and I was very impressed with his practice.
I got home, kind of depressed and helped the guys work on Oscar the bobcat's new enclosure. Made the mistake of taking my boots off before 9pm and the phone rang. Schoharie Co. Sheriffs Dispatcher said a Trooper needed help with two horses in Carlisle that had been running around loose all day. I reluctantly agreed, for the animals and for the safety of people driving in the area, got dressed, got halters, grain, hooked on the trailer and met up with the Trooper to go to where they had been temporarily corralled. With a little bit of coaxing and calm soft talk, I got them on my trailer without hurting them (or me) and we were off for home. By the time I got them settled in for the night, it was pushing 1am.
I am beat today at work; we have an Open House tonight at school so I wont even get home until about 9pm. I think that someone will miss these horses. They have good weight, manes and tails were brushed. The sooner the better that I find their owners because I really don't want two more horses ... we have 9 already at our facility. I will let you know how this story ends.
Kittens: they are so cute, everyone needs one. We have several that desperately need homes. PLEASE help me out with this one. One litter was bottle fed and are super friendly. The other litter was born to the long haired Siamese that I rescued from under a church (she is available for adoption also). If you know of anyone that wants a kitten, please let them know. I will also most likely have a couple of really nice dogs that I will need to find homes for shortly as well. Gotta get back to work, my class is coming in.
FYI- New York Power Authority, Blenheim-Wildlife Festival this weekend. Hope to see you there.
WES
The Coyote that I rescued Monday night was taken to Dan Sullivan, Grand Gorge Animal Hospital last night after school for an x-ray. We were both optimistic that it could be saved. It had feeling in its rear legs but x-rays revealed a different story. Vertebrae damage in the lower spine made it probable that this young coyote would never walk again. Neither Doctor Sullivan nor I saw any reason for it to endure the process of recovery toward such a bleak quality of life and the pup was humanely euthanized while still unconscious for the x-ray process. I try not to focus on the negatives, I need to stay focused on the positives. I did everything that I could to help this coyote. Dr. Sullivan also donated his time and services. I really appreciate his help and I was very impressed with his practice.
I got home, kind of depressed and helped the guys work on Oscar the bobcat's new enclosure. Made the mistake of taking my boots off before 9pm and the phone rang. Schoharie Co. Sheriffs Dispatcher said a Trooper needed help with two horses in Carlisle that had been running around loose all day. I reluctantly agreed, for the animals and for the safety of people driving in the area, got dressed, got halters, grain, hooked on the trailer and met up with the Trooper to go to where they had been temporarily corralled. With a little bit of coaxing and calm soft talk, I got them on my trailer without hurting them (or me) and we were off for home. By the time I got them settled in for the night, it was pushing 1am.
I am beat today at work; we have an Open House tonight at school so I wont even get home until about 9pm. I think that someone will miss these horses. They have good weight, manes and tails were brushed. The sooner the better that I find their owners because I really don't want two more horses ... we have 9 already at our facility. I will let you know how this story ends.
Kittens: they are so cute, everyone needs one. We have several that desperately need homes. PLEASE help me out with this one. One litter was bottle fed and are super friendly. The other litter was born to the long haired Siamese that I rescued from under a church (she is available for adoption also). If you know of anyone that wants a kitten, please let them know. I will also most likely have a couple of really nice dogs that I will need to find homes for shortly as well. Gotta get back to work, my class is coming in.
FYI- New York Power Authority, Blenheim-Wildlife Festival this weekend. Hope to see you there.
WES
Monday, September 21, 2009
COYOTE RESCUE
The last day of summer, how depressing (like we had a summer). Wooly Caterpillars are saying long cold winter (when isn't it). :) In the last week, we have met some great people and gotten some new animals in. Last week we had a call on a wild turkey that got hit near Howe Caverns. That didn't end well but it didn't go to waste; the foxes left little to tell what they had done. I met some great folks when I picked up the turkey, they have alpacas and they visited this weekend to meet the three alpacas that I have available for adoption. In the process, I am hoping that we might be able to get the building materials we need to get the raptor flight started before the snow flies. Connections and destiny ... time will tell.
I have another "raccoon friend" I am hoping will help us get a pond in for rehabbing beaver and geese/ ducks that come in. Again ... time will tell.
Some great students from the SUNY Cobleskill Wildlife Program found a goldfinch with a wing mutation on a hike. The bird is unreleasable and must have been fed by parents, a luxury that will end soon with their migration. Good deed done, and I have a student that may want to do an internship with me in the process.
Saturday, I took the donkeys, alpacas, some other critters looking for homes, with some Raptors, to the Irish Festival at the Ballston Spa /Saratoga Co. Fairgrounds. It was a great day; the birds were a big hit and we got a chance to educate a lot of people about wildlife. It really doesn't get any better than that. Our donation jar did well and the people were very interested in what we do. Our educational events are vital to what we do and I hope we can book more events next year.
Yesterday, I had a great group of students come in for a tour of NY Wildlife Rescue Facility. They are a 4H group from Delhi, asked great questions, were respectful and want to help out in the future. I really like kids and animals; I love educating kids about wildlife conservation. 4H is such a valuable club for young people to be involved in. Anything that doesn't involve being stuck inside the house on a computer should be promoted. Their generation will see some horrible things environmentally; they will be the generation to, hopefully, go green.
I also have spent a lot of time the last week on paperwork. I hate it, but it is a necessity to keep good records for the various agencies that license me. Doing reports at the end of the year is easy when you have kept good records all year.
Last night, I actually took off my boots at 8:30 pm. The phone rang about 5 minites later. I recognized the number on caller ID, "New York Wildlife Rescue Center, this is Wes".... "This is Trooper (such and such) of the NY State Police, do you rescue coyotes?" Ten minutes later I was wrestling around in a ditch with it. I appreciate that he called me rather than just shooting it on the spot. I know a lot of people would rather it had been killed but I am a rehabber, not God. I don't rescue animals that I like and leave others to die.
The only thing that I could think of as I was grabbing it with my catch pole was that a dart would have been nice. That was the reason I took the chemical capture class at Tufts this summer. One of these days I am going to get a call for something bigger than me. I also thought about Oscar the bobcat; I bet that he felt the exact same way. Eyes in spotlights, blue and red lights, the sounds and smell of man ... and being helpless to move. I took the coyote to Cobleskill Vet Clinic where we knocked her out, did an exam and administered steroids. She is trying to get on her haunches but has a lower spine inflammation. I am trying to get her back in for an x-ray so I can figure out if we can really save her or if it would be more humane to put her down. I have never rescued a coyote before, a lot of people would like to see the vermin dead but you want to hear something interesting. I noticed that her feces looked funny, I looked through them and she had been feeding entirely on apples ... things that make you go hmmmmmmm. I am not God, I will spend a couple of hundred dollars to see what is wrong and give her a chance. If she is showing signs of pain or the damage is too great ... she will go to sleep. I will keep you posted.
--Wes
I have another "raccoon friend" I am hoping will help us get a pond in for rehabbing beaver and geese/ ducks that come in. Again ... time will tell.
Some great students from the SUNY Cobleskill Wildlife Program found a goldfinch with a wing mutation on a hike. The bird is unreleasable and must have been fed by parents, a luxury that will end soon with their migration. Good deed done, and I have a student that may want to do an internship with me in the process.
Saturday, I took the donkeys, alpacas, some other critters looking for homes, with some Raptors, to the Irish Festival at the Ballston Spa /Saratoga Co. Fairgrounds. It was a great day; the birds were a big hit and we got a chance to educate a lot of people about wildlife. It really doesn't get any better than that. Our donation jar did well and the people were very interested in what we do. Our educational events are vital to what we do and I hope we can book more events next year.
Yesterday, I had a great group of students come in for a tour of NY Wildlife Rescue Facility. They are a 4H group from Delhi, asked great questions, were respectful and want to help out in the future. I really like kids and animals; I love educating kids about wildlife conservation. 4H is such a valuable club for young people to be involved in. Anything that doesn't involve being stuck inside the house on a computer should be promoted. Their generation will see some horrible things environmentally; they will be the generation to, hopefully, go green.
I also have spent a lot of time the last week on paperwork. I hate it, but it is a necessity to keep good records for the various agencies that license me. Doing reports at the end of the year is easy when you have kept good records all year.
Last night, I actually took off my boots at 8:30 pm. The phone rang about 5 minites later. I recognized the number on caller ID, "New York Wildlife Rescue Center, this is Wes".... "This is Trooper (such and such) of the NY State Police, do you rescue coyotes?" Ten minutes later I was wrestling around in a ditch with it. I appreciate that he called me rather than just shooting it on the spot. I know a lot of people would rather it had been killed but I am a rehabber, not God. I don't rescue animals that I like and leave others to die.
The only thing that I could think of as I was grabbing it with my catch pole was that a dart would have been nice. That was the reason I took the chemical capture class at Tufts this summer. One of these days I am going to get a call for something bigger than me. I also thought about Oscar the bobcat; I bet that he felt the exact same way. Eyes in spotlights, blue and red lights, the sounds and smell of man ... and being helpless to move. I took the coyote to Cobleskill Vet Clinic where we knocked her out, did an exam and administered steroids. She is trying to get on her haunches but has a lower spine inflammation. I am trying to get her back in for an x-ray so I can figure out if we can really save her or if it would be more humane to put her down. I have never rescued a coyote before, a lot of people would like to see the vermin dead but you want to hear something interesting. I noticed that her feces looked funny, I looked through them and she had been feeding entirely on apples ... things that make you go hmmmmmmm. I am not God, I will spend a couple of hundred dollars to see what is wrong and give her a chance. If she is showing signs of pain or the damage is too great ... she will go to sleep. I will keep you posted.
--Wes
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