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2011 SUMMER

FEATURED RELEASES ……........… 7

ADOPT-AN-ANIMAL PROGRAM……8

Wildtracksss

Wild Babies Edition

WILDLIFE CARE CLINIC – IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY VETERINARY TEACHING HOSPITAL

AMES, IOWA 50011

It’s baby season! We are now in the thick of the busiest time

of the year here at the Wildlife Care

Clinic—baby season! From mid-March to

end of September, our staff and volunteers

are feeding various wild babies as often as

every half an hour. Everything from tiny,

featherless baby birds to spotted fawns

receive care here until they are strong

enough to be released back into the wild.

Rehabbing babies is very time consuming

but very rewarding. Once you read our

stories and see some of these pictures,

you’ll understand why it’s our favorite time

of year!

Contact us! Phone: 515-294-4009

Email: wcc@iastate.edu

Website: www.vetmed.iastate.edu/vmc/wcc

Facebook: www.facebook.com/WildlifeCareClinic

WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND AN ORPHANED ANIMAL………. 2-5

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Remember, a baby always has the best chance of survival if they are able to be in the wild with their mother.

Only move them if absolutely necessary!

Baby bunnies will explore outside the nest, but

never wander very far

Baby Fox Squirrel

White Tailed Deer fawn

lying in the grass

Immature Virginia

Opossum

I found a baby mammal!

What do I do?

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Remember, a baby always has the best chance of survival if they are able to be in the wild with their mother.

Only move them if absolutely necessary!

For more tips and tricks see next page…

Immature American Robin

fledgling.

Immature House Sparrow nestling.

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TRICKS OF THE TRADE Mammals

Baby Bunny Tips Cottontails make shallow nests in the grass.

The mother only comes to the nest to feed the

babies once at dusk and once at dawn, so it

is not uncommon that she isn’t nearby. Do

not remove the babies unless they are injured

or in danger, and you know the mother is

dead. If you suspect she is not feeding the

babies, lay 2 pieces of string in an ―X‖ pattern

across the nest. Check in 12 hours to see if

the strings have been disturbed. If they have

been, she has visited the nest.

Baby Squirrel Tips Baby squirrels will often fall out of

trees during a storm. If they are not

injured, it is best to put them in a box

at the bottom of the tree and wait out

of sight for the mother’s return. If the

nest is not in good shape, put the baby

in a shallow box near where you

found it and watch for the mother

throughout the day until dusk. If the

baby and mother have reunited, leave

the area.

Fawn Tips A mother deer will hide her

baby in vegetation while she

forages during the day. If the

fawn is not injured, leave it be

and watch from a distance for

the mother deer to return. If

the fawn is injured, or has not

moved from the hiding spot in

a 24 hour period, call the

Wildlife Care Clinic.

Eastern Cottontail nests are usually made with

various items such as twigs, dead grass, and fur, and

are not very well hidden.

Mother Fox Squirrel

tending to her babies

in the nest.

Fawn lying in the grass while

the mother looks for food.

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TRICKS OF THE TRADE Birds

Baby Opossum Tips Opossums occasionally leave the young

in a den while foraging for food, so don’t

be alarmed if a nest of opossums is left

unattended. If the den happens to be in a

garage or other building, the best thing

would be to relocate the den. One way

to do this is to make the area uninviting

by keeping it well lit 24 hours a day,

removing any food sources, leaving a

radio turned on low, and scattering a few

moth balls around the general area (not

too close to the babies!). It will take her

about 3 – 4 days to get everyone

resettled, so and when you are confident

they are in a new safe spot, close up all

access routes so the next wandering

opossum doesn’t take up residence. If

the babies and mother have reunited,

leave the area.

Immature Virginia Opossum that was

rescued because the mother was hit by a car.

Baby Bird Tips Parent birds will normally leave the nest to hunt

and forage for food multiple times a day. If you

find a nest of baby birds without a mother, leave

the babies in the nest and watch from a distance

throughout the day to make sure they are not

abandoned. If you were to find a baby bird on the

ground and it is not injured, the best thing is to put

it inside the nest if possible. If you can’t reach the

nest, get a small bowl or Tupperware container

and line the bowl with paper towels, leaves, and

grasses and put it in the tree as close to the nest as

possible. Place the baby inside and watch from a

distance for the parents to return. They will

usually feed the baby as if it were in the original

nest. If the baby and mother have reunited, leave

the area.

Immature American Robins can be seen

crying for food.

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Here are a few of the young

patients we have had in to the

Wildlife Care Clinic so far this

year!

Eastern Screech Owl

Great Horned Owl

Eastern Cottontail

White-tailed Deer

Barred Owl

Red Fox Mallard Duckling

Virginia Opossum

Fox Squirrel

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Volunteer Spotlight: Heather Roling

Featured Release: Immature Great Horned Owl

On April 30, 2011, an immature Great Horned Owl was presented to

the Wildlife Care Clinic because it had been found in the middle of a

busy road, not flying away. After a thorough physical examination we

found no injuries, but she did not possess many of her primary feathers

required for flight as she was so young. This meant that the little owl

was moved to an outdoor flight cage to gain flight muscles and grow

her primary feathers. After a few weeks of being fed twice per day to

gain weight, we began to encourage her to fly back and forth in her

flight cage, and when she was doing well we decided it was time for

her to be creanced. Creancing is essentially like flying a kite but with a

bird instead. She excelled at her flight test and all of her primary

feathers had formed. She was ready to be free. After her flight test the

little owl was live-prey-tested to make sure she could hunt in the wild.

She was tested twice and passed each time! Finally, it was time for her

to be released! We chose East River Valley Park in Ames because it

was a secluded wooded area, perfect for owls. She was released back

into the wild and the family that brought her in was able to see her take

flight after being at the WCC for 30 days. We would especially like to

thank Jason and Amber Sly for ―adopting‖ this little owl throughout her

treatment and supporting her on release day!

Heather Roling started volunteering at the Wildlife Care Clinic in January

2011 and has been a wonderful volunteer since. Her reasoning for

volunteering was to gain experience and get the opportunity to work with

exotics and wildlife before applying to veterinary school. When asked

what her favorite part of volunteering was she replied “Oh gosh- It’s hard

to pick just one thing! I really enjoy working with the permanents, but I

think the most exciting this is getting to work with new patients every day.

There’s always something unexpected, and being able to save an injured

animal is really fulfilling”. Heather’s favorite permanent resident is Kali,

our Barred Owl. She says she likes how mysterious Kali is, and how it’s

really amazing that even though she’s blind, she can find and place

objects and voices by sonar. Heather likes to click her teeth back at Kali

when she clicks her beak. She also loves working with Dr. Zaffarano

because she is a great role model; Heather hopes to accomplish as much

as Dr. Zaffarano has. After Heather graduates she hopes to attend

veterinary school at Colorado State and would like to open her own

practice and rehabilitation clinic. She would also like to gain experience

working as an exotics specialist at zoos. She has a lot of ambitions, and

the staff at the WCC wishes her the best of luck!

We would like to thank Heather Roling, as well as all of our dedicated

volunteers for all the help and work you have done for Iowa’s wildlife!

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Adopt-an-Animal

Program

Each year the WCC takes in hundreds

of injured and orphaned wildlife and

proper care for these animals can be

very expensive. This is why we are

giving the public a chance to get

involved in the life of an animal and

assist the WCC in providing our

patients with quality care by aiding us

in purchasing needed medical supplies,

equipment, and food.

Getting involved is easy! To ―Adopt an

Animal‖, one must simply come up with a

sponsorship fee pertaining to the animal

that they choose. One will receive a

certificate of appreciation, a tour of the

clinic, periodic progress reports, and an

invitation to the animal’s release. This is a

wonderful opportunity for you to get

involved with the WCC and understand the

importance of wildlife in our world.

You will have the

opportunity to sponsor a

current patient for its

entire stay at the clinic,

or one of the

permanently disabled

educational birds for a

period of six months.

Permanent

Educational Bird

Sponsorship:

$100.00 per patient

Temporary Patient

Sponsorship:

$20.00 per patient

You will have the

opportunity to sponsor a

current patient for its

entire stay at the clinic,

or one of the

permanently disabled

educational birds for a

period of six months.

What is it? How can I get involved?

In the beginning of April the Dennis Family presented

two immature Fox Squirrels to the WCC for

rehabilitation. Upon examination the staff found one

had a fractured back leg. The other was not injured,

but both squirrels were covered in fleas and were

dehydrated. We provided fluids and applied a

powder to kill the fleas. The fractured leg was

splinted and rechecked after a couple weeks. After a

month of rehabilitation the splint was taken off. After

another couple days they were both eating on their

own and were moved to an outdoor enclosure so they

could get used to the outdoor weather for the last two

weeks of their stay at the WCC. The presenters had

decided to adopt these little critters so the whole

family was invited out to the release of the squirrels

they affectionately called Skippy and Jiffy.

The Wildlife Care Clinic staff wants to thank the

Dennis Family for their generous donation to Adopt

and for joining us at the release!

Featured Adoption

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The European Starling seen in Iowa is a small to

medium sized songbird that is considered an

invasive species. An invasive species is an animal

that has been introduced to a new area and is

currently taking over the native species population.

After being introduced to the United States in 1890,

European Starlings have thrived in many areas and

compete with native songbird species.

If you find a European Starling nest, or an immature

bird that appears to be a European Starling, please

leave it in the wild, as the population competes with

native Iowa species as well as destroys crops.

Unfortunately because of this, the WCC prefers not

to use time and resources to rehabilitate them.

Featured (Invasive) Species

If you find a European Starling,

please let nature take its course!

Adult European Starlings have a dark coloration with an

iridescent sheen that make the bird appear blue, purple, or

green. Immature European Starlings have very wide, bright

yellow beaks.

Thank you from the Staff

From left to right: Danielle Reckamp, Tasia Nielsen, Caitlin Lattimer & Jacie Garden

The staff at the Wildlife Care Clinic

would like to thank all our

volunteers, those who have rescued

animals in need, those who have

donated for the care and well-being

of our patients, and all the staff of

the Iowa State University Veterinary

Teaching Hospital who help us,

especially Dr. Zaffarano and Sarah

Ledvina!

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Thank you Donors & Supporters

Marcia & Niel Rima

Melinda Dotson

Michael & Jessica Dennis

Randi Allen-Martin

Terri Hyzer

Jason & Amber Sly

Steffen & Helen Schmidt

Sharree Woods

Rhonda Schuller

Valerie Fonseca

Dianne Debinski

Stephanie Overman & Girl Scout Troop

Daniel & Lynnette Darnold

Sarah Farrand

Kristen Hunter

Jeff Shrout

Catherine Fought

Allyn Spear

Susan Jahn

Jeremy Fellman

Susan Clark

We greatly appreciate every generous donation towards the care of

our patients!

We would like to recognize those that have donated for the care of our baby animals already this year…