Recently Fresh & Easy Market donated a truckload of Pumpkins to us for our squirrel patients to enjoy.
Thank you Fresh & Easy! Although it is getting close to release time for this Autumn’s orphaned squirrels, they all appreciate the exciting stimulus of a good pumpkin. They like to chew a squirrel-sized hole in the top, climb inside, and eat the seeds!
As the wildlife baby season comes to an end, our work switches focus to the everyday problems that come up with Wildlife trying to survive in our Urban world.
For example, yesterday we got a call from a kind woman who had taken her children to a local playground.
Trapped in a garbage can at the playground was an adult skunk, and because of the design of the metal locked garbage can, there was no way to tip the can to let it out.
The skunk was attracted to the smell of food in the can’s liner and climbed in, but was unable to climb out again due to the smooth sides of the plastic liner.
One of the moms at the playground had the presence of mind to call our wildlife center to ask for help for the skunk.
We were able to come out with a public works employee and unlock the can.
We removed the plastic liner that the skunk was trapped in, carried it to a bushy area and set it on it’s side.
The skunk, who had probably been in the can at least 1 day, shot out into the bushes and happily disappeared.
Skunks are extremely nearsighted and can only see about 15″ ahead of them. If you see a skunk coming your way, make noise so the skunk knows you are there. The skunk will NOT spray unless they fear for their lives or are startled. If you let the skunk know you are there, the skunk will avoid you and you will avoid startling the skunk and possibly getting sprayed.
Remember Mythbusters proved that the only way to remove the odor of Skunk is to neutralize the chemical reaction by using the following recipe:
1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 teaspoon liquid soap or dish detergent
So if you, your dog, or your house gets sprayed, use this formula to neutralize the smell. And if you get a chance to watch Mythbuster’s Skunk Defunct, it’s pretty fun.
This August we have had a heavy wave of late season summer orphaned wildlife.
Here are some of the latest patients in care:
As you may have heard, Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Center (YUWR) has been going through some significant changes lately, and as a result we are currently not taking animals at the main office on Sherwood Drive. We are very much still open and doing the work our community so badly needs, but we have had to temporarily let go of our wildlife hospital until some problems are resolved.
However, thanks to our extensive network of dedicated, trained volunteers, we are actively involved in rehabilitation of orphaned baby wildlife. humane wildlife exclusion through Good Riddance! (www.goodriddancewildlife.com), and we are still available for educational workshops and events concerning urban wildlife natural history and wildlife exclusion.
Thank you for your patience as we navigate all the changes that have come our way.
Best,
YUWR
On Friday, March 18th, a woman found an orphaned opossum on the Oakland streets. She didn’t know where to take the opossum so she cuddled her up in her scarf and kept her in a warm shoebox all night. The next morning she was watching the ABC News and saw this article about our wildlife center and brought this little one to us! She saved a life when she brought the baby off the street. ABC News helped save a life when they instructed her where to bring this baby. Thank you to both ABC News and to this finder of this sweet little one. Good work!
All of our Spring Babies and Winter Refugees are doing great! Here is a brief update on some of them:
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“Miracle Squirrel Boy” was found by Brenda, an Oakland resident, on the side of the road with blood pouring out his ear, unconscious. When Brenda realized he was still alive she rushed him to the Montclair Vet Hospital, where he was examined and transferred into care with us with low hopes of recovery. For the first 2 days he was comatose. We thought the worst would come. But after 2 days he surprised us all by suddenly sitting up and drinking a bunch of water. Soon he was on the road to total recovery; eating well, able to balance, jump, climb, open nuts, etc. For the last 2 weeks he has been in an outdoor cage. He has made it very clear that he is ready and able to go back out into the wild to enjoy his second chance at a normal life. He had no lasting injuries or handicaps from his accident. Miracle Boy was released on March 13th 2011. He has been seen every day since, jumping through the trees or returning to his nestbox for a nut.
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Last week we got in our first fledgling hummingbird. Around this time of year the babies start to test their wings and launch themselves out from their nests. Mama is very watchful and she tracks where her babies land so she can continue to come and feed them, even when they fall into the middle of the sidewalk! This little one fell into the wrong place and was at risk of being eaten by passing dogs, so she was brought into care with us and has been doing great! Yesterday she was moved into a small flight cage where she can learn to hover and eat, and catch fruit flies. Her tail feathers are still pinned but once they grow out, she will go into a larger flight cage with flowering plants, then be released back into the wild, to buzz and flash her delightful iridescent colors through the air.
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Valentine is enjoying a larger outdoor pen these days. She is still recovering from injuries she received when she was hit by a car on Valentine’s day. We hope within a month she will be substantually better and can be returned to her home territory.
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Baby Squirrel who came in on March 1st, 2011, is out in foster care with another baby squirrel his age, and doing well. I will post pictures when I have them.
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The Baby Opossum who came in on March 1st 2011, from the Oakland Animal Services is growing and doing well! Picture coming soon
Today Valentine was moved into a big outdoor pen at Rancho Raccoon, home of our wonderful Raccoon Team, where she will continue to receive dedicated medical care to recover from her injuries. She is settling in to her luxury condo complete with swimming pool and many trees. She will stay here until she has fully recovered from injuries she received on Valentine’s day 2011 when she was struck by a car.
Volunteers Cindy and Lila carry Valentine to her transport vehicle.
Valentine explores her new recovery enclosure
In the last 24 hours, we have received in the first of many spring wildlife orphans in need of care and support.
This baby opossum should be traveling through the world on Mama’s back, nursing inside her pouch, but instead, she was found by a Good Samaritan in Oakland and brought to the Oakland Animal Shelter. Now she is in care with us, warm and being fed. Soon others her age will come in and there will be a group of opossums who will grow up together as surrogate siblings. For now, she cuddles into the wool sock that feels like Mama’s pouch tightly holding her.
This sweet little 7 day old baby squirrel fell from his nest into the middle of Mosswood Dog Park here in Oakland! A fast-moving Good Samaritan snatched him up before the dogs did and was unable to reunite him with his missing mother. She rushed him up to us, where he is now cuddling in comfy fake-furs on a heating pad, recovering from injuries and bruising received from his fall out of a tall redwood tree. He is vocalizing and has a good appetite. He should recover well. No doubt very soon we will have others his age come in so he will have siblings to cuddle with during his time here in rehab.
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For those of you following our Crisis of losing our facility, I want you to know that we have never shut our doors, throughout all of this. We have stayed open and available to orphaned and injured wildlife and the kind humans who save them. However, our time here is running out rapidly. We have run out of funds, equipping the new facility and we are not finished yet. Without more funds to buy materials, without more volunteers to mud, tape, build cages, and more, we won’t be ready for the upcoming evacuation deadline. We badly need help.
If you are interested in helping, we badly need monetary donations, as well as volunteers who have experience with sheetrocking, mudding, taping, painting, cage-building, and more. We need the help, but we also need funds so we can buy materials to build the new cages etc. I know times are tough all over, but if you have the ability, please keep us in mind. All donations are tax deductible. Thank you.
Valentine is a very brave young female raccoon. Alameda Animal Control was called in to pickup a dead raccoon laying by the side of the road after being hit by a car on Valentine’s Day. Much to the surprise of the officer, she found the raccoon to be alive! She rushed the raccoon to the Montclair Vet Hospital, where Dr Richter and staff took xrays and discovered she was VERY pregnant! With only a couple of broken teeth and some bruising on her lungs showing, she was transferred into care with our wildlife center.
For the first couple days after getting into care at our wildlife center, this young mama raccoon just lay there in her cage, not responding, not eating or drinking. But she was warm, safe, she was breathing and her pain was managed as best we could. We were concerned and consulted regularly with our Rancho Raccoon Team expert, Megan. We thought of all kinds of ways we could coax her to eat or make her more comfortable and less stressed.
None of our attempts had any effect. Until the morning of February 17th. three days into her care, when, I checked on her in the morning and held out the water dish in front of her nose. This time, she lifted her head and, with her eyes glued to mine, eagerly drank. Encouraged, I then offered her a raw egg – a staple in her wild diet, which she lapped and lapped up. She lapped up a second egg and had more water before laying her head back down and going back to sleep.
During the course of the day, she actually repositioned herself in her enclosure, had more water and another egg.
As of February 21st, Valentine is eating only Raw Eggs and Ensure (liquid diet). She is eating 9 eggs each day! She is moving around a little better and once she is done with her course of antibiotics, she will go in an outside pen.
(photos, courtesy of Montclair Veterinary Hospital)
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UPDATE: February 24th 2011 – Valentine gave birth yesterday, over the course of 24 hours. Sadly, all four of her babies were stillborn, which was not that surprising after the injuries she sustained when she was hit by a car. Valentine is doing well, resting recovering, and eating tons of eggs, Ensure, and other goodies. She continues to improve daily.
Although we are saddened by the loss of her babies, sometimes this is Nature’s way of ensuring there are enough resources for her body to recover from it’s injuries. Now she can concentrate on getting better and getting back out into the wild. She will no doubt have a litter of babies in the late Summer after she is released.
Thank you to Nancy-Jean for donating 15 dozen eggs towards her recovery! We still need KMR, Ensure, and turkey baby food, so if anyone else wants to contribute towards her rehabilitation please contact us. You can also make a monetary donation by sending in a check to YUWR 7036 Balsam Way Oakland CA 94611 or using the links to the Right of the screen for online donations.
Thank you for your interest!
Our Wildlife center is in the middle of relocating and rebuilding somewhere else. Spring baby season starts in MARCH, a couple weeks away. We will be receiving orphaned baby squirrels, opossums, raccoons, and other wildlife babies in need of care and support. We are looking for people who are interested in taking these babies, raising them according to our training protocols, and releasing them back into the wild, to give them a second chance at a normal life. This can be a wonderful educational opportunity for families. Please contact us if you are interested in being trained as a YUWR FosterCare Volunteer. Thank you. 510-547-9897 or email at lila@yuwr.org
