As the Winter chill finally convinces the Bay Area that it is the end of December, and the flow of wildlife orphans needing help has come to the annual end, I can look back on 2012 and confidently say we did well.2012 allowed us to developed a strong foster-team and we were able to help hundreds of wildlife orphans, from infant squirrels injured during Spring tree-cuttings, to orphan fawns found wandering the roads at night. This year our education programs have blossomed in ways that are so wonderful I wish I could make copies of myself so I could attend all of our lectures and presentations! We even saw some of our long-time volunteers go off on adventures this year; to Veterinary School so they may come back to the front lines as Doctors, to Africa to study Lions, and to create new nonprofits to make amazing strides in learning about River Otter Ecology. 2012 is a year I am very proud of and I want to share some of our best moment from it with you. |
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January
A month of cleaning and preparing for Spring’s orphans. We built new enclosures, new nestboxes, planterboxes, and trained new volunteers so we would be ready when Spring’s patients started trickling in.
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We built a new larger enclosure for our non-releaseable education squirrel Wonka. |
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He was very grateful. |
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February
February found us at Alameda’s Crab Cove Visitor Center where we gave a fun lecture to little ones about the wonders of Raccoons.
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March brought in a slow stream of orphaned babies needing help. March also surprised us with a nomination on Huffington Post as one of the “Top Nonprofits in the San Francisco Bay Area.”
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April
April brought a flood of orphaned fawns, raccoons and more squirrels! |
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May
Fawns and other orphans continued to come in, but we found time for our first OAK (Outdoor Adventures for Kids) nature walk! We met in Golden Gate Park to learn all about San Francisco’s Coyote population, as well as other local wildlife. |
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Foster Volunteer Sutton Trout feeds “Felix”. Felix was found on the side of the road next to the body of his mother. He was mistaken for a teddy bear by a passing driver who swerved around him and was shocked when he moved. When she stopped the car and saw his mother dead, she knew he needed help to survive so she contacted us. |
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We have a sizable herd of orphan fawns in fostercare. |
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July
July brought in more orphaned wildlife needing a helping hand. |
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August
August was my month to present a Wild Oakland lecture. I did a Squirrel Walk and Talk around Lake Merritt. It was very fun to be surrounded by so many who loved and were interested in Squirrels! |
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This is a Squirrel Nest, called a Drey. |
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September
Meanwhile, our wildlife orphans in care are growing. Some are ready to go into outside enclosures to prepare for their eminent release back into the wild. |
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October
October brought us more orphans in need but also saw many of our orphans graduate into life back in the wild to live the life they were intended to. |
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November
In normal years, November is a month of releases and cleaning up. This year was different. We were receiving eyes-closed babies in November! |
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November also marked the month when Felix, Fiona, and the other herd members were released back into the wild. They are out there now, enjoying the freedom of their birthright. Safe Travels, friends. |
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December
December was uncommonly warm and sunny. We released the late summer squirrels and even had a surprise update on Felix, one of our fawns from the Spring! |
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Felix was spotted crossing a small country road. He lifted his head and paused when his name was called, then wandered off into the wilderness, as it should be. |
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I am very proud of all of our volunteers who were on the Front Line helping wildlife animals in need, and of all the people who stopped their lives because they found an animal in distress and wanted to help.“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. Mahatma Gandhi
All of you give me hope that my son will inherit a world full of compassion and caring. Thank you, and Happy New Year to you all.
-Lila Travis
Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue
Director |
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In Memoriam
We are very saddened to announce that this year we lost our Co-Founder Richard Travis. Richard stepped down from our board of directors last year due to health reasons. He leaves behind 2 grown sons and 1 young son, and a lifetime of working hard for animal welfare, wildlife, and environmentalism. His quick mind, and ice-breaking humor will be missed , as will his amazing abilities as an artist and storyteller. We thank him for devoting his life to making the world a better, safer, more cooperative place for all creatures, humans included. |
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Please help Wildlife this Holiday Season
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Our organization is 100% volunteer-run and donation-funded. We are a grassroots 501(c)3 Non profit and all donations are Tax Deductible. Please remember us this holiday season. Making a donation to help wildlife is a wonderful gift. |
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Want to Volunteer?
Need to do Community Service Hours?Fostercare: We are ready to train more FosterCare Volunteers to care for Squirrels, Opossum, Raccoons, and other wildlife orphans. Please call us at 510-421-9897 or email info@yuwr.org if you would like to volunteer!
Transportation: We need drivers willing to drive orphaned babies from the East Bay to San Francisco, and vice versa. All animals are safely enclosed in boxes or crates and pose no danger or mess. Transportation is one of the most valuable ways you could help us. Please call us at 510-421-9897 or email info@yuwr.org if you would like to volunteer!
Not interested in fostering or transporting? Have other ideas? Call us! WE NEED SELF-MOTIVATED THINKERS
Internship: Design Your OWN Internship! Call us at 510-421-9897 to get started. |
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Thank you for reading our Newsletter!
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