Updates---

Our latest updates regarding our attempts to lure Dakota to the feeding station we have set up are as follows:

Thursday Nov 17

The feeding station was checked on Thursday morning, and all of the mice we had offered were still there. Staff did some calling and walking in that area, but heard only crows.  There were no significant signs that any other animals had visited the feeding station.

Friday Nov 18

The fresh mice put out at the feeding station the night before remained untouched this morning.  Some faint hooting was heard, but Dakota was not sighted.  Several dogs could be heard barking in that area, which made it difficult to determine which direction the hooting was coming from.

Staff is continuing to visit the feeding station and the area nearby on a regular basis each day.  Because we believe we have sighted and know we have shared vocalizations with Dakota in that area, we continue to remain hopeful that we will be successful in luring Dakota down from the trees to the feeding station, and that we will be able to see evidence he’s in that area on the trailcam that the homeowners who are assisting us are monitoring.  If we have any significant updates regarding our progress in these areas, we will post an update on the blog and/or our facebook page.


Thank you all again for the tremendous support you have shown and continue to show the center.  Please continue to join us in praying for the best possible outcome for Dakota---that he is back home once again with his family at WINC.  We miss him terribly, more than words can express.  Your positive energy and well-wishes mean the world to us right now.

Additionally, we wanted to let everyone following Dakota’s situation know, we appreciate the concern that has been expressed regarding the security of the grounds and the building at the current WINC location.  As always, our foremost concern is for the safety & well-being of the animals we treat and house at the center, and for the staff and volunteers who spend such a substantial portion of their time caring for those animals.

WINC is looking at increased security measures in light of our recent break in and theft of Dakota.  Because we are on UW-W property, we are working directly with the university system to discuss ways to increase security for the property in general. Our original plans for the building and our compound was to install security cameras & also use the same camera system to put cameras on patients and educational animals. Ultimately, we would like to be able to set up monitors in the public “Gathering” educational room so that visitors can see the animals, without disturbing the animals. These cameras would also help Animal Care staff evaluate and monitor patients by watching them when the animals don’t know they are being observed (with the hope that the animals would behave and move about as they normally would, without the added stress of human interaction). Winter weather this last year caused construction delays and increased costs for the building, so the camera project had to be put off until we can raise sufficient money to complete it.   We remain focused on continuing to secure adequate funding for that camera system, as well as for additional lighting, and also some physical changes to the building itself to increase security now. We have been asked repeatedly by our supporters and the public if there are ways in which they can help, and we are accepting donations from anyone who wishes to help us meet our goals with this project.  Every donation we receive helps us in our greater goal of providing care and comfort to the animals we treat.

For obvious reasons, it wouldn’t be in the center’s best interests to go into specifics on our blog or our facebook page of the exact details of every measure we are taking to add to the center’s security, because we would not want any other intruders to know what they might face if they come here. However…..one suggestion has been to deploy “Daphne”, our Educational Muscovy Duck, to patrol the clinic at night – anyone who knows Daphne knows she would make her presence known to any potential intruders J

(Guest bloggers L.R. & K.P.)

*** ALERT = Important, Please Read ASAP ***

The Wildlife In Need Center is a small non-profit 501c3 organization that offers free medical care to orphaned and injured wildlife with the intent to release back to the wild.

Last night on November 12th, someone broke into our outdoor compound and three of our outdoor cages.  One of the cages housed our main animal ambassador, Dakota, a great horned owl.   Dakota was taken by the thieves.

Dakota is 11 years old and has lived in captivity all but the beginning of his life. Someone kidnapped him as an infant, prior to his coming into our care. He is fully imprinted on humans and can not fend for himself or hunt for food on his own.

Dakota has reached approximately 80,000 people in his educating career not including those through the media via the newspapers and TV. He appears at over 100 programs a year making an impact on girl and boy scout troops, adult charitable organizations, schools, senior citizen facilities and special needs groups.

PLEASE:  if you see or find a great horned owl with jesses (leather straps that would be dangling from his legs), or see an owl that is acting very friendly please contact the Wildlife in Need Center at 262-965-3090, your local humane society, or the Waukesha County Sheriff’s department who is investigating this theft.

Many children and adults have already planned their year end holiday celebrations around Dakota, and his message has always been to promote the positive things that the Wildlife In Need Center does for wildlife and the people that live with them.

Thank you for any information or help that you can provide,
to bring Dakota back home to us.

A Tale Of Two Opossums

 
Being a licensed wildlife rehabilitator makes you look at your surroundings in a different way than most people. When my husband and I drive anywhere, one of the things we are always looking for is good patches of dandelion greens to pick for the many cottontails we rehabilitate each year and the other being any injured animals that may need our help. One animal specifically we notice are any dead opossums because anyone of them could be a mom with babies still alive in her pouch. As the only marsupial in North America, mom opossums carry their young with them in their pouch for a number of weeks. They can have two sets of babies each season, one in spring and one in fall. That is why between April and October it is so important to check any dead opossums you see on the road (where it is safe to stop and check).

So the story goes that we are always on the lookout. On September 11th we found a great patch of dandelion greens in Ottawa. The following Tuesday morning my husband went back there for more greens and saw a squashed mamma opossum (he could tell because there were scattered dead little ones on the road). To keep anyone who would be grateful for the free meal from being in the way of traffic, he dragged her way off the road and started picking greens. After just a little while he started thinking; he’d seen her dead and all the little ones but didn't actually check her pouch. So, back he went to where he had dragged her and sure enough - one little guy was still hanging on - ice cold but alive. He brought him home, weighed him and tucked him into a box on heat to warm up.

That night, I had promised to release some orphaned cottontails in a friend’s yard in the town of Waukesha, so after work we packed them up and hurried over there. All went well with the release, but now it was almost 7pm, getting dark, and we need greens again for overnight and morning for the bunnies that were still at home. We wondered where to go - look around and waste time, or go back to Ottawa, which takes time to drive to, but where we’d be assured of abundant greens. We decided Ottawa was the best choice, so off we went. I started picking down the road one way and him the other. A little later he came over and said he thought he heard something but wasn't sure. I came over by where he was picking and listened but heard nothing. Then, a little sound, and nothing again. We didn't want to walk around for fear of stepping on any little ones, and needless to say, by now it was getting dark and we really had to keep picking greens. So I got down to ground level and started making mamma opossum sounds and my husband got down and began to make baby opossum sounds. Sure enough, in just two seconds we hear another little baby. He'd been out there all that time and was cold as ice, but we found him and as of this writing, he and his brother are doing really well.

So, it just goes to show you, if take the extra time you may be able to help save a life.

Guest Blogger N.M.

Interested in helping wildlife? We NEED you!

Our wild neighbors need your help! Interns at the Wildlife In Need Center have helped care for thousands of animals over the years through hours of cleaning, feeding and care. But we also offer internships for those looking for experience in Community Outreach as well. The Community Outreach Interns have the opportunity to save just as many lives over as the Animal Care Interns do in our clinic; by providing education to thousands of children and area residents with the help of our animal ambassadors, by spreading awareness of the Center and our services to more people throughout the region, and by talking directly with the public in an effort to prevent the situations that may lead to an animal becoming one of our patients.

Last year the Wildlife In Need Center received a generous donation from the James E. Dutton Foundation. As our Center grows and our need to educate the communities we serve grows with it we have also begun to expand our internship programs accordingly. Our new partnership with UW-Waukesha means that we are enhancing the experiences and learning opportunities even more as we look towards the future.

We are looking for someone to help us in our relatively new Environmental Education and Communications Internship (EC) program. If you or someone you know might be interested in:

• Learning how to assist the public with wild neighbor questions
• Designing educational brochures for children’s programs
• Creating educational displays and brochures for educating the public
• Helping to present educational programs to the public
• Creating and editing educational videos
• and more...

Learning to live peacefully with wildlife as well as knowing when a wild animal may need our help are just some of the lessons you could share with others if you were an education intern at the Wildlife In Need Center.

We are also looking for someone to help us in the Marketing and Community Outreach Internship (MC) program. If you or someone you know might be interested in:

• Learning how to coordinate a membership program and a variety of donor events
• Creating and publishing images, videos, and other information online
• Helping to interact with supporters through social media
• Creating educational displays and brochures for educating the public
• Learning how to assist the public with wild neighbor questions
• and more...

If you want to help inspire and educate people both young and old about the wonder of the world around us then we want to hear from you! If think you’re the right fit to help WINC with Community Education and Outreach than we need to hear from you!

To apply send a cover letter describing your interest and previous experience as well as a current resume to sacummings@helpingwildlife.org For more information about WINC’s intern program visit our internship page.

Want to help but can't commit to a formal internship? Consider becoming a volunteer. We have orientations scheduled monthly and once you've completed training you can come in just once or twice a week! Visit our volunteer page for more information.

The Busiest Day

June is always our busiest month of the year at the height of summer and prime time for summer babies as well as adult wildlife. And every year one of those busy June days yields the “Most Patients Admitted in a Single Day.” In 2011 that day was Friday, June 3 when we admitted 30 animals of 8 species.


Species                 Age           Reason for admission     City of Origin


American Woodcock     Adult       internal injuries             Waukesha


Big Brown Bat     Adult     Found in garage, unable to fly      Brookfield


Common Grackle     Juvenile  Unable to fly, fractured wings    Jefferson


Common Grackle      Juvenile    Found on ground calling        Sullivan


Eastern Cottontail        Infant    Nest found by cat               Hartland


Eastern Cottontail        Infant    Nest found by cat               Hartland


Eastern Cottontail        Infant    Nest found by cat               Hartland


Eastern Cottontail       Infant     Nest found by cat               Hartland


Eastern Cottontail        Infant    Nest found by cat               Hartland


Eastern Cottontail        Infant     Nest found by cat              Hartland


Eastern Cottontail        Infant      Cat attack                        Mukwonago


Eastern Cottontail        Infant      Cat attack                        Mukwonago


Eastern Cottontail        Infant      Cat attack                        Mukwonago


Eastern Cottontail        Infant       Cat attack                        Mukwonago


Eastern Cottontail        Infant      Dog Attack                         Hartland


Eastern Cottontail   Juvenile   Nest dug up while landscaping   Watertown


Eastern Cottontail   Juvenile   Nest dug up while landscaping   Watertown


Eastern Cottontail   Juvenile   Nest dug up while landscaping   Watertown


Eastern Cottontail   Juvenile   Nest dug up while landscaping   Watertown


Eastern Cottontail   Juvenile   Nest dug up while landscaping   Watertown


Eastern Cottontail   Juvenile   Nest dug up while landscaping    Watertown


Eastern Gray Squirrel    Infant      Fell from tree               Oconomowoc


Eastern Gray Squirrel   Juvenile    Fell from tree               Oconomowoc


European Starling    Juvenile    CNS issue/disorder           Waukesha


Raccoon           Juvenile    Fell out of tree onto driveway    Mukwonago


Raccoon            Juvenile   Mom hit by car                      Oconomowoc


Raccoon            Juvenile   Mom hit by car                      Oconomowoc


Raccoon            Juvenile   Found in garage screaming      East Troy


Raccoon            Juvenile   Found in garage screaming      East Troy


Wood Duck         Infant     Wandering in road                    Waterloo

A close second in admissions was Monday, June 27 with 29 animals admitted of 14 different species. Does that date sound familiar? That was the opening day for our new facility! I guess the wildlife all wanted to be the first to see the new building. Here’s who came in that day.

Species               Age           Reason for admission                   City of Origin


American Crow     Adult    Found along road with fractured spine   Brookfield


American Toad    Adult     Found in yard disemboweled                Eagle


House Finch         Adult                Stuck in Jelly                         Dousman


Midland Painted Turtle    Adult       Hit by Car, fractured bridge      Waukesha


Mourning Dove       Adult      Flapping on ground, fractured keel             Hartland


Western Painted Turtle  Adult    Hit By Car, fractured shell, spinal injuries    Colgate


Woodchuck                   Adult      Hit by car, fractured leg              Delafield


Brown-headed Cowbird   Infant  Blown out of nest, fractured leg     Waukesha


Brown-headed Cowbird     Infant     Blown out of nest                  Waukesha


Sandhill Crane      Infant         Dog scared away parents           Oconomowoc


American Robin    Juvenile      Found on ground, CNS issues    New Berlin


American Robin    Juvenile      Found on ground                        Waukesha


American Robin   Juvenile       Found on sidewalk                     Waukesha


American Robin  Juvenile       Found on sidewalk                       Waukesha


American Robin   Juvenile       Found on sidewalk                      Waukesha


Brown Thrasher   Juvenile       Found on ground, CNS issues      Waukesha


European Starling    Juvenile   Fell out of nest, fractured wing      Oconomowoc


House Finch   Juvenile  Mom stopped going to nest 2 days ago    Delafield


House Finch   Juvenile  Mom stopped going to nest 2 days ago    Delafield


House Finch   Juvenile  Mom stopped going to nest 2 days ago    Delafield


House Finch   Juvenile  Mom stopped going to nest 2 days ago    Delafield


House Finch   Juvenile   Mom stopped going to nest 2 days ago    Delafield


Raccoon         Juvenile     Found in yard limping             Oconomowoc


Raccoon         Juvenile     Found on road, fractured leg    Waukesha


Mallard           Infant          No Mom                               Waukesha


Mallard           Infant          No Mom                               Waukesha


Mallard           Infant          No Mom                                Waukesha


Mallard           Infant           No Mom                               Waukesha


Mallard           Infant           No Mom                               Waukesha


For the entire month of June the Wildlife In Need Center admitted 443 wildlife patients of 56 different species. And we packed, moved and unpacked the entire operation as well that month including moving all the patients we had in care from the previous months. June was pretty busy for all the tired staff and wonderful volunteers of WINC. But our new home is wonderful and was worth all the hard work!

June 2011                             Species Number


13 lined Ground Squirrel             8


American Crow                          4


American Robin                        42


American Toad                           2


American Woodcock                  1


Baltimore Oriole                         1


Barn Swallow                             3


Big Brown Bat                            3


Black-capped Chickadee         10


Blue Jay                                     1


Brown Thrasher                         1


Brown-headed Cowbird            2


Canada Goose                          2


Chimney Swift                           1


Cliff Swallow                             1


Common Grackle                     11


Downy Woodpecker                 5


Eastern Bluebird                         1


Eastern Chipmunk                    11


Eastern Cottontail                     57


Eastern Gray Squirrel                 9


European Starling                     19


Great Blue Heron                       1


Great Horned Owl                     2


Green Frog                                1


Hooded Merganser                    1


House Finch                             15


House Sparrow                        14


Mallard                                    40


Midland Painted Turtle               2


Mourning Dove                        11


Muscovy Duck                           1


Northern Cardinal                       1


Northern Flicker                         1


Painted Turtle                             1


Raccoon                                  80


Red Fox                                     1


Red Squirrel                                2


Red-bellied Woodpecker            3


Red-tailed Hawk                         6


Red-winged Blackbird                 1


Rock Pigeon                                3


Ruby-throated Humming Bird      2


Sandhill Crane                             2


Snapping Turtle                           4


Sora                                            1


Southern Flying Squirrel               1


Tree Swallow                              1


Virginia Opossum                      14


Western Painted Turtle                5


White-breasted Nuthatch             1


White-footed Mouse                   1


White-tailed Deer                        1


Wild Turkey                                2


Wood Duck                              16


Woodchuck                              10

Miracles Happen Everyday

Well actually a "Miracle" (having the Wildlife In Need Center and our children's environmental education project funded) did not happen today. However, each day a wild animal makes it through our doors, or is set free after rehabilitation, a new volunteer gains experience and insight they couldn't get anywhere else, or a child's world is changed forever by meeting our educational ambassador, Dakota, the Great Horned Owl - we consider that a miracle.

While I do wish I were writing to tell you all that we had just been chosen as one of Potawatomi Bingo Casino’s Miracle Charities for 2011, and the amazing things we’d hoped to do with the opportunity, that's not the case for this year. We do however, have a number of interesting and exciting projects in the works that I wanted to tell you about.

You should already know about our various volunteer programs, outreach programs, and of course our focus on continuing to provide the best rehabilitation to our wild neighbors possible. I thought you might be interested in a few other projects that we’re working on which you may not have heard about until now.

Did you know that an important segment of WINC’s mission from the beginning has been to provide education to the public for the benefit of our wild neighbors? In addition to providing answers via phone, website, and other means (like our blog!), for nearly a decade we’ve offered environmental education programs featuring our ambassador animals on an outreach basis through as many as 120 outreach programs a year! Now that supporters like you have helped us reach new heights with the completion of our new facility we hope your generosity will continue to help us soar even higher with these unique education-focused projects.

1. One project WINC is collaborating on is focused on connecting children and wildlife through learning. This project involves long-time supporter, Rebecca Seymour, and children’s author and President of The Little Environmentalists, Rebecca Mattano, as well as staff and volunteers of WINC. Our team is creating a book featuring the educational animal ambassadors that can be used in conjunction with as well as independently of the general educational programming we’re already providing.

When used during one of our programs, children of all ages, from tots to seniors, will have the chance to revisit the experience that they had meeting Dakota, Waldo, and even Daphne, in this book that will remain with their classroom or activity coordinator. Those who, for whatever reason, don’t have the option of a live program could request several copies of this book through which any educator could offer a unique experience on its own to their students.

These books would also be available to anyone visiting the new WINC facility, whether simply to browse through or to purchase to take home and use to educate their own friends and family. The total budget for this project is $10,000. Donated time from both Rebecca Seymour and Rebecca Mattano, funds from sales at The Little Environmentalists, as well as a $1,000 grant already received from the Greater Oconomowoc Area Foundation have helped to bring the amount we still need before going to print to $6,500. Once the books are printed, funds from any sold here in our office will be saved to pay for future printings.

Are you interested in finding our more about this program? Are you a professional designer or editor interested in joining our team, or do you work for a publishing company that might be interested in helping us make this dream project a true reality? Perhaps you’re just interested in making a small contribution to help us get to our goal? If so, please contact us today!

Stay tuned to future posts for more unique projects you may not know about going on at WINC that you can get involved with!

Few things in nature are as cute as a week old fawn, but sometimes nature isn’t always pretty. I’ve remodeled this post from one posted last year because, evidenced by our incoming phone calls, it's that time of year again and our education is needed. The most important thing to keep in mind is:

The best thing to do if you see a fawn sitting alone is to resist the urge to interfere.

Mother deer will frequently leave their fawns for several hours at a time (sometimes the entire day or longer) as they are not strong enough to keep up with her as she forages, nor are they eating solid foods yet. Unless the baby is showing obvious signs of distress you can be certain that the mother will return, perhaps closer to dusk when she feels it is safe to do so.

While many of us have an idyllic image of deer dashing through forests and grazing in wide open fields (plenty of which exist in the southeastern Wisconsin region), but it is actually common to see deer in town, especially in quite, grassy subdivisions. It is also quite common, believe it or not, to find a fawn resting in your front flower bed one day.

Don’t worry when this happens, the mother of this adorable creature with the biggest, wettest eyes you’ve probably ever seen will come back.

It may be difficult to resist the urge to move the baby to a safer location if it’s near a road or even just a shady spot if it’s in the sun, but its best chance at survival is to stay with its mother. She is perfectly capable of getting up, however wobbly, and moving if she becomes uncomfortable or senses danger.

It’s important to keep in mind with all baby animals that even when found alone, they are rarely actually orphaned. With deer, unfortunately, we face another issue: in Waukesha County (as well as many other Wisconsin counties) chronic wasting disease regulations do not allow the rehabilitation of deer or rearing of fawns.

We want what’s best for each potential patient we take in and that means keeping them with their natural parents in their natural environment in as many cases as possible. If a fawn is abandoned it will show clear signs of distress like running around and crying continuously (for several hours straight, not just a bit of crying after being startled by the lawnmower or the family dog). Even though we can’t raise them here, if they are exhibiting these behaviors and they are young enough that they actually allow you to capture them, then they are too young to survive on their own and the outcome will ultimately be their starvation.

If you have questions about a fawn or any animal that you think needs help, please contact the Wildlife In Need Center or a rehabilitator in your area before you do anything else.

The "birds and the bees" and the buzzards

Sunday afternoon the intercom in the office beeped. Barb, a volunteer, had seen two Turkey Vultures in the yard past the parking lot and they appeared to be fighting. I’ve never seen Turkey Vultures at WINC although I have seen them soaring over the gravel pits north of here. Once I even saw about a dozen sitting in a small tree just east of Hwy C and Hwy 18. I did a double-take to see those big black birds in that 10 foot tall tree. It would have made a great Halloween card. My office window had a different angle of sight so I went to the other window to see what was going on.

I usually park my van directly in front of the office so we can watch our local Cooper’s Hawk hunt House Sparrows under it. (Another blog for another day) Between my van and a spruce tree I saw the Turkey Vultures pacing back and forth. They would walk past each other, going out of my view and then back into view. Although unusual behavior, they did not seem to be acting aggressive towards each other. One had its feathers all fluffed out and its wings held out in a loose curve around its body. It strutted rather bow-legged as it walked. Hmmm. I’ve seen that posture before with the domestic ducks and geese I used to keep as pets. Have you ever seen a male tom turkey displaying- puffing up, holding his wings a little out, and kind of strutting and dancing for the hens? The vultures would disappear behind the tree from my view for a couple minutes, and then wander back into view.

In 2009 WINC rescued this Turkey Vulture that had gotten caught up in someone's dilapidated wire fence. Try to remember to replace, repair, or remove netting, fencing and string that could potentially entangle birds and other small animals whenever possible, especially overnight when they are less likely to be in use.

I beeped back to the hospital. I asked Barb what she had seen to make her think they were fighting. She described the sight and added that, “One of them was even standing on the other.” My guess was right. They weren’t fighting, they were mating. I then explained the “birds and the bees” of large birds. In most species of birds, the male mounts (stands) on the female back. She arches her tail up as far over her back as she can. The male bends his tail under the female so their privates can meet. It takes maybe a minute or two and done. Separate, dance and strut. Repeat. Multiple times. I had the R rated view but Barb had the full XXX version from the kitchen window. They were out front about 30 minutes and then flew off to the southwest.

You just never know what you will see around here!

Guest Blogger L.R.

Interested in becoming a volunteer and being a part of interesting events like this one? Visit our website to find out more.

One Outrageous Day

 Yesterday we admitted our first patient in four days. This is the time of year when things start to slow down in the animal world which gives the Wildlife In Need Center volunteers and staff time to clean up, rearrange and set-up for the winter months ahead. This unusually long stretch without patients made me think about the not-so-distant summer days when organizing files, catching up on emails, and planning ahead didn’t even make it on the to do list. I thought I’d share some of the details of one such day…

On this particular day I arrived at the office to find our Wildlife Education Coordinator, Leslie, already in, attempting to get caught up on some paperwork for upcoming programs. Even though our office wasn’t technically open yet, she had already admitted an injured bird and answered several questions posed by its rescuers as to how we would care for it. By the time I arrived she had also had to switch to the extra computer on the office counter because her normal one was working very slowly and she was having trouble opening some of the programs she needed.

Meanwhile, Lisa, the Director of Operations came in just after I did, donning her sweats and a respirator and armed with painting supplies. It turns out earlier in the summer the drainage pipe for our air conditioner had backed up and several weeks ago we arrived to discover a flood on the floor of the executive director’s office. The damage was severe enough that we had to remove the carpeting, which meant we had to remove all of the furniture first. Unfortunately, this office space was also home to a very important storage area for things like extra stationary, computer supplies and some donated auction items. But I digress. Feeling that it was unfair to ask a volunteer to do such an unpleasant job, Lisa had arrived prepared to put the final coat of paint on the, by now cleaned and primed, wood floor.

Sometime shortly after Lisa got started, Mike, the Executive Director arrived. Because his office was currently dismantled he had to use an open computer in the main office are, making it a full space. While this number was alright with all of us, it was not however, for Karen, our Volunteer Coordinator and Operational Team Leader who was hoping to use a spare computer to print a document she needed. She originally had a printer on her desk which resided in our Baby Bird Nursery, but it was rendered unusable when several resident mice decided to open up a new a hotel inside of it. A similar thing happened to one of the two computers being used by our Wildlife Rehabilitation Staff; now they have to take turns using a spare computer as well.

Throughout the year a long-time supporter and volunteer, Rose, and her community action team of young men from Lad Lake will come out to the Center to assist with myriad projects ranging from cleaning and building cages to mowing the lawns. This particular day they were here to assist with re-sanding our crow aviary.

At this time Mike, Lisa and I had just sat down to discuss the progress on our upcoming Charity Golf Fundraiser. We hadn’t gotten through half of our agenda when one of our office volunteers, Pam, pulled into the parking lot, her SUV filled with dog food donated by a local pet supply company. We managed to get the gentlemen from Lad Lake, who were taking a break from hauling sand, to assist in transporting the 20lb and 40lb bags into our basement to be stored until they were needed. Pam had promised to drop off a donation receipt to the retailer on her way back. This meant that she had to use my computer to do it.

Our meeting was coming to a close with all of the commotion anyway, but was officially over when a patient came in to be admitted for care. The patient was a Pigeon, complete with a band on its leg, which means it is a domestic/racing/homing pigeon. When we speak to people on the phone about these birds we direct them to visit the website www.pigeon.org to enter the band numbers and hopefully track down the owners rather than bring them into us or a local domestic shelter that may not know how to care for it properly. His rescuers however, believed it to be injured and hoped that we would be more equipped to assist than the domestic shelters nearby.

It was still only mid morning when one of the local humane societies contacted us with a young rabbit that had been brought to them. One of our afternoon volunteers that day often stops at a local grocery store to pick-up produce and fish that is going to be thrown out. This is great because it means he goes past the shelter before he comes here to volunteer; it also means he leaves his house earlier so we have to catch him before he does since he doesn’t have a cell phone. We attempted to contact him, but were too late so, as we’ve had to do several other times, we called the store and gave the message to the individual he was headed to see. Then all we could do was wait to see if the message was received.

As the morning turned into afternoon it began to heat up in the office. Leslie had left for the day and Mike was preparing to as well, which would help having fewer people in the crowded room, but with the windows open to vent the paint fumes, we were still subject to the rising humidity and heat.

At this point in the day we hope that things slow down so that we can get a few things checked off of our list before the end of the day (I say we hope because some days this is the case, but not this day). Someone walked in with orphaned squirrels in a wastebasket which I volunteered to bring directly up to the triage room to be transferred to a baby bin by Animal Care Staff. I directed her how to complete the paperwork we need to properly admit and care for them as patients while I was gone. Before I could leave the office however, another woman came through the door with another box containing a small bird. I directed her also, to complete the paperwork we needed and took all of the patients up to the clinic. For those of you who don’t know, our current facility was built out of an old farmstead. The office is housed in what used to be a garage and is separated from the main building by a minute’s walk along the sidewalk. Today the walk was nice, as the breeze outside was much more tolerable than the humid air in the office. In the winter this walk isn’t always as pleasant, especially when you are walking it to get to the only restroom on the property….

The best part about having fewer phone calls and fewer patients being admitted is that, hopefully it means fewer animals are getting into harms way than during the summer months when they are searching for safe places to keep their young, feeding their families and generally trying to survive. At this point in my story it was still before 1PM but I can’t help but return to the present on this cold, rainy November day. I have to remind myself that even though it was a long hot summer and a long, cold winter lies ahead (in an office sitting on a cement slab with little insulation, and inadequate doors and windows) that our wild neighbors will still need us. I’m reminded of that already as today I’ve answered many more phone calls, admitted 2 patients and as the evening approaches we’ll be waiting on more.

The excitement is rising for the new Wildlife In Need Center facility and we want to share our progress with you! Visit our new blog dedicated to the construction and capital campaign progress at http://www.newwincfacility.blogspot.com/

A kid from Chicago

Although we are not set up to be open to the public we are still happy to encourage the learning and respect that come from getting the opportunity to see (and interact) with our wild neighbors.

That’s why I agreed to have a young gentleman and his younger sister come in one day this summer with their extended family with whom he was staying for the weekend. The adults in the group explained that the kids were from Chicago so while visiting, they were looking for as many opportunities as possible to get them outside to see both animals and nature.

As I mentioned, and many of you know, anytime the public gets beyond the doors of our office it is a rare situation as we are not permitted to operate as a nature center or zoo. Several of our permitted educational ambassadors are housed in or near our office however, and they also work with people all year long through scheduled educational outreach programs. Because of this and the fact that the beautiful weather was helping to keep our wild neighbors out of trouble (the office was not too busy) I agreed to speak with them for a short time about the Center and share some of these ambassadors with them.

First they were introduced to the Center and what we do. Currently, our office is home to Slither, a Western Fox Snake, Maize, a Corn Snake, and Jewel, an Ornate Box Turtle (an endangered species in Wisconsin). Although some people get a little squeamish around reptiles and amphibians, most children are naturally curious and giving them the opportunity to interact with animals who have been trained to work with people helps to give them a more positive outlook and respect for these creatures who serve an important purpose in our lives.

Next, we walked outside to check on Dakota, our educational Great Horned Owl and Indigo, our educational American kestrel in their outdoor enclosures. The young man was absolutely fascinated by Dakota as he had never seen an owl in person before. Lastly, we stopped by the outdoor enclosure of Waldo, our educational Woodchuck. Waldo was lounging in his hollow log to keep cool in the midday sun but was content to have us enjoy him from afar. The entire family was thrilled by the concept of being able to see such an animal so close up, especially such a handsome specimen.

With construction of our new facility including an entirely new educational wing we are calling “the gathering area,” we hope to have this kind of impact on many more young people who may never have these opportunities otherwise. Our hope is that the educational experience itself will be enhanced exponentially through displays, video monitors, interactive materials and more. If you would like to help support our educational mission please consider making a donation to help cover the cost of these new materials, tools and books. You can do so online or over the phone with a credit card or by mail. You can also stop by our current location any day of the week between 9AM and 5PM. For more information about our education outreach program or our new facility visit our website.