Lonesome Louise from St. Louis

One day early this spring a nice man called about a baby Eastern Grey Squirrel he had found in a hotel parking lot. Although he had inquired at the hotel for a local rehab center, couldn’t find one. So he had been caring for the squirrel for several days before he contacted the Center. When I asked where he was, he told me he was in Racine County. Since it had been so long, I knew re-nesting this baby with its mother wouldn’t be an option and since there isn’t a rehab center in Racine County, I suggested he bring the baby here. Once he got here, I found out that the baby was originally from St. Louis, Missouri!

The “little girl” was not so little. Just as spring occurs earlier the farther south you go, so do breeding seasons and the arrival of babies occurs earlier. Louise, as I called her, was a good two weeks older than any of the babies we had. Her eyes were open and she had a fuzzy tail; she was already old enough to want to climb and play. All of my other babies were eyes-closed or just opened and wanted to do nothing but sleep, eat, and repeat. Louise would just have romped all over them. So, she was alone. Baby mammals including squirrels aren’t meant to be alone and so she begged for company and got some extra people attention. As expected, we never did get any other babies her age. But, as my other babies grew up, I held Louise back, and she did eventually get two buddies to play, sleep and socialize with as siblings. Although she was very clingy as a youngster, once she and her friends were in outdoor, pre-release caging she could care less about me. Louise was lonesome no more.

The DNR really doesn’t like wild animals being transported across state lines. This is to prevent the spread of disease and to maintain healthy gene pools. Advance permission and in some cases vet exams and certificates would be required. But as the squirrel was already here, we took it in. We regularly get calls from our members on vacations who find animals needing help. We also get phone calls from all over the country because of our website. I’ve had many a conversation to determine an animal should be brought to a rehabber only to ask where the person was for directions and say “where is that?” We always try to refer people to the nearest rehabber in their state. If you are looking for a rehabber in WI, you can go to the DNR’s website for a list of rehabilitators:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/land/wildlife/whealth/rehab/directory/
Rather than bringing an animal from up north back with you to us, please consult this list or call us and we can find someone closer to your location. We appreciate the loyalty of your business, but animals are better off if cared for locally and released locally where they originated. Other states’ websites often list state rehabbers as well, so check there if you are outside of Wisconsin. We can also look rehabbers up in our National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association directory (http://www.nwrawildlife.org). This is a voluntary organization so not all rehabbers are listed. We should be able to find someone within the state however, and rehabbers know other rehabbers in their state so even if they don’t work with that species or aren’t in that town, they probably know someone who is. Rehabbers within a state network constantly on animal issues, it’s the only way to ensure the best care for our wild neighbors!

So, while this story will likely have a happy ending, keep Louise in St. Louis next time!

Guest Blogger L.R.

Thank You for Helping Wildlife

Do you know how to rescue a Bald Eagle with your finger or and orphaned Gray Squirrel with your wireless mouse? We say it a lot around here at the Wildlife In Need Center and it may sound cliché, but our members and supporters really are saving lives with each donation. Whether it’s an hour of their time, a bottle of green cleaner or a dollar, they all add up to what we need to get the job done.

In-kind donations are a way that we get a tremendous amount of the materials and supplies we need.

In a shameless attempt to win you over with cuteness please review the following photographs:

The following items are things we urgently need due to the large number of patients being admitted daily:

• Paper Towels
• Newspapers
• EVO-Premium Cat Food – (found at Friends of Nature)
• Plastic Storage Tubs – 10, 18 or 35 gallon sizes
• Dry erase EXPO markers – black (or any color)
• Simple Green - (or other similar cleaners like Green Works for example)
• And of course - Greens - Any type

Whether it’s one donation or 100 we can accept them in our office between 9AM and 5PM seven days a week. Thank you for caring.

You can donate online to support our efforts to help our wild neighbors in need too.

Who's That Baby?

Some not so common patients have already found a home at the Wildlife In Need Center for this summer; those patients are two baby American Mink. After almost being run over by a lawnmower the first Mink was brought to us by people who were not quite sure what kind of species they had even discovered in their lawn. The first one was a rare enough surprise but when more arrived we were speechless.

They came in with their eyes closed and just opened their eyes late last week! Mink do not open their eyes until closer to six or seven weeks old; therefore staff has had their hands full with these two, feeding them five to six times every day. Now that their eyes have opened they must be separated since in the wild Mink do not get along with other Mink. Mink will fight whenever they encounter other Mink except during breeding. Also, now that their eyes are opened we have cut back their feedings and they have started on solid foods…how exciting!

It’s been an exciting adventure and learning experience and we will continue to help them gain all the knowledge they will need to survive in the wild on their own. This will include learning to swim. Mink are excellent swimmers, with partly webbed feet, and can dive to more than 16 feet! At the center we will offer swim tubs to help the Mink get very comfortable in the water. With a lot of care, attention and proper nutrition we hope the Mink will be swimming and diving for food in no time!

-Guest Blogger M.F.