Babies Galore!

FWMA is in the middle of baby season and things don’t seem to be slowing down at all.  There are several baby deer, many raccoons, 2 sets of sibling foxes, and birds of all shapes and sizes!

Although there is hope, one of the sad stories is of this precious baby deer.  Mama deer put their babies in places where they will be camouflaghed – they are often hidden in plain sight, and unfortunately, sometimes you don’t see them until it’s too late.  Such is the case with this baby.  Mowing his yard, the man didn’t see the baby until it was too late.  But after he hit it, he did the right thing and took it to FWMA.  One of the legs is broken and the other is badly cut – but the baby is doing very well!  Amazingly well!  Please keep her in your thoughts!

There is one thing about baby deer that a lot of people don’t know – when they are very young, they can’t go to the bathroom on their own!  They have to be ‘stimulated’ to go!  Mama deer does this by licking the little baby’s butt!  Well now, let me tell you – when Chris put out a call for a volunteer to become the Official FWMA Baby Deer Buttlicker – no one applied for the job!!!  So below is a clip of how it’s done!  Ya learn something new everyday, huh?

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This next clip is of one of the precious, precious baby coons.  Clearly you can see why people think these little darling make great pets!  They crave attention!  They just want to be with you!  But the reality is that they are wild animals and they DO NOT make good pets.  He may be adorable now, but as he grows, his animal urges and instincts take over.  He is a WILD animal and we will act like a wild animal!  And the diseases he can carry can be deadly. 

I actually think this one is a little girl – she seemed to be highly attracted to my bling!  You have to listen close, but about halfway through the clip, she starts to purr…or sing….or whatever that darling noise is that a baby coon makes!

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And what could this tiny little thing possibly be?  Well….it’s either Will Robinson or a baby Moorhen or Gallinule.  Jessica named him Will Robinson because of the way he moves this little arms around!  Remember the old TV show, Lost in Space? ”Danger, Danger! ” Oooops – those aren’t arms he’s wailing around there – those are his wings!  Just an adorable little thing!

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And last…a clip of some of the patients.  A Northern Gannet, Baby Deer, Baby, baby bunnies, Herring Gull, Ring-Billed Gulls, Swallow-Tailed Kites, baby coons, young Red Foxes (two sets), and a gorgeous Red-Tailed Hawk.

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Please visit www.wakullawildlife.org.  And as always, please feel free to share the link!

Woodstork is coming!  Woodstork is coming – check it out:

http://www.woodstorkfestival.com/

In the Middle of Baby Season

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Among the many orphans at FWMA right now are two very precious young deer.  This little girl has been at the center for about 3 weeks and is doing remarkably well.  Her mother was hit and killed by a car.  She had also been hit and suffered internal injuries, but as you can see, she is up and moving and recovering nicely!

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This little boy has a sad story;  like all mama deer, this mama put her boy in a safe spot and told him to stay there.   All mama deer do this – it’s their way of keeping their babies safe.  Fawns coats blend in so well with it’s surroundings and they have no scent, so most predators neither see or smell them.  And mama is good at leading predators away.  She comes back to feed the baby, then off she goes again – leaving him to sleep in peace and in safety…and then a well-intentioned human comes along.   They see the baby alone and believe it’s been abandoned.  They pick it up and take it home.  They try to feed it – cow’s milk – which is just about the worst thing that can be done.  The only thing that cow’s milk and deer milk have in common is that they are both called milk.  When you’re only a couple of days old, you NEED your mama and you need to be fed.  After just 24 hours on cow’s milk, the little thing started to decline, finally reaching a point where the good-intentioned person realized if they didn’t do something soon, the baby was going to die.  That’s when FWMA was called.  This little guy is not out of the woods yet, but he is hanging in there and the odds are now in his favor.

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But baby deer also face the opposite problem.  Being left alone for too long can have tragic consequences.  Sometimes something happens to mama – she doesn’t come back.  The baby gets hungry and goes off in search of food.  When they are very young, without food, they deteriorate rapidly in the kind of heat we’ve been having.  FWMA just had a baby come in that had been without food for about 4 days.  She was covered in maggots and ticks and was so compromised, Chris had hope in her heart that this little thing would make it, but her head told her the truth.  It was too late.  So…a little piece of advice – if you come across a baby deer and it’s in a concealed, safe location, just watch it for awhile.  Chances are you’ll discover that mama is closer than you think!  But if it really appears to be abandoned, do both yourself and the baby a huge favor - call a licenced rahabber!   

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Two days ago, a young hawk with a hurt wing hopped up onto someone’s porch and started crying.  The people could tell it had a serious injury and FWMA was brought in to catch it.  He is doing very well but chances are, this is going to be a permanent injury.

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A Great Horned Owl met a car head-on and of course, came out the loser.  He’s already had one surgery and is scheduled for another next week.  Please keep this beautiful bird in your thoughts are prayers.

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One of Florida’s summer visitors hasn’t had a very good time.  Another car collison, this one causing a wing injury and head trauma to a Mississippi Kite.  The wing is probably going to heal – but the trauma to the head has caused some vision problems.  Hope for a positive outcome for this guy, too!

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Also meeting a car, this adult gray fox has a fractured hip.  After being confined for about 2 weeks, he has just started standing again!  Hopes are high for a full recovery!

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A Barred Owl that has been in the center for about 2 months has started to show some wonderful improvement!   After hitting a car, he completely lost his vision.  His hearing is still finely turned and he’s been doing well, but just this week, he’s starting to see again!  After 2 months of waiting, hoping and   watching him closely, he’s getting his vision back and it looks like he could be returning to the wild soon!

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Another of the new oprhans – coming from St. George Island, is this absolutely darling baby Laughing Gull.  At least, we think it’s a Laughing Gull.  Chris has never had a baby gull before – lots and lots of juveniles – but never a baby!  He is just the cutest thing with his little duzzy head!

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The injured and orphaned animals just keep coming in.  It is the busiest time of year!  Nine baby raccoons – three are out with foster mom’s.

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Most of the 30+ possums have been released.

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Ten baby bunnies are now running wild and free!

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Too many baby birds to list – many have been raised and released, but they just keep coming!  Almost ready to go Orchard Orioles.

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Mockingbird and Blue Jay

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Cattle Egret

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Red-Tailed Hawk

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It was recently publicized that FWMA had a great many donations come in.   It was reported that $19,000.00 in donations have come in. What wasn’t reported is that the bulk of those donations were in manhours (and womanhours).   Here is the breakdown on the recent donations:

Each volunteer hour is worth 18.00 an hour.  FWMA had 80 people volunteering 8 hours each for a total of 640 hours=$11520.00 in donated labor costs.

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FWMA received 5400.00 in monetary donation

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FWMA received 2080.00 in in-kind donations – that is donations of lumber and building supplies, food, drink, water and ice for the volunteer crew.

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Most of the cash donations went to purchase lumber and supplies, but as you can see, things are shaping up!  For more on the FWMA Cage Makeovers, please visit:  www.wakullawildlife.org.

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FWMA can still use the following items:  

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Bleach (gallon size)

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Dawn Dishwashing Liquid

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Paper Towels (really, Bounty does hold up the best under the strenous comditions at FWMA and believe me, this time of year, they are going through them!!)

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Canned Fruit Cocktail

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Birdseed and Nuts and Berries

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Pedigree wet and dry food or Friskies wet or dry food

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Gift cards from local retailers – Ace Hardware, Wal-Mart, Winn-Dixie.  Please check the FWMA website for a complete list of needed items!  www.wakullawildlife.org

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To our faithful following of Bingo players that meet at Hamaknockers Oasis in Panacea every Thursday night at 6:00pm  -  if you would like to bring any of these items to Bingo with you over the next two weeks, I will make sure it gets to FWMA!  And your name will be entered into a drawing for a special guft basket!

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Thanks so much!  See ya at Bingo! Bring Paper Towels!!

Judy

May Brings Babies!

It’s the busiest time of year for FWMA.  Warm weather brings the animals out and clashes with humans leave many in need!  FWMA is there with skilled and loving hands to give aid where it’s needed.

The first round of baby birds are flapping their wings and getting ready to go!  There are so many critters in need at FWMA – this video just shows some of them. 

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And the remember the baby otter?  She’s growing like a weed!

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If you enjoyed these videos, please consider making a donation to FWMA.  Send to:

Florida Wild Mammal Association,

198 Edgar Poole Road

Crawfordville, FL  32346

Tell them you saw Judy’s videos and those babies just warmed your heart!  If you can’t cash, the FWMA website has a list of badly needed items.  Drop some by!

FWMA – March 2010

The weather has warmed and things are picking up at FWMA.  Baby season has already started and unfortunately, this means more orphans and injured animals coming into the center.  One of the newest babies is the little otter babe.  She has been at FWMA for a couple weeks now and as you can see from this video, she is thriving.  Have you ever seen anything so precious???

Another new young one is this beautiful Pied-Billed Grebe.  I see them swimming and diving all around in the local waters, but have never seen one this close-up.  What wonderful feet he has!!!  No wonder he is such an expert diver!

And last, here are some of the animals currently receiving treatment or sanctuary at FWMA.

Please visit the FWMA Website at www.wakullawildlife.org.

FWMA Update

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One of several new patients at FWMA, this beautiful Barred Owl was hit by a car.  When he first came in, he couldn’t eat on his own and his legs didn’t work.  He couldn’t stand on his own.

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Over the last week, he has made remarkable progress!  Here is a short video clip of this pretty bird!

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A very tiny newborn baby bunny.

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Two new Red-Tailed Hawks came in.  Chris thinks one of them was just stunned from a collison with a car.  After spending a couple days in the med room, he has been moved to an outside cage and is doing well.  Hopefully, he will be good to go soon!!  The second one has a broken wing and is receiving treatment.

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Update on the pelican with the strange bill injury.  We still don’t know if this will grow out or not.  The bills and beaks on all birds are constantly growing, so it may. 

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~Here is a short clip of him getting some exercise!~

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~This hawk came in covered in oil.  He has had several Dawn baths, but as you can see, there is still a lot of oil left in those feathers!  Probably going to take a few more baths.  He is eating good and seems to be in good health.  Everyone is hoping for a positive outcome!~

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~One of the newest and cutest patients is this 6 week old baby otter.  Such a precious little thing!  She is finally stable and eating well!~

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~And look at these precious otter feet!!~

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~And a clip of the hungry babe eating…

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FWMA – Feb 2010

Some of the current patients at FWMA. 

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~There are two Herring Gulls currently receiving treatment.  The Herring Gull is the largest of the gulls common in Florida.  They have a wingspan of about 55 inches – which is about the same size as a Red-tailed Hawk. ~

~This is a juvenile Laughing Gull.  Quite a bit smaller than the Herring Gull, this little gull has a wonderful call.  He puts his head back and laughs – loudly! Unfortunately, this little guy doesn’t have much to laugh at.  His injury will most likely leave him permanently disabled. ~

~Two little Screech Owls.  One has a permanent injury and has become the FWMA Education Owl and the other is a new patient.  He is recovering from a collison with a car.~

~What could possibly be in this blanket-covered pen???~

~It’s the winter home of the injured Gopher Tortoises.  ~

~Gophers don’t like extremely cold weather.  In the wild, they burrow deep in the ground which helps protect them against the winter elements.  With the assorted injuries and ailments these tortoises are suffering from, it is very important they be kept in a constant environment.~

~After one of the many recent storms, over 1500 goldfish were found in a storm drain.  Local fish and wildlife agencies couldn’t offer any aid as goldfish are not native Florida residents.  A bunch of caring individuals got together and rescued them…and FWMA got a tankful.  The littles beasties are being placed in new homes – two came home with me!~

~A Barred Owl collided with a car and is recovering.  He is eating on his own so there is hope for a positive outcome!~

~One of the Beatty Family beasties.  Such a sweetheart!~

~One comes a running!~

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~Such beautiful creatures!~

~From time to time, FWMA gets in unusual injuries.  This one definitely falls into that category!~

~This Pelican is missing a portion of the top of his bill.~

~Two Barred Owl.~

~One of the resident Red-Tailed Hawks.~

~And a young Black Vulture.  After spending several weeks in the med room getting care for his fractured wing, he has been moved to an outside pen.  Everyone is hoping this injury will heal and he’ll be able to be released.  Only time will tell!~

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Please visit:  http://tinyurl.com/yj9g88c

If you like this picture of the FWMA deer, please give it 5 ‘cheeseburgers’!

And visit www.wakullawildlife.org for a list of upcoming FWMA events.

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