10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2015

Neighbor B’s cats are constantly on neighbor A’s property, urinating and defecating all over her garden, spreading disease, maiming and killing the birds who flock to her feeders. Neighbor A’s private property and peace of mind are both suffering because of the cats, which are killing government-protected species. What can she do?

Feral Cats 259

Feral Cats Feral Cats Wildlife Rehabilitation 259

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2014

Sentient people recoil at the idea of leg-hold traps, those medieval–torture devices which cause so much pain and suffering before their victims eventually die, are killed, or (very occasionally) are rescued. My very first rescue was a House Sparrow caught in a glue trap,” says Donna Osburn, a wildlife rehabilitator in Kentucky.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 279

Wildlife Rehabilitation Mice Rodents Rescue 279

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2014

When using a regular hospital cage, the wildlife rehabilitator reaches in, picks up the bird, transfers him to another cage, cleans the original one, then returns the bird. You open the door and they either freak and flail, which could lead to self-injury; or they freak and try to kill you, which could lead to rehabber injury. “I

Wildlife Rehabilitation 248

Wildlife Rehabilitation Colorado Protest Protesting 248

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2014

Wildlife rehabilitators constantly receive lost racing pigeons who are starving, riddled with lice, and suffering from coccidia, trichinosis, or worms. I doubt anyone would want to begin their wedded life or celebrate the memory of a loved one by killing one or more gentle, lovely birds, however unintentionally.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 255

Wildlife Rehabilitation Ethics Virginia Atlanta 255

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2014

“We had a call one morning about a snake and a hawk,” says Tom Sweets, the executive director and chief rescuer of the Key West Wildlife Center , located at the very tip of Florida. The snake was wrapped firmly around the hawk’s tail, neck, and wings, and had enough strength to immobilize the bird but not to kill him.

Reptiles 201

Reptiles Chickens Sea Turtles Wildlife Rehabilitation 201

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2016

This blog was written by Sherry Turner Teas, a rehabber in Chattanooga, Tennessee: It started out as a normal day for a wildlife rehabilitator here in Tennessee – giving medicine, cleaning cages, and feeding baby birds. It took her several minutes to kill and eat it. I am terrified of spiders.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 159

Wildlife Rehabilitation Tennessee Raised Wildlife 159

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2012

Of all the billions of things that keep wildlife rehabilitators from sleeping at night, public releases are one of the big ones. One of the area’s resident hawks had recently been killed by a car (“I know this,” said Lisa, “because I’m the one they called to pick him up”), which left a possible territorial spot open for a young one.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 158

Wildlife Rehabilitation Rescue Killing 2012 158

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2013

Even as a veteran wildlife rehabilitator, I could scarcely believe the sight before me. But in birds they eat living tissue, and once they are internal will kill the patient. Six years after her horrific injury and survival she was found ¼ mile from the lightning strike, but this time she had been hit by a car and killed.

Eagles 231

Eagles Wounded Bald Eagle Wisconsin 231

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2016

She doesn’t use pesticides, she loves the local wildlife, and she does everything a good pet owner should do. So: Nina is beating herself up over the fact that her dog, who is a pet and thus not a part of nature, has killed a wild creature – and people try to make her feel better by telling her their cats do it all the time.

Cats 161

Cats Rabbits Chipmunks Pets 161

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2011

Alex, who publishes the bird and wildlife blog Birdland West , wants to share sincere feelings about a species near and dear to the hearts of many of us… I’m new to birding, and I’ve lived in urban areas for many years where the bird population is mainly crows and pigeons. It was still alive.

Seattle 207

Seattle Wildlife Rehabilitation Rescue Dogs 207

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2015

Mites will eventually kill the bird. Even if you do not see an obvious wound, cat or dog saliva, which is full of nasty bacteria, can still get into a bird’s eyes/orifices and will eventually kill the bird; it will just die more slowly and painfully. *Baby bird found on ground, something is wrong, seems injured.

Wounded 254

Wounded Rescue Medical Cats 254

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

Solid food would have killed him, as he’d have used up the last of his fading energy trying to digest it. It was lucky for the hawk, who was so emaciated he probably wouldn’t have lasted the night. He was a small male, six or seven months old, and obviously not a skilled hunter.

Mice 203

Mice Squirrels Hunters New York 203

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2012

When I see a band I imagine something slipping beneath it and trapping the bird, I’ve seen photos of birds with so many bands it looks like they’re wearing stockings, and then there’s the awful story of Violet , whose band eventually killed her. And to prove it, there’s The Queen.

Rabbits 232

Rabbits New Jersey Neglecting North America 232

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2016

Years ago, I became a wildlife volunteer and advocate because of a cat who caught a bird. The wildlife center was an hour away if I was lucky. That was my first trip to California Wildlife Center. I’d rescued birds before, but this time I had to face the wildlife center with a personal connection to the carnage.

Cats 207

Cats Stray Cat Stray Wildlife Rehabilitation 207

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2015

This post is from Lisa Beth Acton, a wildlife rehabilitator in Accord, NY. Lisa brings her to all kinds of gatherings to spread the word of wildlife (see Xena’s Facebook page ). They were not aware of wildlife laws, and thought they could raise and release them. This summer Lisa raised three orphaned Common Ravens.

Raised 227

Raised Mice Wildlife Rehabilitation Squirrels 227

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

In responding to Suzie’s post defending wildlife rehabilitation I began to think again about the areas in which animal rights and animal welfare overlap with the field of conservation, and the ways in which they don’t. Not from an environmental perspective but from a “don’t you like animals?” ” one.

Animal Rights 259

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 259