Dear Wildwoods Friends and Family,
(See below to read about two of our latest animal patients.)
I hope this letter finds you well as we enter the holiday season and inch closer to a new year. At Wildwoods, we are so thankful for all that you do to make sure that we can continue our work. This year, we admitted and cared for close to 1,000 orphaned, injured, and sick wildlife representing 109 species; responded to 1,400 inquiries regarding animals in potential distress; and provided educational programs to 517 people.
2022 saw us reach several organizational goals including advancing from a novice to a general permit, expansion, new hires, and our Sweet 16 anniversary! In 2023 we will continue moving forward and, with your support, meet other long-felt needs:
- New outdoor enclosures. In 2022, we doubled our outdoor pre-release area, added pea gravel, drain tiles, and a vegetative slope, and erected a 10-foot-tall perimeter fence. This $32,500 capital project was entirely grant funded. Now that the space is ready, we will be building new and expanded enclosures!
- Upgrades to our Waterfowl Room. The DNR doesn’t know what to expect with Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza next year, but we had a record number of waterfowl pass through Wildwoods in 2021 and we expect that trend to continue. We will be adding pools, heat lamps, and new housing for ducklings of all species.
- Clinic and technology upgrades. Now that we have our general permit (!!), we expect our clinic will be busier than in past years. We look forward to purchasing equipment to assist with diagnostics and treatment (e.g., centrifuge). We also hope to install point-to-point wireless between our administrative building and our nursery so that we can access our online medical records anywhere in our facility.
- Outdoor Maintenance and Landscaping. Chronically short on storage, we are building an outdoor shed so we can properly store our kennels during the winter months. It has long been a dream of ours to address the landscaping behind our parking lot by creating a pollinator garden. We hope to begin the first stage of that process in the summer.
Please continue to join us on our journey of compassion and understanding. Your donation is crucial to us as we continue to advance our work. If you have already donated to us this fall, thank you for your support and enjoy our update!
Kind regards,
Jessica LaBumbard, Executive Director
North American Porcupine
This North American Porcupine did not have the best of days this past Thanksgiving, but is getting the help she needs. We received a call from a woman who was on her way to a Thanksgiving dinner and found the porcupine in the road. She was unable to help the porcupine herself, but she was able to call Wildwoods and give us its exact location. Valerie Slocum, the Wildwoods Nursery Manager, was covering for the holiday and took the time to go out and locate this porcupine.
The porcupine spent the remainder of the day and the night at Wildwoods where she had food, water, shelter, and warmth. She was not using one of her paws and had abrasions above her left eye. Since she was found in the road, she was likely hit by a car. Her circumstance serves as a reminder to all of us to please slow down and keep an eye out for our wild friends.
We transferred the porcupine to the Wildlife Rehab Center for more advanced care, and we are hoping for the best for her!
Swan
Tom found this swan, likely a juvenile tundra swan, while walking in the woods in late November and recounted his experience (the swan was stabilized at Wildwoods, spent the night there, and was then transferred to the Wildlife Rehab Center for more advanced care):
“Wild Swan Against the Sun.”
“As I hiked through the woods today, I stumbled upon a Swan of all things. When I first spotted the swan from a distance through the trees, I thought it must be a wild turkey which I’ve seen in that area in the past. I was very surprised to find a swan in a relatively thick forested area. She was in a thicker part of the woods where I wouldn’t ever think I’d see such a creature. Out of respect, I keep referring to the swan as a “her” even though I don’t know if it’s male or female. Kind of like you do a boat or ship.
Anyway, I tried to get closer to see if I could tell if the swan was injured. It’s 6’ foot wingspan suggested its wings were strong. I wish I had captured an image of the wings fully outstretched. It was also able to somewhat run from me. It just didn’t seem right, based on subtle ways it was acting. As I followed, I tried through my body language and words to communicate that I promised not to harm her. I feel like she heard me and calmed down a bit.
Finally, I got next to the swan when she laid flat on the ground with her neck outstretched. I carefully scooped her up and wrapped my arms around her body and wings while holding her neck in my left hand just below the head. I carried her a half mile or so out of the woods to my garage. When I got there, I called Jodi on the intercom and asked that she come out and help me. She came out and got the garage doors shut to contain the swan in case she escaped from my arms. Jodi and I were able to place her in my portable dog kennel that Jodi retrieved from the garage attic. I then called Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation Center to see if I could bring her over to them. They said absolutely and met me in their driveway when I got there.
Valerie of the wildlife rehab facility took the swan, kennel and all, into their clinic where the majestic creature underwent a preliminary exam. There are no apparent wounds or injuries. They’re bringing her to another facility tomorrow for x-rays etc. She could be suffering from lead poisoning possibly, but we really have no idea at this point until blood and other tests come back. I know I shouldn’t have but as cradled the swan in my arms carrying her out of the woods, I gave her a kiss on the head. If I come down with bird flu, we’ll know why.
Trumpeter swans migrate all the way to and from the tundra of very northern Canada. I saw a group of them fly over a couple of weeks ago on their way south to their wintering grounds as I do every year. Based on feather color, this bird is a younger one. Wildwoods is going to keep me updated on her progress and what they find out. I hope she’ll be ok. I don’t know if this one would have a mate yet, but I know if a goose is killed, it’s mate will circle and call out in search of it. They mate for life. At any rate, I wish lead sinkers and lead shot was illegal.”
Thank you, Tom, for sharing your story!