The SPCA Serving Erie County’s Wildlife Department’s Recent Patients
Green Heron
Spiny Soft Shell Turtle
You can support the Wildlife Department by making a donation here!
The SPCA’s Wildlife Department Hosts its Own Flicker ICU
July 17, 2020 — By Barbara Haney, Director of the Wildlife Department
The SPCA’s Wildlife Department currently has five Northern Flickers in what they’re calling a Flicker ICU! These five birds all suffered head injuries from window strikes and, in an effort to rehabiltate them and release them back to the wild, all are in various stages of learning how to eat. These birds have guarded, but hopeful, prognoses.
If you find that you have a window that attracts birds, there are various techniques that you can do to deter them. This website has many good suggestions, https://www.worldbirds.org/how-to-stop-birds-from-flying-into-windows.
The SPCA’s Wildlife Department’s Recent Releases
July 17, 2020 — The summer is the SPCA’s Wildlife Department’s busiest time of year! Wildlife Hospital Supervisor Dawn wrote about two recent releases:
This Red-Tail Hawk came from the Depew/Cheektowaga French Road area and had a fractured right ulna. Dr. Slote determined that surgery was not an option. The broken pieces were aligned enough so we applied an immobilizing wrap. Every three days the bird was anesthetized for physical therapy. The wrap would be removed and the wing would undergo a series of stretches and motions. It is incredibly important that all the ligaments and tendons stay loose and limber or they risk rupturing once the wrap is off entirely. After roughly a month she made a full recovery and was released in her home territory.
This Snapping Turtle was found on Transit Road after being struck by a vehicle. He sustained three shell fractures, two of which required immobilization techniques so they would heal properly. Turtle shell healing is fairly slow and it took about four weeks. The shell was sturdy enough that he can be returned to the pond to complete the healing process in the place he calls home!
You can help the SPCA’s Wildlife Department by making a donation here!
SPCA, Continuing to Serve: Wildlife Rescue Stories
There have been so many terrific wildlife rescue stories happening, that we decided to put them together on the same page!
Tree Swallows Find Adoptive Parents
This comes to us from SPCA Serving Erie County’s Wildlife Department’s James Sevigny, Licensed Veterinary Technician and Wildlife Rehabilitator
June 22, 2020 — On June 17, two baby birds were dropped off at the SPCA Serving Erie County’s Wildlife Department. At first, we thought they might be Northern Mockingbirds, a common bird in the southern United States. After a few days, however, they started making noises… and immediately we could tell they were Tree Swallows! Tree Swallows are beautiful iridescent blue aerial insectivores (meaning they catch bugs in flight). While we have raised these birds successfully in the past, aerial insectivores are extremely challenging patients and we make every effort to reunite them with their parents, or to find wild foster parents if a reunion with their parents isn’t possible.
After we figured out what these little birds were, we called Celeste Morien of Friends of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Celeste was able to identify a few nest boxes with tree swallow nestlings of a similar age. After getting permission from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, I brought the birds to Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge on June 22. Together we decided which nest the little birds would go into. The first nest had six baby birds already and we decided that the parents had enough mouths to feed! The next nest only had four babies, and while the babies were a little bit older, we decided that this nest offered them the best chance. We gingerly placed them in the nest box with their new siblings and closed the door. Within a few minutes, BOTH parents had entered the nest box to feed their new blended family!
Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtles Find Refuge with SPCA Wildlife Department Volunteer
This comes to us from SPCA Serving Erie County’s Wildlife Department’s James Sevigny, Licensed Veterinary Technician and Wildlife Rehabilitator
June 24, 2020 — On January 7, three baby Eastern Spiny Softshell turtles were seized by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) from a person in Chautauqua County who had illegally collected them out of the wild to keep as pets. In New York State it is illegal to keep any native wild animal as a pet. Like most aquatic turtles, Spiny Softshell turtles hibernate through the winter, so the DEC entrusted the SPCA Serving Erie County’s Wildlife Department with the care of these adorable reptiles until they could be released in the spring.
After getting a thorough physical exam, the three turtles were placed into home foster care with wildlife rehabilitator and turtle expert Shelby Priester who took care of the little guys until the weather and water temperature was just right to give them the best chance for survival in the wild.
Typically, wildlife is released to the same place it was found, but we didn’t know where these guys came from. We reached out to the Roger Tory Peterson Institute in Jamestown, New York who have been monitoring turtle populations in the area for several years. Fortunately, they knew of the perfect spot for release.
On June 9, wildlife rehabilitator Shelby Priester, SPCA wildlife veterinarian Dr. Karen Slote, and Roger Tory Peterson Institute staff Jonathan Townsend and Twan Leenders met in Jamestown to release the turtles. Watch the video here.
This story illustrates how many different individuals, agencies, and organizations come together to help these turtles: from the DEC officer who rescued the turtles, through the vets and wildlife rehabilitators of the SPCA Serving Erie County’s Wildlife Department who took care of them, to the staff of the Roger Tory Peterson Institute who assisted with their release… We thank everyone for their help!
Snapping Turtle Rescued From Drainpipe
This comes to us from SPCA Serving Erie County Animal Cruelty Investigator / Animal Rescue Officer Tyler Robertson:
July 3, 2020 — A snapping turtle was found stuck inside a drainpipe in Clarence. Employees from the Town of Clarence Highway Department assisted in cutting the pipe to free the turtle. The turtle was transported back to the SPCA Serving Erie County’s Wildlife Department where he got a clean bill of health. He was released near a body of water where he was originally found shortly after.
Crafty Fox Rescued from Underneath Porch
This comes to us from SPCA Serving Erie County Animal Cruelty Investigator / Animal Rescue Officer Tyler Robertson:
July 3, 2020 – With the assistance of Amherst Animal Control, Officer Heine and I worked to rescue this fox who had been eluding them all week. The fox went under a porch on Robin Road and the homeowners were quick to make a phone call noting the fox’s location. The fox was transported back to the SPCA’s Wildlife Department for assessment. He was released shortly thereafter. Watch his release here.
SPCA, CONTINUING TO SERVE
June 16, 2020 — This comes to us from SPCA Serving Erie County Animal Cruelty Investigator / Animal Rescue Officer Tyler Robertson:
On Saturday, June 13, 2020, Officer Ivory, Officer Jaworski, Officer Maleskis, and I rescued eight domestic ducks from Cazenovia Park. Officer Ivory and Officer Maleskis used kayaks to steer the ducks to shore where Officer Jaworski and I were able to net the ducks and get them into carriers to be transported back to the barn at the SPCA.
Credit for the video and pictures go to SPCA volunteer Cheryl L. who happened to be walking by and who provided assistance as well!
This was one of two duck rescues over the weekend; read more about the rescue of 8 ducklings practicing a little too much social distancing here.
Unlikely Neighbors? Not Really. What You Need to Know About Raccoons in Your Neighborhood.
May 20, 2020
By Bethany Kloc, SPCA Serving Erie County Communications Manager
With the nice weather finally upon Western New York, have you noticed more raccoons than usual out during the day in your neighborhood? There’s a very logical reason for that.
“In general, just seeing a raccoon during the day is normal — especially now that mothers have their litters of babies. They’re off getting food for them ALL day long,” says SPCA Serving Erie County Wildlife Department Director Barb Haney. “And even though I think we can all appreciate how cute they are, I’d like to impress upon people that under no circumstances should anyone ever touch a raccoon – even baby raccoons. In New York State, once a rabies vector species like a raccoon has had contact with people, for the protection of those people, it must be tested for rabies. This means the raccoon is euthanized to gauge its brain’s infection status. So contact with a raccoon doesn’t only have deadly consequences for the animal, but could lead to the transmission of rabies from the animal to the person who initiated contact.”
With more raccoon sightings in neighborhoods, the SPCA has received more calls than usual about them. On a recent day, SPCA Officer Tyler Robertson said that, after receiving calls for help, members of his department transferred five separate litters of 14 raccoons, and all needed to be euthanized to be tested for rabies.
“Individuals are finding baby raccoons that they erroneously feel need intervention, and they think they’re doing the right thing by handling them to ensure they’re safe. After that, they reach out to the SPCA for assistance. Unfortunately, once the human contact occurs, euthanasia is the only outcome for the animal.”
What should you do if you find a raccoon who looks sick, injured, or orphaned? Officer Robertson recommends, “Leave the animal where it is, contact our Wildlife Department between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. at 716-449-0727, and comply with any instruction that is given. By calling ahead of time and speaking with the experts, it will give the animal the best (hopefully live) outcome.” If you have questions between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., please call your local police department and/or animal control department or the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
As always, it is important to have your pets up-to-date on their rabies vaccinations. Should you or your pet have contact with a wild animal, including a raccoon, please call the Erie County Health Department at 716-961-6800.
SPCA Busy with Wildlife Rescues!
April 24, 2020
By: SPCA Communications Manager Bethany Kloc
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the SPCA’s Wildlife Department is asking community members with wildlife concerns to call them before bringing an animal in to help determine if what they’re seeing is an emergency. Information can be found on our COVID-19 Response page.
WOOD DUCK RESCUE
On April 21, the SPCA’s Wildlife Department received a call about a Wood Duck who had been hit by a car in Tonawanda. “Wood ducks are a very sensitive species that are easily stressed, so we have to be especially careful with this bird,” said Wildlife Department Director Barb Haney. “When he was brought in, we took an X-ray and found that he had a broken radius, a wing bone. We’re caring for him now and we’re hopeful that he’ll make a quick recovery so we can release him back to the wild as soon as possible.”
CROW RESCUE
On April 22, a crow was admitted to the Wildlife Department after a good Samaritan found the bird tangled in fishing line and stuck in water. When admitted, the crow was tired and very wet, and luckily, none of his bones were broken. The fishing line was immediately cut off, and he was given pain medicine and food. He rested over night in the Wildlife Department. After an examination the next morning, the crow was cleared to be released and SPCA Officers Maleskis and Wlodarczyk had the privilege of releasing him back to the wild!
LOON RESCUE
On April 23, the SPCA’s Wildlife Department Director Barbara Haney received a call from a Buffalo citizen who was surprised to find a bird, who the caller thought was possibly a goose with a broken leg, on the caller’s second-floor balcony. “I asked him to text me a picture and immediately I knew it was a Common Loon — a species of special concern in New York State. The gentleman thought the bird looked like it had a broken leg because of the loon’s anatomy.” Common Loons spend most of their lives in water and walk clumsily on land, because their legs are located far on the rear of their bodies.
Because this is a very special bird, SPCA Officers Maleskis and Wlodarczyk went on the rescue call. Wearing PPE, they walked through the man’s apartment to the balcony and rescued the loon. They brought the loon to Dr. Karen Slote, the SPCA’s wildlife veterinarian and local expert on this very delicate species. “Migrating loons don’t breed in Buffalo and my guess is that he was on his way to Canada. If you see loons in area lakes, they’re just stopping by for food. I don’t know how in the world he got stuck on a balcony but once he was there, he probably had difficulty taking off. He was dirty and exhausted when I got him. Currently I’m caring for him around the clock,” said Dr. Slote.
