June 7, 2023 — In light of the dangerous air quality in New York State as a result of the Canadian wildfires, the SPCA shares important information on animals and wildfire smoke from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) . Find that information, which includes caring for pets, livestock, horses, and wildlife, at bit.ly/AVMA-WildfireSmoke.
Dogs at the SPCA Serving Erie County will only be taken outdoors to relieve themselves, and there will be a pause on the Doggie Entourage program until the poor air quality warnings are lifted. Thank you for your understanding.
SPCA Chief Communications Officer Gina Lattuca
you’ll notice a thin, thread-like spike (for lack of a better word!) at the tip of the eagle’s wings. Barbara Haney tells us that is indicative of the eagle’s status as a first-year eagle born sometime this calendar year, probably February or March. According to the National Eagle Center website, bald eagles fledge at approximately 10 – 14 weeks, which tells us he has not been out of the nest for long.
After receiving the call from Masiello, SPCA Serving Erie County Animal Rescue Team Officers Jennifer Maleskis and Tyler Robertson arrived at the location, retrieved the young bird, and rushed him to the SPCA’s Wildlife Department hospital, where they were met by Wildlife Director Barbara Haney and, within the hour, SPCA Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Karen Slote.
Dr. Slote was able to provide an initial examination and determined the bird, a first-year bald eagle, has a fractured femur. Further assessment and radiographs this afternoon confirmed a severe fracture.
the supportive care, fluids, and medications it is receiving at the SPCA, Haney says, “…then it’s our hope that, once he is strong and stable, Cornell will accept the bird for surgery. The surgical team at Cornell is much better-suited for this sort of surgery…they perform it much more frequently…and they have the equipment and the pins and the other necessities large enough and strong enough for this extremely large animal.”
This eagle is not the first cared for by the SPCA Serving Erie County Wildlife Department. “Eagles have made quite a comeback in the last 30 years or so,” Haney said, “and we’re starting to see them in all parts of Western New York, the City of Buffalo included. It’s possible this bird became disoriented for what could be one of several reasons, possibly even due to his reflection in the window of the high building, or he may have been in a territorial scuffle with a peregrine falcon, as hypothesized by our contacts at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.”
The SPCA wishes to thank Buffalo Police Detective Costantino, Buffalo Police Officer O’Brien, and Erie County Crime Analyst Masiello for their cooperation, and for contacting our officers when they found the eagle and saw that it was in distress.
According to Diana Solomon, production coordinator at NBC Sports, “Our driver, Christian, was unloading the truck this afternoon, bringing boxes and other items to the [Highmark Stadium] field. As he lifted wires and cables out of one of the boxes, there underneath everything, at the bottom of the box, was this iguana!”
Class 1: Thursday, Oct. 20
Thanks to volunteers, our Wildlife Department was able to continue caring for the wild animals of our community throughout 2020 and into 2021, including the animals you see in these photos.
remembering well the 2014-2015 outbreak, collectively held their breath, hoping that the second shoe – outbreaks in commercial and backyard flocks – wouldn’t drop. Unfortunately, despite advanced biosafety protocols, the first outbreak in domesticated birds was detected on Feb. 8. Through April 7, USDA has announced more than 600 detections in wild birds across 31 states and 158 detections in commercial and backyard flocks across 25 states.”
Local wild species most at risk are gulls, all waterfowl (including mallards and Canada geese) and marsh birds, often asymptomatic, and crows, ravens, blue jays, and raptors. Haney shares that more than 24 million domestic poultry have been depopulated, and that, according to the American Farm Bureau, 40% of detections have been backyard flocks. “Owners of backyard flocks need to be diligent in practicing bio-security to protect their birds,” Haney warns, recommending flock owners turn to the USDA for information on proper and effective protection.
to be cognizant of transporting objects or materials that might carry infection when out hiking or birding in areas that attract waterfowl; footwear should be cleaned or changed to reduce chances of spreading disease.