Hours Covered: 170-180
We have hit another animal milestone during these hours. All the fawns we have received are in the large outside pen. We did have 8 fawns total, and they are doing well so far. It’s really exciting to see them actually start to run and leap around in the tall grass in the pen. With 8 fawns, we are usually cutting branches daily. We found out they really like the sugar maple I bring in and the sassafras that another staff member brings in. There is some grapevine on the property that we pull down in bunches. We have also added a little kiddie pool into the pen for them so they have access to more water than just an elevated bucket. We are also trying to wean fawns off the formula slowly, so they are only getting fed 2 times a day. We feed them each 400 mL at 9 am and then at 4 or 5 pm. We did have some trouble with one of the fawns, because it kept having diarrhea, so each time we would go out to feed the fawns, we had to catch the fawn and clean it with a warm wet washcloth. Eventually the diarrhea stopped, but we still usually have to check the fawns butts daily to make sure they are clean and fly egg free. There is one fawn I am concerned about for release. It is definitely too friendly, and always chews on your shirt or pants when you enter the pen. I always try to shoo it away, but as it gets bigger, it is harder to do. Hopefully, the fawn will stop this, but it really doesn’t seem likely. If it gets too social, it definitely won’t make it in the wild.
In addition to the fawns, we have 9 raccoon cages with raccoons in them, and it is a whole project getting them fed and cleaned each day. Usually one of us will feed and another of us will start cleaning on one end of the cages. Sometimes you end up having to do them by yourself, which can take up to two hours. This all depends on how many animals are inside that need to be cleaned and fed too. Right now we have several different animals inside in the ICU and lab including a mute swan that cannot lift its neck and head up, a fox with mange, two wounded large raccoons, and a very angry great horned owl. It’s almost funny how territorial the owl is. I walked by him to check his paperwork and see if he had been cleaned and fed already, and he immediately started hissing and making an angry clicking noise at me. I had heard baby screech owls make his noise when you go to handle them for weighing, but when it comes from a much larger raptor it is very intimidating. There are also several baby rabbits and bats in the back ICU. We usually keep rabbits out of the mammal room because the back ICU is much quieter. Rabbits are easily stressed that it can actually kill them. This is one of the reasons baby rabbits are so hard to successfully rehabilitate. The other issue is tube feeding them. Their insides are fragile like paper and one wrong move will puncture them. I believe only 3 to 5 people between the staff and volunteers will tube feed animals.
Thinking about the rabbits and how high stress they are make me wonder about how some of these animals have become so high stress. For example, the fawns, opossums, raccoons, and woodchucks seem indifferent to a human presence, but ducks (especially wood ducks), rabbits, and foxes are easily panicked by human presence. I wonder if fawns are more indifferent because New Jersey has such a large population of deer that they are usually in residential areas searching for food. But I can’t say the same for raccoons of woodchucks. It would be interesting to see if different species are just evolutionarily more cautious than others, for the benefit of the species or individual.
All in all, everything in terms of staff has been going well. The interns I work with during my shifts and I work really well together. We also just have a lot of fun joking in the kitchen when we are making dishes for afternoon feedings, or defrosting meats and fish for the next day. The staff too has been great. I feel really comfortable around them, which is just a great feeling. I can ask questions and know that I won’t be judged or spoken to rudely. It’s really a great environment that even as busy as the staff can be, they make time for us.
