Day: September 12, 2019

Hours Covered: 110-120

I do have some sad news to report in this journal. One of the newer fawns I noticed didn’t look like it was doing too well. It wouldn’t eat and it seemed very lethargic. I was advised to put it out with the other in the small pen for the day and just keep an eye on it. About two hours later I went to check on it, and it was laying down weirdly. Normally they curl up like kittens with their head upright, but this one was on its side, legs outright and head on the ground. I alerted a staff member and they had me bring it inside. I can’t even describe how awful it was carrying that poor fawn inside. It was still breathing, but its body was limp and its head rolled to the side. I placed it inside a cubicle in the back ICU, but I knew it wouldn’t recover. I found it later after it had passed and I had to bag it up and remove the body to be taken out later. As awful as this was, I am including it in my journal because it was a significant part of that day, and I feel that I was important for me to experience this. Sometimes, you can be caring for an animal, and things just go south. Jane had said that fawns are very hard to care for, but so far they had all been doing really well. Coming to terms with the fact that death is part of this job was really hard. Especially because sometimes it happens to an animal you have been caring for for a while. It’s important to stay unattached to these wild animals, but it can be difficult when you see them so often and you see them starting to make progress. 

To try and lighten this journal up, I will discuss some really interesting ducks that were admitted. They are wood ducks and they are adorable. However, they are very high stress animals, so they need to be handled as little as possible. Basically, we only move them to clean their bin in the morning, and don’t even put them outside because they are too little. They have this behavior, I’ve noticed when anyone gets close to them. Unlike the mallards that just scatter and run around, the wood ducks start to jump. It looks like as the get bigger, we will have to put some sort of lid on their bin, or they might jump out overnight. Actually, we did have an escapee mallard a couple days ago. The pond room door wasn’t closed overnight, and when we came in in the morning, there was a mallard duckling sitting by the back door. When it saw us, it then proceeded to run around and find its way into the kitchen where it hid under a pantry shelf. Fifteen minutes later and a large net, the duckling was caught and put back in the bin it belonged. At least the duck was not hurt and that it wasn’t a racoon that escaped. One of the second year interns told us about a time that one of the racoons escaped and ended up tearing apart the raccoon room. I have seen them trying to use their paws to open the carrieres, but it is amazing to think one actually figured it out.

With the wood ducks, I am again reminded of animal personalities. However, this time I’m thinking species to species. What makes the wood ducks such a high stress species? If it is the same for all wood ducks, it is not individual differences. But is it genetic or environmental? I would be very interested in looking into wood ducks and their behaviors and personalities. In relation to my courses, I am also reminded of the fawn that died. I do not know what happened and why the fawn got ill so suddenly. I wonder if it had something to do with it’s rescue, or if it was just a random occurrence. 

This week was definitely hard for me with the dying of the fawn. Previously I had seen animal be in the center one day and then not the next, which meant they were put down. However, this was the first time that I had really seen something die. I can at least take comfort in the fact that it was fast, and the fawn did not spend days suffering. Even as bleak as this was, it has not changed my mind about this work. I am still loving it, and the rewards are always apparent. I just think back to the four raccoons in the incubator that are getting bigger and louder every day that I am there. I know that pursuing a career like this will have its ups and downs. Sometimes, some animals just can’t be saved. But when you can save them, and see them finally be well enough to be released, it is so rewarding. 

Hours Covered: 100-110

So during these hours, I came in for my Sunday shift after my previous week’s Tuesday shift. Looking into both the isolation and raccoon rooms, we were overflowing with raccoons now. It’s amazing how much can change in only a few days. My favorite four raccoons were still in the incubator, but all their eyes were open. They also all have great lungs because I cannot describe the amount of noise they make when they are hungry! Now because we have more raccoons, and there aren’t many volunteers that have their rabies shot, I had some duties switched. A couple volunteers have started to take care of the ducklings in the pond room so I can go directly to feeding the fawns, putting them outside, and then go feed the raccoons. Isolation only has one rack of raccoons, but in the raccoon room, there are three racks which were nearly all full. Even having started at 8 when we get in, it takes about one or one and a half hours to get all the raccoons fed and their carriers cleaned. I’ve heard from the second year interns that it will get faster, but because so many raccoons still need to be individually bottle fed, it takes a long time. Making the dishes is easier because all you have to do is put the dish in the carrier with them and move on to the next carrier. So far no raccoons are big enough to go outside, but when they are, the cages will fill up quickly. 

On that note, the coyote pup we received finally got moved outside into a large mammal cage. When going in to clean, I can tell he is a bit stressed and afraid of humans. Hopefully, he will continue to be afraid of humans for the duration that he is here, which is expected to be a while according to his size. Next to the coyote is a group of four foxes who are very high stress. In fact, we are not allowed to use the hose to spray down the rocks daily like we do with the other cages. I’m hoping they settle down eventually, because I always feel bad for how freaked out they get when I go in to pick up feces and their old food dishes.  The opossums outside are much different. They really don’t mind you being in their cage until you get too close to them. Unfortunately for them, we have to get close because every day when the cage is getting cleaned, we are supposed to count the animals in the cage to make sure there are no escapees. It is also good to check each individual in the cage to make sure everyone is healthy. Also, Jane told us a very interesting fact that I have found to be true. For some reason, the opossums love to poop in their water dishes. Nearly every time I go in to clean, they have pooped in the dish. We don’t know why they do it, but I would be interested to find out the reason. 

In previous journals, I know I have talked about different temperaments of animals and seeing the four fox kits reminded me again. There is another single fox in a separate cage that is very much less freaked out by a human’s presence than the four kits. Thinking back to the animal personality course I took, I wonder if it was an environmental factor that caused this difference. For example, if their rescue was very stressful, would that affect their overall personality. On top of that, I am wondering if there is anything to do to change their stress level. In the personality course we talked about whether personality was static or could change over time. I will be keeping an eye on the kit’s behavior to see if over time they calm down or not. 

My time at the wildlife is going great. The other interns and I work really well together. Each shift we split up the tasks that need to be done and always help each other out. I really enjoy the “lull” after the morning cleaning and feeding when we come back in the kitchen to fill out paperwork, and prepare meals for the afternoon. We just have a lot of fun, even when all we’re doing is chopping up raw hams and dicing fish. I am almost to the halfway mark of my time at the wildlife center and I can already tell I’m going to miss it. I’m starting to think that I might return here as a volunteer over winter break. It will definitely be slower than it is now, but I’m absolutely in love with this work. 

Hours Covered: 90-100

So everything has been going really well at my internship. More fawns and raccoons have been coming in daily. Unfortunately one fawn had to be euthanized right after its arrival. Someone found it laying on its side after being on its own for too long. Jane brought all of us interns into the operating room to see the fawn. When its tail was lifted up you could see the matted feces against its butt and it was crawling with flies. The fawn was struggling to breathe too. This is what Jane was talking about when she emphasized keeping the fawns clean. This was by far the most upsetting thing I had seen at the wildlife center. Of course, we didn’t have to be there for the euthanization, but seeing the animal in such pain was awful. In relation to death, but with a more positive outcome, I found out some really terrific things one of the staff members has been doing with turtles. A lot of the turtles that get brought in have been hit by cars. Sometimes their shell can be repaired, but sometimes the turtle is in too bad shape to save. However, Nicole, the staff member, decided that since she’s encountered many gravid turtle, that she would at least try to save the eggs. So she created a sand pit on the far side of the property and after harvesting the eggs, she buried them in the sand according to how turtles would. Each area gets a marker with the type of turtle eggs they are and the date they were buried. She also set up pens around the sand pit so that should the turtles hatch overnight, they would be safe until someone could get to them. The sand pit has been very successful, and many turtles have hatched. Most of them have been map turtles and painted turtles, but I know she recently buried diamondback terrapin eggs. Last time I asked, Nicole said she had about 400 eggs buried in the sand pit! Because they are expecting so many turtles, they have actually converted on of the old sheds into a “turtle” shed. Right now we have so many there are turtles in the reptile room, the front ICU, and the lab. The staff also collected names for the turtle shedd, and they decided on Shell Shack. Most likely the shed won’t be ready by the time my internship is done, but it is wonderful to see that they are constantly growing the place for the animals. 

All the information on turtles has reminded me of conservation, and all we can do to help preserve species. While we don’t have any endangered or threatened species of turtle in New Jersey, I feel that it is important to practice conservation. So, even if the mother turtle cannot be saved, trying to save her babies is a great way to have her genes passed on and increase the diversity of the gene pool in the species. Conservation then loops back to the importance of releasing animals back in the county they were found, as I had discussed in a previous journal. Additionally, I would be interested in learning more about how one goes about fixing turtle shells. I have seen a lot of “DIY” techniques, but I would be interested to learn if there is a tried and true method. So far at the wildlife center I have seen thin wire used, bandages, and what looks like a larger version of a zip tie. 

I am constantly learning new things at the wildlife center, and it is amazing. I was worried that I would get bored or just be doing very menial tasks day to day, but this has been the opposite. While each day has the same basic structure of what needs to get done, there are always new animals and more to do. I love have responsibility for these animals too. For example, I’m not constantly supervised. Of course I make sure to go to Jane or another staff member with questions or concerns, but when everything is fine, I just go about my day.  The door sheets we have also make this easy, because if you want to find out if something is done, you check those and/or the animal’s paperwork to see if the current day’s information is filled out. I feel that the wildlife center is very efficient in its organization. 

Hours Covered: 80-90

During these hours, I was given a closer look at the animals on the education side of the center. Aside from a blind skunk and an opossum with neurological issues, our education animals are raptors and various birds. We have an American eagle, a barred owl, a screech owl, a great horned owl, a peregrine falcon, a questrel, a Harris hawk, a turkey vulture, a fish crow, and an American crow. One of the second year interns asked if I had ever fed or cleaned them and I hadn’t yet, so she said she would show me since it was a slower afternoon. Because these are our education animals, we can be a bit more friendly with them. For example, Faith, the other intern, advised talking softly to the skunk when in her enclosure, because she is blind. Using your voice helps her locate where you are and keep her from getting to stressed. Many of the animals on the education side have personalities. The American eagle is very cooperative. She has two parts to her enclosure, and when you go in to clean the one part, she moves over to the other part and then switches with you. On the other hand, the American crow and the Harris hawk are very tempermental. The American crow likes to attack you if it senses your fear, by going for your ankles and feet. The Harris hawk usually just shrieks at you, but might swoop down if you aren’t paying attention. Fait recommended keeping the hose with you when you go in with them, because they tend to stay away from it. Some of the raptors are not available to us interns, because they are still in training. This means they were added recently, and the staff is working with them. Jane has explained how they decide what animals can be kept as education animals. The most important things it that they are not releasable, otherwise we would not keep them from the wild. Next, they need to still have a quality of life. For example, is the animal not in constant pain and are they going to be happy and content living in captivity. Our opossum is a great example. She was not able to be released because of her neurological issues (she most likely would have not been able to find food on her own). However, she is healthy otherwise, and could live safely in her enclosure.  Jane has explained that there are certain animals that would never be education animals, such as fawns. They do not do well in prolonged captivity, and are too hard to handle as adults. On that note, I found out that basically no rehabilitation site will rehab adult deer. They are too big and difficult to care for, especially if severely injured. Immagine giving a deer enough space to live and then trying to clean and dress wounds in a space that big. You would be chasing the deer all day. For our education animals, we also have frequent enrichment for the education animals. Each month there is a new schedule of who of the volunteers does enrichment for which animals. Sometimes it is a foraging enrichment item like a paper bag with a mouse in it crumpled up and hidden in a box for the raptors. Other times the animals get something like a “toy” such as a hanging braided fire hose chain that the raptors can attack and bat around. 

Learning about our education animals reminded me of a study, which I cannot remember the name of, but it looked at enrichment in rats. The scientists have two groups. One group of rats was given a cage to live in with extra items like toys and comfort objects. The other group had a cage with only the necessities in it. I believe the study found that when rats were given an enriched cage, they had an overall better well being than the rats in the unenriched cage. So even though it can be a pain to clean up the shredded  brown paper bags and cardboard because they will drag it everywhere, it really does make a difference in the animals’ lives here at the wildlife center. I’ve heard that some of the animals, especially the turkey vulture, loves her enrichment, and is visible excited when she sees it coming.

Overall, I am having a wonderful time at the wildlife center. I still can’t decide on what animals I like working with more, the fawns or the raccoons. It’s amazing being there long enough to see them growing up. For example, the four raccoons that came in with their eyes still closed now all have their eyes open. They still need to be kept in an incubator, but they have gotten much bigger. I’m hoping that by the time I’m finished with my internship, they will have grown enough to go outside in the rehab cages. Mammal rehabilitation seems to take much longer than bird rehabilitation. Often a baby bird is ready to be released only a few weeks after coming in, but mammals stay much longer. 

Hours Covered: 60-70

I have finally finished my series of rabies vaccines, so when I started my shift following the last vaccine, I was introduced to both the racoon room and the isolation room. The isolation room is where we keep animals that are too small for their rabies vaccinations. They stay there until they get their first vaccines, and then they move into the racoon room. Earlier in my internship, I got a little introduction into racoon care, but now that I finished my shots I was able to participate in the care and learn more. Raccoons all get fed four times a day at 8am, 11am, 3pm, and 6pm. Raccoons under a certain weight are bottle fed for all for feedings. The next weight milestone, the racoons get moved to bottle feedings for the first three feedings and a dish at their pm feeding. The next weight group is fed bottle, dish, bottle, dish for their feedings. The last weight group gets dishes all four feedings. A raccoon dish has a standard formula, but for bottle feedings, there is a chart according to exact weight how many milliliters of formula they should get. For cleaning, raccoons get a clean sheet and their pet carrier disinfected after their 8 am feeding, and a clean sheet after their 6 pm feeding. Of course there are exceptions, such as when racoons have diarrhea (which happens more often than I thought it would). Sometimes racoons are brought in so young their eyes are not yet open. Those raccoons also need to be stimulated after each feeding. These raccoons are also kept in incubators as they would still be relying on their mother’s warmth. In relation to the stimulating, I also found out a trick to raccoons. If a young raccoon isn’t eating well for bottle feeding, sometimes stimulating them can help. Now that I am able to do more things at my internship, my shifts are becoming busier. My usual schedule is to first put the ducks outside in their small pens with food and water. I push cleaning the inside bins until later. Then I start heating formula for the fawns. After feeding the fawns and making sure they are stimulated and then clean, they get put outside in a pen now that they have grown a bit from the last week. I’ve found the best way to carry a fawn outside is to use a towel to cover them and hold them to your side. This prevents them from kicking you to get free. The towel helps keep us clean, as sometimes they poop if they get really stressed from being moved. After the fawns are outside, I clean up their inside pen and place down clean towels and sheets for them. Next I move on to the raccoons in isolation and the racoon room. Usually, at least one person has already started with the raccoons, but it can take a long time because besides feeding their carriers have to be cleaned. Once everyone has been fed and cleaned, I check to make sure everything else has been done and start cleaning up from the morning. The other interns who work with me have different duties, but it all just depends on who gets started on what. One intern I know does the outside education area morning feedings and all the cleanings when she first gets in, and then moves onto the few animals outside on the rehabilitation side. Another intern is in charge of the bird room, which is her primary duty because birds need to be fed every hour and cleaned every two hours. 

Now that I am working with raccoons, I have really been reminded that these are wild animals. I know we have discussed in basically every animal behavior course the importance of maintaining a safe distance when observing animals in the wild for your safety and so they do not act differently than they normally would. However, for working close up with animals, safety is still a priority. The other animals I have worked with such as the fawns and ducks, aside from the raptors I was introduced to on the education side, have been very “mild mannered”. However, some raccoons can be really aggressive. Some will try to bite only if you get too close, but others will lunge at you right when you open their cage. Big gloves are always on hand, as well as tags that go under the carrier that say “aggressive, handle with heavy gloves”. Of course, someone first has to find out if they are aggressive in order to know if they need a tag, and this is usually when people are bitten. Regardless of how small some of the raccoons are, they are still wild animals. 

As I talked about before that there are other interns working on other things during my shifts, I thought it would be good to mention the dynamic in the wildlife center. I know I have described the volunteers and staff, but the other interns and I work really well together too. There really is never a time when we are wondering what to do, we just usually begin our own routines when we arrive for our shift. We also help each other often, such as helping one intern finish cleaning some cages or helping split up feedings. This makes sure everything is done relatively on time and that no one has too much to do for themselves. I feel that work like this is different because we all really want to be there and is interested in the work they are doing. 

Hours Covered: 50-60

At this point I had started my 3rd week if my internship. I have been getting into a routine with the ducklings, and then on to various odd jobs. However, there were now fawns at the wildlife center. They must have arrived towards the end of the previous week. Because they are too little to be outside all the time, they are kept in a small gated pen inside. There is a corner of the pen with heating pads, and the floor gets covered with towels and then a sheet over top. (Ok I apologize if this gets super confusing or rambly but there was a LOT of information about fawns).  So during this time, any fawns that are brought in a most likely really small and need to be bottle fed multiple times a day. The door sheet for the back ICU where the fawns are in their pen had the fawns being cleaned and fed at 8am, and then fed again at 11, 3, and 7. The fawns were very little and not able to go outside, but when they get bigger, there is a pen in the back that they go in during the day so they can experience grass and the outdoors. Then they come back in for overnight. For feeding the fawns, they get 200 mL of fawn formula (the amount is adjusted based on size/age), which has to be heated up pretty hot to simulate the temperature that their mother’s milk would be. Fawns can be very picky about the temperature, and will not eat if the formula is too cold or hot. The formula gets put in animal feeding baby bottles. Jane showed us that you cannot just hold the bottle while they drink, but you have to pump it as though the fawn were tugging on their mother’s teat. This is to encourage their drinking. Eventually, when they get used to bottle feeding, the bottles can be placed on a feeding rack, and the fawns will drink on their own. Jane also spent a lot of time telling us about proper handling of fawns. Because they get bottle fed for so long and often, it is really easy for them to socialize to humans. Therefore, she emphasized no petting, no talking, and minimizing time spent in the pen with them. For cleaning the fawns, it is easier when they go outside, but when they are inside, you just have to clean up around them. This includes picking up the dirty linens and laying down new ones. Fawns that are this little also need to be stimulated after eating, because that is what their  mother would do and they have not yet learned to urinate or defecate on their own. For this, we use a washcloth in warm water and gently rub them until they do go. I have learned that fawns often have diarrhea especially when going from their mother’s milk to formula. So far the stimulating was my least favorite part of my day. But being up close with the fawns really made up for it. Also, fawns must be clean all the time, especially if they are going outside, because any formula, or feces on them will attract flies and then they lay eggs on the fawns. Then the fawns will have fly larvae inside them and this is a whole other issue. 

Because Jane spent so much time making sure we understood the importance of not letting the fawns socialize or imprint on us, I am again reminded of discussing imprinting in comparative animal behavior. I know it is important to keep the fawns from socializing to humans because if they do, once released, they will go right back to humans. This could be deadly to them. However, I am curious about if some animals are more prone to imprinting than others. The baby raccoons and other mammals are bottle fed similarly, but I have not heard that they too socialize to humans. For looking in the racoon room, many of them are aggressive towards humans even after being bottle fed for a while. So I wonder if this is related to differences in species, and that deer are just generally more “friendly” than raccoons and opossums.   

After bottle feeding deer and getting more hands on with the animals, I have never been more excited to be doing what I am doing. I mean chopping up lots of raw hams for foxes and racoons is fun, but being able to work with the fawns and start getting more experience was exactly what I was looking for. I heard from another intern that the fawns get released once all of them are big enough towards the end of the summer, and I’m eager to see them grow and learn how to forage. I am still 1 rabies shot away from working with the racoons, and I am so excited for that. For the past couple of weeks hearing their chatter has been making me so curious to see what they are like when handling them. 

Hours Covered: 40-50

Previously, I had finally had an official orientation led by my boss Jane, but was still getting into the schedule of daily activities. I was putting ducks outside in their pens and then cleaning their inside bins. Afterwards, I would see what animals needed feeding and cleaning inside, since there were not many outside yet. I had been learning some from the other long term volunteers, but the 2nd and 3rd year interns were really helpful in seeing what things are usually like around the wildlife center. I also found out that there is an online tour with images of the wildlife center, so here is where I will include the link if you want to look around the facility. http://www.wildlifecenterfriends.org/tour . It doesn’t show our rehabilitation areas outside or the education environment on the other side, but it gives some good pictures of the facility when it was just starting out. So during these hours I was doing a lot of observation. I saw several more animal intakes, as well as care for different animals. I was able to observe one of the second year interns bottle feeding the baby raccoons, and she showed me the different holds you can use to keep them focused on eating. The one we most often use is to wrap your hand around its jaw with at least 1 finger under the jaw, but making sure the nose is not covered. This hold keeps a good control of the animal and it keeps their eyes covered so they do not focus on you, and they focus on eating instead. However, the intern said that a lot of times the raccoons will move into whatever position they find comfortable, which is not always on their belly. I also observed tube feeding for very small baby opossums. In relation to opossums, Jane told us some very interesting facts. So, opossums have around 20 babies and the first 13 to crawl into the pouch and attach them self to a teat will survive. The babies actually swallow the teat, which is why when an opossum with babies in her pouch is brought in, and the mother is either dead or dying, you cannot just remove the babies. If you try to, pulling them off the teat will end up ripping their organs out, so you have to wait for the babies to come off the teat naturally. From my observations about tube feeding animals, it looks really tricky. At this point I’m not sure if I will be trained on that later in the summer, but I think I would be ok if I didn’t. With animals that small it looks like one wrong move and you could puncture something.

For what I learned and experienced during these hours, I’m finding it difficult to relate it to coursework. As much as I’ve read in textbooks and in peer reviewed literature, I was definitely unprepared for the handling aspect of animal husbandry. For example, having to corral ducklings into a pet carrier is just something I never thought I would be doing. I have seen that different groups of ducklings have different temperments. Some are easy to guide into the carriers, and others scatter and seem extremely stressed out. Thinking back to what I have learned in the animal personality course, this could have a lot to do with the environment they were in, and the nature of their rescue. I have a feeling that if their rescue was more dramatic or stressful to them, then they would continue to be stressed until they became used to their surroundings. However, I wonder if any of their temperaments can be attributed to genetics, such as having a very bold mother versus one that was shy in novel environments. Additionally, I have found myself noting behaviors of animals as if I was going to create an ethogram for them. For example, the stretch and wing flap of mallards and the side step movements of house finches. I don’t think I’ll need ethograms this summer, but I think it’s good to keep in the back of my mind.

So far, everyone I have met at the wildlife center has been so nice, and helpful. Volunteers are glad to instruct on ways to clean and even the directors and staff who are so busy fielding calls and dealing with animals make time for you if you need help or have questions. It has been such a welcoming environment, that I never feel uncomfortable around the center. Many of the volunteers have gone out of their way to find out our (as interns) names and where we go to school, and what we are studying. I mean I knew that people who took time out of their lives to care for animals would be kind to the animals, but I was not prepared for how friendly they would be towards new interns. Overall, I’m still really enjoying the work at the wildlife center, and can’t wait to do more hands on work.

Hours Covered: 30-40

By this time, more interns had started working at the center. Apparently, I started a little early, so Jane who is in charge of us interns decided to wait to do an orientation until more of us were working. Now that there were like 4 of us during my shifts, she decided to do the orientation. She showed us around the different rooms, and explained a lot of the work we would be doing. A lot of the volunteers do inside work, like the raccoons, since we we’re all vaccinated yet. Jane gave us a tour of the rehabilitation side. There are 14 raccoon cages, but cage 13 and 14 need repairs before use. There are also 12 mammal cages of various sizes to accommodate for small mammals like squirrels to larger ones like the foxes. There are also many aviary cages labeled from A to K. The waterfowl have a large enclosure as described in a previous journal, and the fawns have a large grassy enclosure too. Except for a couple aviary cages that have sand floors, the raccoon, mammal, and other avian cages all have a smooth pebble substrate floor. The reason for this is that it makes scooping leftovers and feces easier. It also allows us to hose down the cages daily to keep them clean without getting extremely muddy. Jane explained that hosing the cages is really important because the flies will swarm leftover or spilled food as well as feces. Keeping the cages as clean as possible with an animal or animals in it keeps them comfortable and helps them rehabilitate quickly. Jane also went over what kinds of animals to expect this summer. Because summer is “baby season” there will be a lot of fawns. She explained that mother deer do not abandon their babies, but sometimes they are unable to return or are scared away from where they baby is. Additionally, a lot of people accidentally fawn-nap because they do not know that fawns are often left by themselves while the doe goes off to forage. So they bring them in to us, even though they the doe would most likely have returned. Jane also talked about that there would be lots of raccoons (about 75 over the course of the summer), and an influx of baby squirrels during August. She said that while we get a lot of birds, their rehabilitation time is much less than mammals, and are usually released after 2 or 3 weeks. Mammals like the raccoons and foxes have an age/weight they have to reach before they can be released. Jane also gave us a “warning” that things will get busy really fast, and as interns we have to be sure to get animals fed and enclosures cleaned by certain times. The Outdoor Education Environment animal gets cleaned and fed in the morning, except for the raptors who get fed in the afternoon. On the rehabilitation side, everyone gets cleaned in the morning. Everyone also gets fed, except for the raptors and the nocturnal mammals like foxes, skunks, and opossums. We try to get all this done before noon. Around 2 and 3 pm, we feed the nocturnal mammals, as well as the raptors. At this time there are no raccoons outside, but they will get fed twice a day, with the majority of their diet being given to them in the afternoon. Animals inside have different schedules, because they are mostly babies. For example, mammals get fed about every 3-4 hours. To keep track of all this information, we have papers on the doors to the different rooms to keep track of feedings and instructions. Additionally, each animal has its own set of paperwork that is kept in binders or above the animals’ carriers. 

During orientation, I was given a lot of information I did not know. For example, I learned how important it is to make sure the fawns have clean butts when they go outside. This is because any fecal matter will attract flies, which will lay eggs in the fawn’s anus, and the larva will eat the fawn from the inside out. In relation to my coursework, the only thing I am reminded of is attention to detail. Such as when you are observing the behaviors of an animal for data collection, it is important to observe the animals while they are rehabilitating, even outside. This is because once outside, they are usually observed less, so if something is wrong, it needs to be caught quickly to help the animal. For the indoor animals, it is especially important during the first couple hours after the animal is brought in. Not everything that can be wrong with an animal will be visible on an x-ray. Sometimes, such as neurological issues, only the behavior of the animal will provide clues as to what is wrong.

Hearing from Jane the expectation from us interns was a little intense. However, knowing that I am part of a team and will be working with other interns and volunteers makes it seem less stressful. The people I have met have been so nice and I am really looking forward to spending my summer with them. Orientation also got me really excited to imagine what animals will come in over the course of me working there. Online they keep a log per month of what animals were brought in, I saw some really cool things, such as a coyote, otters, great blue herons, snakes, and bats. I am really hoping that I get a chance to work with a wide variety of animals, so I can see if I prefer working with any one species over another. 

Hours Covered: 20-30

At this time, I had started my second week at the Mercer County Wildlife Center. I was working on Sunday mornings 8-4, Monday mornings 8-4, and Tuesday evenings 12-8. My morning shifts usually start by taking the mallards outside and putting them in their pens so they can begin to learn to forage in the grass. We had about 3 or 4 bins of mallards that needed deep cleaning. I found out that once they get big enough, there is a waterfowl enclosure on the outdoor rehabilitation side that has a pool and a large grassy area. I will be looking forward to cleaning the pool, which is about 5 feet by 12 feet and needs to be drained, scrubbed, and refilled 3 times a week. This is because the ducks always defecate in the pool, and the constant sunlight causes algae to bloom. So to keep the pool clean for the ducks, the pool must be cleaned at least 3 times a week. For now, there are no ducks in there, so it won’t need cleaning until later in the summer. Since I was still just starting working here, I was still doing a lot of meal preparation, cleaning, and laundry. But, during these hours, I was also able to experience some drop-offs of animals. I was not able to partake in the intake and initial examination, but I did see the process of taking in an animal. So one I saw was a baby bird someone found that must have fallen out of the nest. First, someone takes the animal and brings it into the adjacent triage room. For a baby bird, and other baby animals needing incubation, they get placed in small containers similar to those that crickets are kept in. The containers are lined with either a white hand towel or washcloth. All fabrics in tiage are white so we can see any blood, parasites, or fluids coming from the animal. For larger animals, we also have various sized pet carriers that are ½ put on a heating pad so there is a warm and cool area for them. These are often used for raccoons, woodchucks, and skunks. For larger animals like fawns and raptors, there are also metal cubicles. Another important aspect is that all cages, carriers, and incubators get covers or privacy sheets so that the animal cannot see what is going on outside of the space it is in. This is to limit stress and prevent their injuries from being exacerbated. So, after the animal is put in a safe and quiet space, the person doing the intake goes back to get the information from the person who brought in the animal(s). We get their name and phone number, the location they found the animal, and the nature of the rescue. Then we input information such as sex, life stage, and any injuries found. It is really important to make sure we get the location of where the animal was found, because we try to release the animal in the same county or preferably, as close to where they were found (as long as it is safe). 

I was able to understand the importance of releasing the animal back to where it was found because I remembered learning about the importance of territory. Especially for animals that burrow or have dens, like woodchucks and foxes, it is important to try and get them back to where they are familiar with. This will ultimately affect their survivability because they need to be able to successfully find food sources. Another important thing I remembered learning is about conservation. By releasing the animals back to the same country and territory, this prevents overpopulation of a species in one area. Overpopulation would lead to more competition for resources and mates, and might cause the species population to decline overall. 

During these hours, I really enjoyed getting to see the intake of several animals, even though I did not get to participate in the exams. I am definitely looking forward to that in the future, and maybe seeing x-rays and how to treat certain injuries. Looking forward, I’m not sure I would want to be a wildlife vet, and do that sort of care for a career. While it would be rewarding to see success, I know that a lot of times, animals with injuries too severe just have to be put down because they will not be able to heal properly enough to survive back in the wild. Of course, I have not had experience with vet work yet and the vet technician only comes in a couple times a week, so my opinion could change. However, I was really interested in looking forward to seeing an exam later during my internship. Even though it had only been about 4 days working at this center, I was so excited. I had honestly never been more excited about my work before this, which is just a great feeling. 

Hours Covered: 10-20

This journal will cover part of my second and my entire third day at the wildlife center. At this point, I had not had a formal orientation yet, and had just been following directions from my boss and the other directors. There are several people in charge of the center. Starting with the woman in charge of interns and volunteers, is my boss Jane. Other directors include Diane, Nichole, and Audi. For my second and third day of interning at the wildlife center, I was again dealing with the ducklings in the pond room. It was still raining on these days, so they had to stay inside again. Cleaning them overall took me about an hour and a half, but overall, it went faster than my first day. One of the things that took up a lot of my time on my second day was organizing the freezer. We received a huge donation of dog roll that foxes, raccoons, and opossums love. However, there wasn’t much space in the freezer, so Audi had me pull some stuff out and put it into the fridge, and then make space for all the boxes of that were coming in. I found out later in the day that a large shipment did not mean 20 boxes; it meant about 75. From this I learned that it is important to stay stocked on all the food we know the animals like, so that they never go hungry. Additionally, I found out that opossums can be cannibalistic is they are not given enough food. On my third day, Jane showed us interns how to syringe feed baby birds. Even though they are not native to New Jersey, we accept Starlings, because there are so many. I found out that they are good to train on because they only accept the food they are hungry for. Other birds, like robins, keep begging even if their crop is full and will eat until they explode. It was interesting to see that you have to insert the syringe so far into the birds mouth to go past the glottis so it does not choke on the food. Birds for the most part get fed every hour and the amount is determined by size and species of bird. I also learned how to clean the birds. First, it is very important to make sure their face and cloaca is clean. For birds still needing to be in an incubator they get small plastic containers with toilet paper in them to create a simulated nest. Of course, I learned quickly that birds do not like to stay put. The incubator is stage 1 out of 3 for birds. Stage 2 is a small reptarium, which is a rectangular netted enclosure. This space gives them more room to grow, and they no longer need the extra heat from the incubator. One the birds are big enough and are trying to fly, they move into stage 3, which is a much larger reptarium about 1.5 feet by 3 feet and 3 feet tall. Also, by this stage they are picking up food on their own, but still get offered food every hour like all the other stages. 

Learning how to properly care for birds reminds me of learning about parental care in different species. Because the baby birds who arrive at the rehabilitation center are often so young, they cannot care for themselves yet. In the wild, they would be relying on their parents to feed and clean them, but here, we have to care for them. This is why they need almost constant attention, because they cannot do anything themselves yet.  Like I stated earlier, it is very important to make sure their cloaca is clean otherwise they can not properly eliminate waste and it could lead to health issues. For birds like crows, caring for them at a young age is especially difficult because talking or too much handling can cause imprinting. And once an animal has imprinted on a human, it makes release nearly impossible because once in the wild they will head right back to humans. 

After working with birds for a couple days, I was feeling a couple different things. To begin, it was wonderful getting more hands on experience with a new species of animal. Handling the baby birds is much different than handling baby waterfowl. But, I was very nervous around the birds for a couple reasons. As they get bigger, they are a flight risk, but when they are very young they are so fragile. With very little experience, I was really scared to accidentally harm a bird when cleaning or feeding them. Eventually, I got more confident working with the birds, but I was still really looking forward to working with mammals in the next couple of weeks. I still had two more shots for finish before my rabies series would be completed, but from what other volunteers and second year interns had been saying, the raccoons are a lot of fun to work with. Overall, I was still getting settled into the routine of the wildlife center, but I was really excited to be spending my summer there.