We may have room for baby mammals this afternoon, if some current babies are evaluated by the veterinarian and deemed ready for release.  We have room for raccoons from Plymouth and Norfolk counties.  As of today, the medical ward is closed, so we temporarily cannot take injured wildlife.   We are still on intake for baby birds.  Admission hours are 10-2 Tue – Fri.  To save you time and angst, please, please, please – always call before coming in.  We try to keep the web as up to date as possible, but a flood of wild animals can change our in take status quickly.  I do realize that sometimes it is difficult to get through on our phone lines. We receive about 10,000 calls about wildlife this time of year.  Thank you for your patience.   We hope to see you soon, and thank you for caring for wildlife.

A pigeon is admitted after being scooped from the Charles River near Cambridge. He had reportedly been caught by a hawk, who accidentally dropped him into the water below. Luckily a good Samaritan at the Museum of Science saw the incident and fished him out before it was too late. When he arrived he was suffering from several puncture wounds and was quite disoriented to his surroundings. After about a week of cage rest and antibiotics he is ready to rejoin his friends and family in the wild, with instructions to avoid making any more friends with large talons.

Dr. Mertz believes the culprit to be one of the Peregrine Falcons who have made a home on the MIT campus this past year. They are among the fastest animals in the world and have an

   affinity for catching small birds, after all they did  not receive the nickname ”Pigeon Hawk” for nothing.

Mouring Dove Escapes Vat

Vats of restaurant cooking oil can spell trouble for wildlife.  A beautiful mourning dove was rescued after falling into a vat of cooking oil outside of a restaurant on  Newbury Street in Boston. Our friends at the Animal Rescue League of Boston rescued the dove and brought her to the New England Wildlife Center where she was washed multiple times with full strength “Dawn” dish washing detergent. Cage rest and nutritional support were provided.  After about a week’s worth of washing sessions most of the oil was off her wings. She did very well and was just released back to the wild.  Pictured is a fledgling dove now in our hospital.  The beautiful photo was taken and donated to the Center by Eastman Photo at eastmanphoto.com.

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/31003326/detail.html

In case you missed it, here is the link to watch the New England Wildlife Center’s ‘Odd Pet Vet’, which was part of a segment about exotic pets appearing last week on Chronicle WCVB Channel 5.

Christine is a student at Stone Hill College and just finished her internship at New England Wildlife Center.   When she was leaving, she presented us with this video that she made,   describing her learning and life experiences at the Center.

Wow!  It is inspiring to see the Center through the eyes of one of our students.  We are excited    to share her work with you.

Thank you Christine.    :)

Dear friends of animals,

Tune in tonight to watch Dr. Mertz, Center staff and visitors appearing on Chronicle @ 7:30 pm, which can be found on Channel 5 WCVB – Boston.  Chronicle is a television news magazine and will be filming a segment about exotic pets.  The New England Wildlife Center operates a commercial veterinary practice to help support our work on behalf of wildlife.  Our commercial practice is called the Odd Pet Vet.  Dr. Mertz and our new veterinarian, Dr. Adamsky, treat nontraditional pets at the in-house Odd Pet Vet – snakes, lizards, rats,etc.   All proceeds from the Odd Pet Vet go to support the New England Wildlife Center.

Please, please, become a monthly donor of New England Wildlife Center today and help support all the orphans we are trying to feed – sun up to sun down.  $5 a month goes a long, long way!  To sign up, click the subscribe button on the front of our webpage, and thanks.

FISHER CAT

This is an elusive fisher cat!  She’s a baby. Yesterday her mom was shot and killed after springing out at an animal control officer, who was responding to a call about this fisher cat living in a homeowners attic. She may have felt cornered and probably was protecting her baby. The baby was not harmed and will be raised at the Center. Please see our website for more pictures of this beauty. It seems that fisher cats are on the rise in Massachusetts. More and more of us are seeing them. They are carnivores and will eat squirrels, song birds, rabbits and other wildlife. They can run on the tree tops and on the ground, making them well adapted predators. Fisher cats generally will not go after people, or dogs and cats, as long as they are not cornered. Like all wildlife, we shouldn’t approach them, just appreciate them from a far.  Please share any fisher cat stories of your own, or stories about any wildlife that you love.

The Wildlife Center is back on admission for sick and injured wildlife.  We are also now accepting baby mammals, but will close off orphan admission as soon as we reach capacity.  Please call before you make the drive to the Center because sometimes after a morning rush of babies we have to stop admitting because our hospital is full.

We are able to accommodate baby birds right now too.  We will post alerts here so that you know when we can accept wildlife and when we can’t.   As always, thank you for your understanding.  We are working with you to help as many wild animals as possible.

Admission Hours are 10-2 Tuesday through Friday.  In order to comply with state regulations, we cannot accept wildlife outside of those hours.

**  Friends, we know that it can be frustrating if you can’t get through to us by phone right away.  Please be patient.  We do want to help you.  This time of year our phone does not stop ringing.  We are staffed mostly by volunteers and we are working to help you as quickly as possible.  **

Thank you.  Wildlife are fortunate to have you to care about them.

Second grade student, Sydney, attends the Adams Montessori School in Quincy, MA, and she came to investigate.   “People think they (raccoons) are mean, but they just want to find food and eat.  I think they are cute.”  She said.  Sydney was visiting the Center with her friend Nicole, her dad and her domestic rabbit, named John.  John was being ‘checked out’ at the Odd Pet Vet by Dr. Adamski.  Meanwhile, Sydney and her friend Nicole investigated raccoons, so that Sydney could write her report for school.

“It is wonderful to say hello to a child in the hall and get to hear her excitement about the Center, and about the specialness of raccoons.”  Said our executive director Katrina Bergman.  ”Raccoons are lucky to have friends like Sydney.”  

Sydney will be bringing her class to visit the Center after she files her report. “To me,” says Katrina, “this is what environmental protection looks like.  This is what wildlife care looks like.  This is what real education looks like.  Today, Sydney fell in love with raccoons.  That is awesome.”

Hi everyone,  Important notice to all our friends who love cottontail babies and all wildlife:    Babies that you find alone in your hard do not need rescuing unless they are injured.  Simply because they are are by themselves when you find them does not mean that they are ultimatly “alone.”  Often times mom Cottontail will only check in on her nest once or twice a day and often it will be in the dead of night.  

Infact, as we approach mid-April, baby animal season is kicking into full swing. It’s all hands on deck at NEWC as we are preparing and caring for all sorts of  young critters, but the most common by far are Eastern Cottontail rabbits. We recieve them in droves this time of year and they generally have one of two problems. Either they have been attacked by the family pet or they have been “orphaned.”  People often bring in whole nests of babie rabbits that are believed to be abandoned and are presumed to be in need of care. They find them while mowing the lawns or gardening and when they dont see the mother they automatically assume that the animals are in trouble, but this is not always the case.

     Our guidelines are:

  1.  If a baby’s eyes are open they already are on their own, no matter how small they may seem.

                                2. If a nest of rabbits is uncovered but otherwise intact, leave it alone.  Mom will come back.  She is much better at being mom than we are.

April Vacation is Here!  Here’s what is happening this week at New England Wildlife Center:

Come Lunch With the Animals!

Date: Wednesday April 18, 2012
Time: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Ages: 4 – 11

Fee: $10 child (under 7 yrs. accompanied by adult)

Bring a bag lunch and join us on a tour of the New England Wildlife Center as we learn what each of the many animals at the center eats. Who’s an herbivore? Who’s a carnivore? Who’s an omnivore–can you guess??? One of the animals will join us as our special guest at our lunch! We’ll finish the party with fun activities that will draw on what we’ve learned for both younger and older guests. (Limited to 15 children)

What Lives in Wetlands Water??

Date: Friday, April 20, 2012
Time: 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Ages: 9 – 12

Fee: $10

Come visit the Wildlife Center’s wetland and search water samples for creatures such as dragonfly larvae, diving beetles, tadpoles and much, much more. Why do some animals only breed in wetlands? How can you recognize a wetland when there is no water in it? We’ll answer these and any questions on wetlands you may have. (Limited to 15 children)

Spring Nature Scavenger Hunt
Date: Friday, April 20, 2012
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm
Ages: 4 – 100

Fee: $10 child (under 7 yrs. accompanied by adult)

Come celebrate the magic of Springtime in New England with a family-friendly Nature Scavenger Hunt through the New England Wildlife Center’s 12-acre grounds. We’ll search for the many signs of Spring that are now appearing, from salamanders and bird’s nests to tree buds and wildflowers. There will be age-appropriate hunts for young and old alike. After the hunt, stay to tour inside the Wildlife Center–the Nursery is already filling with baby animals, including squirrels, bunnies, opossums and raccoons! (Limited to 20 children)

Please help!!!   Bianca shows worn teapot and sorry looking pan.  We are desperate!  There is a can opener from the 1920′s!  It doesn’t even open cans!  We have 3 forks, 5 spoons and no steak knives!  There is one pot, a god awful frying pan and sponges are in decline.     Mr. can you spare some cups?     All we have are mugs, and not many of those.  What few utensils and bowls we have get used and are not returned by the staff!

Interns desperate for donations of  a CAN OPENER! spoons, forks, knives, paper towels, sponges, napkins, cups, bowls, plates, windex, bleach, spray cleaner like fantastic, laundry

detergent, dish soap, steak and carving knives, backing pans, cup cake tins, cake pans (a lot of our interns cook great cakes and cookies  ), wooden mixing spoons, ice cube trays, tupperware containers, aluminum foil, garbage bags, plastic wrap, cookie sheets, big pots for soup and corn on a cob, condiments.  Gift certificates to stop and shop or johnnies food master (Weymouth).  They also love pizza – papa jinos gift certificate or jamies in Weymouth – bit of a stretch but they would love, love it.

Anyone who could thrown in a dishwasher, microwave and/or toaster would be marked as intern hero of the year!

Our interns work tirelessly without pay.  During the summer they feed babies sun up to sun down.  In addition to a great education, they are learning work ethic and building character.  This is exhausting.  Anything our friends can do for our amazing interns is deeply appreciated.  Please send or bring any items to:  NEWC  500 Columbian Street, South Weymouth, MA . Please  address anything mailed to “intern kitchen plea campaign”.  Phone 781 682 4878 if you would like an update on what is needed and what has already been donated!  Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Come visit soon!

Dr. Andrew Carotceti will be sorely missed.  He is returning to school to pursue a residency in wildlife pathology at the University of California Davis campus.  Andrew has been with us for 2 1/2 years.  During that time he has become a well-known veterinarian in the Center but also regionally for his in-depth knowledge of wildlife diseases and care.  Everyone at the Center will miss him and his even-keel and good humor.  To commenmorate his contributions to the Center and to our interns we dedicated our necropsy room, The Dr. Andrew Cartoceti Pathology Classroom, in his honor.  We know he’ll be back. We wish him the best of luck.

Kelly gavages baby raccoon.  

Kelly, a Veterinary Technician at the Center, is feeding the baby raccoon milk replacement, specifically made for raccoons.  Five two-week old raccoons admitted to the Center are too young for syringe feeding.  To gavage feed, the rubber tube below is placed in the raccoon’s mouth – past her epiglottis – past her esophagus and into her stomach.  Undergraduate student interns are trained by our veterinary team to gavage, which enables The Center to feed more babies and provides students with skills training.  Once a student holds a baby raccoon in her hands, she will protect all raccoons and their habitat, for the rest of her life.

Monday’s 6:45 to 8:30 – from April 2 – May 14.   Call 781 682 4878 to register.  The course is $175 or $25 per session.

B

Saturday April 7 at 1:00!

Paint the animals at New England Wildlife Center!  Well known artist, and poet, Eleanor Whitney will host  free expression window painting for everyone aged 1 – 150!  

 Take a tour of the Center and paint a picture of your favorite wildlife patient on one of our front lobby windows.  We provide the paints, it’s free and you’ll get to listen to music and eat cookies.  You can paint the birds, the bees, the trees.  Bring the whole family, and be ready to get messy!

(Pictured left to right – Nina, Marco, Eleanor and Robert.  In the middle is      Center host, Waffle Bergman.)

A video by: Kyle Richards

Click here for a complete list of NEWC Videos

Micro-Lecture compartive anatomy -2

http://youtu.be/F8hB7DKmIfQ

This red-tailed hawk was brought in several weeks ago from Burlington, Mass.  Initial x-rays showed that he had a very swollen leg with several small scrapes the skin (presumably from rodent prey biting at his feet during capture).  He finished his course of antibiotics for a leg infection, and today we repeated x-rays to monitor the swelling.  The swelling has gone down, but we can now see evidence of a healing  fracture in the bone it that region.  It must have been a hairline fracture, too tiny to detect the first time around.  But the healing bone is much thicker and denser making it easier to spot.   The hawk still has a good prognosis, but now we know that he’ll need a little extra time to rest before we increase his activity level.  Can you spot the injury on the X-ray?

7 Year Old Sabrina and her 8 year old sister Ciara hold up an invitation to Sabrina’s 7th birthday party.  But Sabrina didn’t want presents for herself, she wanted to help wild animals.

Sabrina asked everyone invited to her party to help New England Wildlife Center instead of bringing gifts.  Today, the Boyle family of Upton drove 1 hour to donate food for the animals, office supplies, paper goods, cleaning supplies and donations.   Thank you Sabrina!   Life for wild animals is better because of you and your generous heart.

The case of the Golden Pheasant.  A man looking out his backyard window spotted this domestic Golden Pheasant.  The bird was perched feeding at his bird feeder.  The man was confused that such a unique colored bird was passing by and eating in his backyard.  He went out into his backyard and caught the bird, without any struggle.  When the Golden Pheasant arrived at the New England Wildlife Center, we found that he was not injured, just lost. This healthy bird decided to take a trip but got lost and is now spending some cozy time at the Center.   Emily Banagis

Join Dr. Mertz for this series of 10 micro-lectures from the Araquon Lodge.  This series will introduce you to the basics of how bodies are put together and how they work  in  the environment.  Let us know what else you  would like to  learn about comparative  anatomy and Dr. Mertz will talk about it  next time.

   On Greg’s Trail – underwater stream video

Undergraduate Interns and students from Norfolk Agricultural High School listen to executive director, Katrina Bergman, talk about the green features of the Thomas E. Curtis Wildlife Hospital and Education Center built to (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) LEED specifications.  Students also toured the building, and learned about renewable energy, green building materials and low impact maintenance.