I'm really excited about this week's show. I interview Brian Salt, of Salthaven, Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre.
Salthaven Mission Statement
One of the reasons we wanted to do this show now is to ask for some help.
Salthaven is in need of 15 volunteers this year. And Brian has asked for anybody interested to please look at their website salthaven.orgsalthaven.org If you are interested, you can email them a resume, and they will get back to you. I asked Brian about qualifications, and the main thing is that you be in good health yourself and not have a compromised immune system. There are a lot of things like parasites that can be transmitted from wildlife to humans, and people with a compromised immune system are at greater risk.
Salthaven is also always in need of donations of different things. Items included on the list right now are; examination gloves, raw salmon or trout for the bald eagle they have, garbage bags, a skill saw, etc. This list changes, check it often! Here is the link
Brain was always interested in animals, and thought that someday he'd be a veterinarian. He got sidetracked by becoming a drummer, and had quite a successful career doing that before he came back around to animals.
Brian Salt is the founder and director of rehabilitation at Salthaven. He has been a wildlife rehabilitator since 1985 and is certified by the IWRC (International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council) and OWREN (Ontario Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Network) in rehabilitation training skills and Advanced Clinical Pathology. He also currently serves on the OWREN (click for link) board of directors. Salthaven is an amazing wildlife hospital located in Mt. Brydges, just outside of London.
Salthaven is a completely volunteer run facility. During the spring, summer and fall Salthaven receives 25 to 30 calls a day regarding displaced, sick, injured, or orphaned wildlife. The calls come from local and regional police, humane societies, animal care and control agencies, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Canadian Wildlife Services and the concerned public.
They are only able to handle a small percentage of these calls, as the do not currently have a "rescue" arm. If someone finds a sick or injured animal, they have to be able to transport it to Salthaven themselves.
What will we be talking about?
I asked Brian how to tell if an animal is truly sick or injured. How do you determine if you should intervene or not?
One thing I know for myself is that every spring I get numerous phone calls from people who have found a baby bird on the ground who, they are certain has fallen out of the nest and is walking around, defenseless. Brian explains how, with baby birds, there are a few days in their development that they have to spend this time out of the nest before they are able to fly. The chest or pectoral muscles on a bird are the largest muscles, and the ones that they really depend on for flying. While they are in their little nest with mom, dad, and their siblings, there just isn't enough room for them to be able to adequately stretch out in order for them to develop those muscles. So, as fledglings, they are, indeed "pushed" out of the nest in order for them to gain the strength needed for flight. The way to tell if a baby bird is actually in need of help is to hide yourself far enough away from the bird so you won't scare it or it's parents, and watch. Most of the time, you will see that the parent comes about every 30min to feed the baby. This usually happens very quickly, and you have to be vigilant in your observations. The parent will be very quick when they come to feed, so as not to alert any potential predators as to the location of the baby.
This is also a common situation with fawns. The mother deer will give birth, clean the fawn of and feed it, and then leave it, sometimes for hours while she feeds herself. As humans, we cannot imagine such a thing! But, Brian tells me, fawns when they are first born have no scent, and as we know, are extremely well camouflaged. So, again, if you happen to come upon a fawn that appears to have been abandoned, and are concerned, create a bunch of distance, and wait. Usually you will see that the mother will come back.
Ways to tell that wildlife DO need assistance are;
-Obvious signs of trauma
-Dead siblings nearby
-Blood
-dry cold noses (as opposed to warm and moist)
-obviously older birds that are grounded
-not putting weight on a limb
-Broken wings
-lethargy, uninterested in it's surroundings
-the presence of flies - this one is a great indicator of an injury that may be hidden
-it is cold
OK, so there is an animal that does need help, now what do you do?
(from Salthaven's website)
If you answered yes to ANY of these questions, take the following steps:
- Place the baby in a softly-lined covered box with ventilation.
- Place the box in a warm, dark quiet indoor location away from all humans and pets.
- If you have a heating pad, put it under one half the container that has the animal in it and turn it on low. In a pinch a pop bottle or water bottle with hot water can also be used and wrapped in a t-shirt material and put in with the baby. Do not use towels for bedding. The weave is too loose. It comes undone easily and the threads can wrap around legs, and necks with dire consequences.
- Do Not attempt to give it food or water! The baby may appear hungry, but feeding a weakened animal or providing the wrong diet could cause irreversible complications that could further compromise the baby's condition.
- Contact a wildlife rehabilitator immediately. You can get their number by calling your local animal shelters, animal control, or the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.
They are looking for corporate sponsorship right now. They have developed a 5 year business plan that includes plans for a new facility to house Salthaven. They have included in their plan the cost of making the new facility a "green" one, run on wind & solar, and incorporating geothermal principles as well. Salthaven has outgrown it's current facility, and right now, they receive 25-30 calls a day, as I mentioned, and they are only able to help a small percentage of these animals. The new facility will also incorporate isolation facilities, which will greatly improve their handling capacity.
Another exciting thing that the new facility will allow is the construction of an auditorium, where people can come and learn about Salthaven, and what it does. Currently, Salthaven does an great deal of education and outreach. Brian is the one who does this, and as a result is only able to speak in the months from September - April, as during the rest of the year, all his time is spent at the facility helping the wildlife. With an Auditorium, they will be able to offer more education services, as he will not have to be travelling. Also, right now, Salthaven receives many calls from people who would like to tour the facility, and they are unable to accommodate this request. Salthaven is a rehabilitation hospital for sick and injured WILDLIFE. It is not a zoo. It would be detrimental to the wildlife to be exposed to humans on that level. In fact, even the volunteers sometimes have real difficulties not getting attached, and whenever someone has a bad day, looses a patient, stress affects them, etc, Brian tells me that Salthaven has a bunny for cuddling purposes. The distance MUST be maintained between the wildlife and the volunteers.
I think it's great that they have provided a "cuddle Bunny" to help relieve the stress that I can only imagine these people must have to deal with some days.
I hope you enjoy the show, I really enjoyed interviewing Brain, and want to express my sincere thanks to him, and all the volunteers who work so hard - often 18 hours a day during the spring and summer - to help our wild companions.
Salthaven is a wonderful place that deserves the support of caring people. Please help however you can - volunteer, donate, check the wish list - you may just have some things around that you have no use for, and instead of putting it in your garage sale, or listing it on Kijiji, you can donate it to them.
Thanks so much for your interest in the show. Next week, I will interview Vicki and Elizabeth from friends of Captive Animals, to discuss Lucy, an elephant in need of help who is currently living alone in the Edmonton Zoo, as well as the state of the regulations (or lack thereof!) in Ontario. Here is a link to their website.
Peace, and love your animals!-Lisa
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