What's in this issue:
- Pretty Piper
- Amplify Austin
- Kim and the Big Boy
- A Pain in the Butt
- It's Time to Volunteer
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Pretty Piper
The juvenile Mississippi kite kept landing on a woman’s head whenever she went outside. Eventually, she caught the bird and brought her to All Things Wild. We put the kite in an outdoor enclosure where she yelled all day for food and attention. Whenever the staff went into the enclosure to leave food, she would land on their heads and shoulders, obviously not afraid of people and seeing people as a source of food.
Our guess, and we have to guess because Piper can’t tell us, the young Mississippi kite was taken in by someone as an orphan, raised in captivity, and then released to the wild to fend for herself. By then, she was imprinted on humans and had no idea how to forage for food in the wild; consequently, she kept flying to people for help. Keeping a wild baby in captivity is not a good idea. First of all, it’s illegal. And, secondly, although the person who takes in the orphaned wild baby thinks they are being kind, the “kindness” turns out to do considerable damage and can often result in the death of the animal. Orphaned wild animals should be brought to All Things Wild or to a permitted wildlife rehabilitator. Call ATW for help (512-897-0806) or click here for a list of wildlife rehabilitators by county in Texas.
Mississippi kites are beautiful raptors found in warm weather throughout the southern states from Texas to the east. The name “kite” comes from the bird’s ability to hover in the air, like a kite. The Audubon range map shows Mississippi kites breeding in the northern part of Texas and throughout the Panhandle. However, they are breeding in Central Texas too. Not only did an imprinted juvenile Piper arrive at All Things Wild, but also three breeding pairs were seen in trees near Serenada Drive in Georgetown last summer.
A juvenile Mississippi kite perches on a tree limb in Georgetown last summer.
Photo Jimmy Smith
Mississippi kites migrate into central South American, mostly Brazil and Argentina, every winter and fly back to Mexico and the USA every spring. They build a twig nest high up in a tree and usually lay 1-3 eggs. The monogamous parents both care for the young. The parents are occasionally joined by older off-spring who help with raising the chicks.
Mississippi kites feed by catching large insects, such as cicadas, grasshoppers, and dragon flies on the wing. They can hold the insect in one foot and eat while flying. Occasionally, they will eat small mammals and reptiles. With long slim wings and a long tail, Mississippi kites are lovely in flight while circling and swooping to catch insects.
An adult Mississippi kite in flight.
Eventually, we took pity on Piper and brought her into the center where we let her fly about the large building every day. All we have to do is hold out a bowl of superworms, her favorite food, when it’s time to return to her large cage, and she flies down immediately. Once in the center and around all the human activity, Piper was content and stopped calling for food and attention. Because she is imprinted on humans, she is in training to be an ambassador, which means she will spend her life in captivity.
Wearing anklets and jesses as part of training, Piper enjoys a superworm.
In our research to write this article about Mississippi kites, we fell in love with Piper and her species. Piper is a gentle, sweet bird, and we love having her around. Keep an eye out in Central Texas during warm weather because you might get lucky and see a beautiful Mississippi kite.
Postscript: Just as we were finalizing our article about Piper, we learned that another wildlife rehabilitator in Central Texas is holding four Mississippi kites to release in the spring. One way to get an imprinted wild animal to "go wild" is to put the animal with others of the same species, especially wild ones. Consequently, the training anklets and jesses were removed from Piper's legs, and she has gone to live with the wild kites. It is, no doubt, the first time she has seen other Mississippi kites since she was a small chick. Because kites are very social birds, she will be readily accepted, and hopefully, living with her own species will erase her dependency on humans. We will miss her sweet personality but are ecstatic that she has a chance to live her life wild and free.
For more information on Mississippi kites, go HERE.
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Amplify Austin Day 2022
March 2-3
but you can donate now:
Click here to donate!
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Kim and the Big Boy
Teddy, our big boy!
When Teddy arrived at All Things Wild from another rehabilitator in the Houston area, he was already a big boy, kind of a Baby Huey of the skunk world. He was 2-3 times bigger than his sibling. We put all the growing skunks outside in Stinky Town where previous tenants had dug a burrow. When all the little skunks went running into the burrow, Teddy was too large to fit in the hole.
He seemed to want to be with people instead of his own kind. The staff and volunteers loved him, so eventually we got him permitted as an ambassador. Today, Teddy lives in the center, free to roam about. Because skunks are nocturnal, he sleeps most of the day and arises in the evening in time for dinner.
We want to take Teddy to education events to teach people how great skunks are. The major drawback has been finding a harness for him. With his little head, short stubby legs, and big body, fitting Teddy with a harness he can’t get out of has been a major challenge.
Not to be daunted, wildlife rehabilitator, ATW board member, and major ATW supporter, Kim Fross has stepped up to the challenge of harnessing Teddy.
Kim and Teddy at Wag Heaven looking for a harness.
So far, she has tried, without success, harnesses for dogs, cats, parrots, and ferrets. Teddy readily steps out of all escape-proof harnesses.
Wag Heaven, a pet store in Georgetown, let us come in to look through their collection of harnesses, but no luck. Then, someone ordered a ferret harness that Kim tried. But there was no way she could get the harness around Teddy’s big belly, and besides, he had already stepped out of the collar.
Kim trying on the ferret harness.
Kim thought maybe a reptile harness (think iguana) but rejected the idea. Recently, she ordered a figure-eight-style harness made primarily for ferrets with a bungee cord that will hug Teddy’s frame. She has her fingers crossed that the harness will work but if not, she also found a video on how to make a harness that will fit his big belly.
In the meantime, Teddy has to be held in Kim’s arms whenever he meets people.
Kim holds Teddy while he meets people at Rentsch Brewery in Georgetown.
To watch a video of a striped skunk, who is not Teddy, in a harness, click HERE.
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A Pain in the Butt
The sub-adult raccoon was found by animal control in the Cedar Park area near the commuter rail tracks. Although he appeared okay from the front, the backside was a different story; his tail was missing! There was no evidence of his being grabbed by a predator. Instead, it appeared as though the tail had been popped straight off. The animal control officer who brought him to All Things Wild suspected he may have caught his tail in the commuter rail tracks. In addition to losing his tail, his backside was badly infected, which was going to require intensive medical treatment.
The wound before the dead tissue was removed.
Initial medical treatment included cleaning the wound, cutting away the dead tissue, removing the exposed bone at the (now) end of the spine, and stitching up the wound. The raccoon needed daily wound cleaning as well as twice-daily antibiotic, pain, and anti-inflammatory meds. To make things more difficult, he growled, lunged, and snapped at whoever was handling him. You could say he was a pain in the butt.
The wound after cleaning and cutting way dead tissue
To make matters even more challenging, raccoons are difficult patients. They are curious, and touch is one of their strongest senses. This often leads raccoons with stitches to ‘play’ with the foreign object in their skin. As you might imagine, bored in his kennel, DB pulled out his stitches. However, our intrepid staff persevered in being able to keep the wound closed long enough to seal the exposed bone and allow it to begin healing. Over time, the big wound healed becoming smaller and smaller.
The staff started calling him DB. You can imagine for yourself what that stands for. After 10 days in the quarantine unit, required of all raccoons because of the possibility of distemper or rabies, DB was moved into the main building with the general animal population. Being out of isolation didn’t make him any nicer, and he continued growling, lunging, and snapping whenever he was handled.
The wound is healing nicely.
Eventually, when the wound has completely healed, DB will join other raccoons in the outside enclosure in preparation for release back to the wild. We have never had a tailless raccoon. Our raccoon expert tells us that the missing tail may affect his balance, although he should learn to compensate. We definitely will not return him to the area near the commuter rail tracks. Instead, he will be released in the wild with his new raccoon friends.
For interesting facts about raccoons, click HERE.
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It’s Time to Volunteer
Baby Season 22 is already starting with the influx of baby squirrels, opossums, and cottontail rabbits. Before long, they will be joined by baby raccoons, birds, skunks, fawns—the entire spectrum of wild babies born in the spring.
This season, we will be asking our new, inexperienced volunteers to start with basic, but necessary, tasks, including organizing supplies, doing laundry, washing and putting away dishes, cleaning cages, sweeping, and mopping. If the volunteer experience at All Things Wild is agreeable for both you and for us, then we will provide specific training on working with the animals.
Working with wild animals can be a very rewarding experience. Watching a helpless tiny orphan grow stronger and bigger to eventually return to the wild will warm your heart. On the other hand, the animals can bite and scratch. They can carry diseases. Many of the animals we take in are too injured, sick, or debilitated and don’t survive.
For many good reasons, we have set the minimum age for child volunteers at 14 accompanied by a responsible adult. However, the youngsters should not expect to play with the animals. Instead, duties for beginners will involve organizing and cleaning as detailed above.
Baby Season 22 volunteer hours will be 9 am – 6 pm, Monday through Sunday, with three volunteer shifts running 9-12, 12-3, and 3-6.
Wildlife rehabilitation is serious stuff. If you are up to the challenge, please complete the volunteer application at this LINK, and we will be in touch.
See you at the center!
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