Paws 'N Claws
News from All Things Wild Rehabilitation, Inc.
January 2019 Volume 5, Issue 1
Upcoming Events
-February 16, 1-4 PM or February 17, 1-4 PM: New Volunteer Orientation for Adults at the new wildlife rehabilitation center
-February 23, 1-4 PM: New Volunteer Orientation for Teens ages 14-18 at the new center
February 28-March 1: Amplify Austin
-March 5-9: NWRA Symposium in St. Louis
Rehab Recap &
Winter Party for Wildlife
Amplify Austin 2019
New Volunteer Orientation
& Make Nests for Baby Birds
Rehab Recap
The rehabilitators have been busy taking in sick and injured adult wildlife although a few babies were being born in late fall as well. They were also busy the past two months getting ready for the open house and preparing the new wildlife rehabilitation center for the next baby season.
Brooke W. is continuing to rehabilitate 7 fawns.
Budgie T. rehabilitated and released 3 raccoons.
Janet P. took in a grackle, 2 sparrows, 6 doves, 8 starlings, and 9 finches. She took a hummingbird to another rehabilitator.
Karen O. took in an injured adult fox.
Helen L. took in a white-tailed fawn, 2 jackrabbits, 2 opossums, 3 birds (a meadowlark, a Eurasian collared dove, and an American goldfinch), 7 cottontail rabbits, and 8 fox squirrels.
Kim F. took a grey fox to another rehabilitator.
LaRita B. rehabilitated and released a hummingbird.
Winter Party for Wildlife
In December, ATW celebrated its new wildlife rehabilitation center with an open house. Volunteers spent hours cleaning and organizing the center to prepare for our first visitors. They decorated the entire center, including three (yes, three!) trees covered with unique wild animal ornaments, transforming the center into a winter wildlife wonderland.
When visitors entered the center, they were greeted by volunteers who led them on a tour of the center and grounds. Inside, visitors were shown the intake office, hospital/ICU, nursery, laundry, and kitchen. Many of the areas still lack equipment, especially the hospital/ICU where we are hoping to have an x-ray, anesthesia machine, and surgery table. Outside visitors peeked into the new fawn enclosure, saw where the raptor complex will be built, and even met some of the donkeys that are cared for by Blue Moon Equine Sanctuary .
Roger, one of our education volunteers and a board member, gave a presentation on owls in Texas. He also detailed ATW’s plans for a raptor complex. Before ATW can get a Federal permit to rehabilitate raptors, we must meet the requirement for flight cages. The complex we want to build will be 38-feet wide and 66-feet long. It will have five flight pens of different sizes to meet the requirements for different raptor species, including hawks and owls. The largest flight cage will be 50-feet long, 20-feet wide, and 16-feet high.
Most of the visitors brought gifts for the animals, including gloves, heating pads, food, and cleaning supplies. By the end of the two-day event, ATW had received over $3,000 in cash donations and hundreds of dollars in item donations. We are very grateful to all of our visitors for their generosity and our wonderful volunteers for their hard work. The Winter Party for Wildlife would not have been a success without you!
Amplify Austin February 28-March 1, 2019
This year, Amplify Austin will be held between 6 PM on February 28th and 6 PM on March 1st. Amplify Austin is All Things Wild's largest single day fundraiser throughout the year. We need a few minutes of your time to help us make this our biggest Amplify Austin day ever!
If you are unfamiliar with Amplify Austin, it is a 24-hour online day of giving. ATW participated for the fourth time last year, and we raised over $7,000 for rehabilitating wildlife in Central Texas!
This year, ATW's goal is to raise $15,000. These funds will help pay for the formula, veterinary care, medical supplies, caging, and more for the orphaned, sick, and injured wildlife. We will also use the funds to purchase necessary equipment and supplies for the new wildlife rehabilitation center, such as an exam table and medical equipment for our hospital and ICU. We will also be building large outdoor enclosures for all the animals at our new center. These enclosures are estimated to cost between $2,000 to $5,000 for each species, including opossums, squirrels, raccoons, songbirds, and skunks. We are in the process of designing a large complex for raptors which is estimated to cost $15,000.Schedule your donation today to help ATW rehabilitate hundreds of wild animals in 2019!
If you need additional help, you can email Elisabeth at allthingswildrehab@gmail.com. Elisabeth will also demonstrate how to become a Fundraising Champion after the new volunteer orientation on Sunday, February 17.
ATW will be holding new volunteer orientations at our wildlife rehabilitation center. Volunteers will tour the center and grounds, learn general tasks required of volunteers, and learn about the animals ATW commonly rehabilitates. Adult orientation will be held on Saturday, February 16, and Sunday, February 17 from 1-4 PM. Orientation for volunteers 14-18 years old will be held on Saturday, February 23 from 1-4 PM.
In order to attend orientation, you must first complete the online volunteer application which can be found here. After doing so, please email us at allthingswildrehab@gmail.com to reserve your spot. If you have already completed the application and are on the volunteer waiting list, please make sure to email us as well. Adults should indicate which orientation session they prefer to attend (Saturday, February 16, or Sunday, February 17). Each session is limited to 25 participants. If necessary, we may add an additional orientation on Sunday, February 24 from 1-4 PM.
If you have any additional questions about volunteering at the new ATW wildlife rehabilitation center in Georgetown or about the orientation, please email us at allthingswildrehab@gmail.com.
Photo Credit: WildCare
Can You Knit or Crochet?
Here’s a fun way to pass the gray, cold days of winter and make the birds sing!
You can knit or crochet nests for the orphaned baby birds. Every April, All Things Wild begins taking in hundreds of orphaned baby birds who have lost their parents, their home, or been injured by a predator. Knitted or crocheted nests provide warmth, coziness, and stability for the babies.
Baby birds need to be kept warm so wool nests work best; however, acrylic yarn is good too. In fact, any washable yarn will be appreciated. We need lots of nests because, even though we put a tissue in the bottom of each nest, the nests get dirty with baby bird poop and spilled food. When this happens, we simply put the dirty yarn nest in the wash and move the baby birds into a clean nest. Further, we need different sizes because not only do baby birds come in different sizes but they also grow.
The knitting and crocheting instructions at the following links were kindly provided by WildCare, a wildlife rehabilitation organization in San Raphael, California. Completed nests can be dropped off at our new rehabilitation facility after March 11. Please call 512-897-0806 for information.
Attending the NWRA (National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association) symposium is an opportunity for beginning rehabilitators to acquire basic skills and for experienced rehabilitators to learn state-of-the-art information and procedures. Additionally, there will be field trips to the St. Louis Wildlife Rescue Center, the St. Louis Zoo, the World Bird Sanctuary, and the Endangered Wolf Center. The 2019 symposium will be held from March 5-9, 2019, in St. Louis at the Marriott St. Louis Airport Hotel.
All Things Wild Rehabilitation, Inc., is a nonprofit tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Tax ID number is 46-1309620. Donations to All Things Wild Rehabilitation are tax-deductible as allowed by the Internal Revenue Code.
