This week

The busy season is here! This week WES was inundated with calls. Here is a sampling of the emergencies we were notified about.

Santa Cruz, CA. WES received a call about a skunk on the grounds of an elementary school during daylight hours, acting disoriented. Duane Titus responded and collected the young female skunk and delivered her to Native Animal Rescue.

The skunk survived the first night, but died sometime the following day. WES made arrangements for a thorough examination of the carcass at the UC Davis Wildlife Investigations Lab, as poison is suspected.

Watsonville, CA. A mother duck and her ducklings became separated when part of her brood fell into a storm drain. Luckily, the ducklings were spotted and rescued by ten-year old Chase and friend, Miki. After retrieving the ducklings, they knew to try and reunite the babies with their mother.

All seemed to be going as planned until the ducklings ran back towards the street and down the drain, again. By the time the ducklings were retrieved, the mother duck had moved on, and could not be found.

Chase helped keep the ducklings warm until they could be delivered to Native Animal Rescue in Santa Cruz.

Photo by Ben Harper

Byron, CA. Wildlife photographer Ben Harper reported observing a young red-tailed hawk with a badly broken leg. Incredibly, it's been surviving on roadkill.

WES discussed the possibilities of capturing the hawk and having it examined by a veterinarian, but, for now, we will allow nature to take its course - it would likely be euthanized if captured.


San Jose, CA. A mother opossum was displaced from a treetop when PG&E began cutting limbs and branches away from the adjacent utility pole. The opossum escaped workers by climbing upward and onto the telephone line.

With the branches gone, there was no way for her to get down - she was stuck, clinging to a wire some 30' in the air with two anxious babies on her back.

A nearby resident called for help, but got nowhere - PG&E refused to send a bucket truck and the local animal control authority said that they don't respond to those types of emergencies.



At about 2:30, WES was notified, but, stationed in the Monterey Bay area, it would be at least 90 minutes before our specially equipped team could arrive.

Responders were half way there when they received word that the opossum had fallen. She was trying to manage her way down one of the wires on the utility pole when she fell. According to the resident, she and her young ones looked okay as they scampered into a nearby bush.

This incident highlights the need to have specially trained and equipped wildlife responders in every community so animals in distress and the people who report them don't have to wait hours for help to arrive.

WES is currently seeking contracts with local governments to supply 24/7 wildlife emergency response and humane wildlife control services to Bay Area communities.

WES is managed by volunteers - 100% - we have no paid staff - no salaried employees. If you'd like to send us a donation to support our work - to pay for gas, rescue supplies, equipment, the costs of keeping our phones going, please send a check to WES at P. O. Box 65, Moss Landing CA 95039 or click HERE to donate securely through PayPal. Any and all contributions are greatly appreciated!

How about sponsoring our team for a day? Check out how, HERE.