Another skunk freed

Check out the latest skunk release video. It demonstrates the technique of freeing a skunk from a cage trap. First, the cage should be draped with a bed sheet or large beach towel so it's covered entirely. This is done very, very slowly and quietly. Next, the door must be propped open. Next, while backing up, the fabric can be slowly pulled off the cage, revealing the animal - this will encourage the animal to move to the front of the cage and out the opening. 

This skunk was inadvertently trapped by someone hoping to capture a feral cat. Tip: Set traps for cats during daylight hours only, to avoid trapping nocturnal wildlife.

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Team effort saves pelican

Great team effort to save a pelican. TeamOCEAN radioed one of our first responders, Ron Eby, about a pelican that seemed to be in trouble. At the time, Ron was on the water doing some research monitoring for Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The bird had gone ashore in a wildlife viewing area. By boat, Ron tracked it down and was able capture it before it got back in the water. 

The bird had a hook deeply imbedded in its neck and damaged feathers from the line.

Ron radioed Monterey Bay Kayaks to pre-stage a box for him at their shop in Moss Landing, where the bird was later picked up by SPCA for Monterey Wildlife Center. 

Good example of teamwork between MBK, TeamOCEAN, ESNERR and the SPCAMC!

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Deer tangled in utility netting

In the ocean, seine nets, like gill nets, are large panels of netting that hang vertically in the water - held up by floats and held down with weights. This fishing method is so effective, the practice must be regulated to reduce bycatch of non-target species.

Abandoned or lost nets pose a significant risk to sea life. If you're interested, HERE is a 2009 report on and toll of abandoned fishing gear, with some staggering figures.

Eco diver Peter Reimann frees an angel shark from netting.

Source: The Daily Telegraph

Netting is netting on land or at sea. Left unattended, nets ensnare, maim, and kill indiscriminately. 

Here is a recent example of how a panel of netting, just like a fishing net, was left unattended in a forest and nearly killed a young deer. 

A couple was walking near their home off Branciforte Drive in the wooded hills above Santa Cruz, when they happened to notice a young black-tailed deer entangled in netting material, about 30' off the road.

The one-year old buck was stuck in a very tall, very wide panel of nylon netting, strung alongside a creek. This type of netting, often referred to as utility netting, is used, for example, as perimeter fencing around sports fields, golf courses, and batting cages.

The residents phoned the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter, and WES was called to assist.

On scene, Officer Michael Sharp and WES' Rebecca Dmytryk worked together to untangle the traumatized animal. Check out the video:

Once freed, the animal bolted for safety - a good sign that it will recover from the ordeal. 

Prey animals, like deer, can suffer from something called exertional myopathy. It occurs when high-stress animals are pursued, captured, or restrained. In very simple terms, in struggling to get free, an animal's muscles may be damaged beyond repair. There is no cure for EM, only prevention.

As for the netting. WES' director has contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to ask that they look into this incident and have the netting removed from the forest.

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Barn owl re-nested in Hollister

By Deanna Barth

It was close to 5:00 pm on Friday evening and I was making my way home from a wildlife call in Santa Cruz, when I was notified of a barn owl chick in trouble in Hollister, CA. It had been found on the ground, hiding between two walls in an industrial part of town.

With no wildlife rescue organization or wildlife hospital nearby (the Nan Pipestem Wildlife Rehabilitation Center closed recently), there are few resources for wild animals in distress and the people who find them.

Thankfully, Anna Patterson of the Hollister City Animal Shelter responded to the call and delivered the owl to a local veterinary clinic for evaluation. 



The barn owl was examined and found to be in good shape, just young. Unfortunately, the clinic was due to close before I could arrive, so they agreed to feed and house it overnight.

I went to the parking lot where the owlet was found to see if I could locate its nest. White excrement and scattered owl pellets on the cement directly beneath a drain in the wall, about 25' high, gave it away. 

I had a pretty good feeling that this is where the young owl had fallen from, but I wanted to be sure it was an active nest, so I went home and returned about three hours later, after dark. I stood beneath the drain and played a barn owl call on my iPhone. Within seconds I heard a return call from within. Yes!!! I had my daughter with me and she was really excited to hear the call.

The next morning I drove to the veterinary office to pick up the little owl. It had been housed near barking dogs and there would be a lot of human activity so I wanted to get it out of that environment for the day until we could re-nest it. I planned to attempt the reunion later in the evening, when there would be less activity in the parking lot by the nest.

My daughter and husband joined me in this exciting adventure. After my husband’s help placing the extension ladder, I made my way up to the hole and got my first peek inside the drain. To my surprise, there was a 90 degree angle in the pipe, not far inside. I could not see anything inside other than feathers and remnants of earlier meals.

 

Back on the ground, I took the owlet out of the crate and placed a pillow case over its head to reduce stress, then I slowly made my way back up the ladder.  

At the top, I removed the pillow case and gently placed the owl just inside the opening. It ran into the drain, turned the corner and then I heard loud hissing and screeching.  There was at least one other owlet in there, perhaps two.  




This chatter echoed in the drain. Even my husband and daughter could hear it clearly from below. This went on for several minutes and we all laughed at the thought of the siblings not being so happy about this ones return!  Hopefully this time it will stay put.  

For peace of mind, I went back the following morning and was happy not to see an owlet on the ground. Success!

I have been a first responder with WES for a couple of years now, and this was my first solo re-nesting. I feel really good about it - like I've "flown from the nest" myself!

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Puzzling wildlife deaths at solar projects

There have been a substantial number of wildlife deaths at solar projects. Below are links to a series of articles written by environmental journalist Chris Clarke that bring this important news to the world. Check it out:

April 16th Government Study: Big Renewable Energy Projects Threaten Wildlife

July 10th Endangered Bird Found Dead at Desert Solar Power Facility

July 17th Water Birds Turning Up Dead at Solar Projects in the Desert

July 18th Great Blue Herons Die At Solar Project

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San Jose beaver found injured

Stock photo by Ralph Arvesen

Scientists consider the beaver a keystone species of a healthy ecosystem, playing a crucial role in biodiversity of wetland habitat. Beaver have been missing from the San Jose area for more than 150 years... until recently. 

Beavers residing near downtown San Jose (affectionately being called Beavertown) were discovered in March when naturalist Roger Castillo, founder of Salmon and Steelhead Restoration Group, was walking along the river and noticed a willow tree with distinctive beaver markings. He notified Greg Kerekes, of Urban Wildlife Research Project (UWRP) who set up trail cameras under the willow and captured images of not one, but three beavers (video) - a female and her offspring. 

The beavers are believed to have originated from the Lexington Reservoir in Los Gatos, where they were re-introduced in the early 1990s. 

The appearance of the beaver family on the Guadalupe River coincided with removal of illegal encampments along the waterway - a good indication that the river can, once again, be the rich ecosystem it was.

Because of their tendency to construct dams and cause flooding, beavers are not always welcomed, especially in an urban setting. A coalition of urban wildlife supporters, spearheaded by Kerekes and Guadalupe River Park Conservancy (GRPC)  convinced Santa Clara Valley Water District to allow the beavers to stay.

On Monday, July 7th, Kerekes noticed that one of the three beavers he'd been monitoring - the adult female, had something wrapped around her midsection. See the video, HERE. He thought it might be some sort of manmade debris. He alerted a network of Bay Area beaver supporters, including GRPC and Martinez-based Worth a Dam.

WES was also notified of the injured animal and received authorized from California Department of Fish and Wildlife to lead search and rescue efforts.

WES' founder and director, Rebecca Dmytryk, reviewed Kerekes' footage and agreed it looked like a plastic ring, like a packaging strap.

The strap around the beaver's waist hindered her mobility and would eventually cut into the her skin. The animal needed to be captured quickly if it was to survive.

On July 9th, WES assembled a rescue team consisting of representatives from GRPC, City of San Jose Parks, and UWRP. For three consecutive nights, two large cage traps were set near the willow. They were monitored continuously from sunset to midnight, but the beaver never appeared.(A huge Thank You! to everyone who took a shift!) 

Duane Titus and Mike Peasland setting a large cage trap on the riverbank. Duane fitted
the traps with a mechanism that would alert responders via radio when it was triggered.

As Dmytryk explains in her book, Wildlife Search and Rescue, establishing an animal's pattern is key to a successful capture plan. At this point, there was little to go on.

The team increased daylight searches along the banks of the Guadalupe River and Los Gatos Creek looking for the beaver's lodge and signs of foraging, but found nothing. On July 15th, Duane and Rebecca met a warden with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for a 5 a.m. search using spotlights and a FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared), but the beaver was not found.

WES' Duane Titus, who spent months on the Yellowstone River oil spill in 2011,
looking for oiled wildlife, searches the Los Gatos Creek for signs of beaver activity.

That afternoon, though, Kerekes' camera caught the beaver on the bank by the willow, just about an hour before the team had arrived. She was back in the area!

Later, the team set a cage trap and monitored it from the trail above. This time, they actually saw her come ashore and explore the riverbank. She appeared slower, possibly weaker. See the video HERE. 

Later, the team set one of the traps and monitored from the trail above. This time, they actually saw the injured beaver. She appeared slower, possibly weaker. 

Unfortunately, the beaver never entered the trap, but the sighting was incredibly valuable. It confirmed she was still alive and proved her fidelity to the embankment beneath the willow. 

With this information, WES' wildlife capture specialists developed a new plan.

Last night, a sophisticated netting enclosure was set up under the willow.

Duane, an electrical contractor by trade, rigged lights in the trees to aid in the nighttime capture.

By 7:30, the rest of the team - consisting of wildlife handlers from Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, GRPC, and UWRP arrived at Guadalupe River Park. After a run-through, they settled in to wait for the beaver, which could have been hours.

At about 8:30, Leslee with GRPC radioed from across the river that she spotted the beaver heading for the bank. Everyone took their assigned positions. 

Duane and Rebecca crouched in tall grass overlooking the embankment, Duane's hand on the rope that would pull up the net and entrap the large rodent.

It was dark except for a few streetlights and their reflections on the water. As the beaver approached, ripples gave away her location. When she climbed onto land, it was the light reflecting off her flat tail that allowed us to see her movement. She didn't seem to notice the netting material she passed over on her way to our offerings - a pile of freshly cut willow branches, cottonwood and fennel. 

She was clearly within the enclosure. Duane pulled tight on the rope, raising a wall of netting. Rebecca called out "Lights!". Duane handed control of the rope to Mike and raced down the trail, netting the beaver in an open-ended hoop net. Greg from Happy Hollow used a second net to secure the animal. The two of them worked to cut the chord from the animal's body. Sure enough, it was a packaging strap - like the ones used to bundle newspapers.

The rest of the crew had assembled with herding boards and the transport carrier. Working together, they manipulated the animal into the crate without ever having to touch it.

Ashley Kinney, Wildlife Rehabilitation Supervisor with Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley was alerted and agreed to meet responders at her facility to give the animal a quick exam.

Beavers can overheat when out of water and under stress. Our newest responder, Dana, transported the animal in her vehicle with the air conditioner on high, blowing into the carrier. 

The beaver appeared to be in excellent condition and able to be released back to the wild. Ice packs were placed under a towel to keep the animal cool for the return trip.

The rest of the crew had just finished taking down the net enclosure when Dana arrived. The crate was carried down to the willowwill where Greg Kerekes opened the crate door to release his wild friend.

The beaver took a few deliberate steps to the water, submerged her head, then slid into the river. With a slap of her tail she disappeared into the darkness.

Check out the video below:

MANY MANY MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THIS 9-DAY RESCUE - GREG, LESLEE, MIKE, PAM, ROGER, HEIDI, SHERRY, BYRON, THE HAPPY HOLLOW CREW - MONICA, CHRIS, GREG, JENNA, DANA, WES FIRST RESPONDERS JESSICA, DANA, SAMMARYE, CHERYL, AND DUANE AND REBECCA, ASHLEY KINNEY AND THE WILDLIFE CENTER OF SILICON VALLEY!

Please consider supporting WES' efforts to help animals in distress with a donation of any size, HERE.

We would also like to encourage you to donate towards the purchase of additional trail cameras for Urban Wildlife Rescue Project, HERE.

Would you like to become a Wildlife Emergency First Responder? Go HERE to sign up to volunteer. 

Learn wildlife capture techniques like the one used in this beaver rescue in Wildlife Search and Rescue: A Guide for First Responders.

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Progressive predator policies

Commentary by Rebecca Dmytryk

Today, the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission adopted provisions to the state's wolf management program that will make lethal control of wolves involved in livestock deaths a last resort.

The result of a lawsuit brought on by conservationists in 2011, these new rules make previously ambiguous language very, very clear - ranchers must now show that they have implemented non-lethal measures to prevent conflicts with wolves before a depredation permit will be issued. As it should be. 

Ranchers must also show evidence that a particular radio-collared wolf was in the area at the time of the killing to ensure only the problem animals are targeted.

The new rules clearly define "chronic depredation" as four qualifying incidents attributed to the same wolf or wolves within a six-month period, and even under this four-strike policy, the state maintains final say - if the animal is killed or not.

These changes make this one of the most progressive wildlife management plans in the country - a model for others to follow.

Read more, HERE, and a detailed description of the settlement HERE.

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