Starlings and a Raccoon Arrive

Although we already had 14 raccoon kits, we got a call yesterday that we couldn't turn down. Pictured below is our latest raccoon arrival. Pam remarked that this raccoon is particularly beautiful due to its aesthetically pleasing black pattern and head shape.

Could you say no to this face? We couldn't. Three more baby starlings arrived as well.

not unlike human children, really

When we walk into the room, often the starlings are squawking at a nearby caged grackle for food, presumably mistaking it for their mother. The grackle just squawks back of course, which makes for a noisy confusion.

Which brings us to five starlings, although two have been moved to an outdoor enclosure and will be released this week. With any luck, we will also be releasing several chipmunks this week.

Unfortunately the principal author of this blog will be out of town for a few weeks, so there won't be any updates until July 23. Embedded below is a slide show of arrivals in the month of June posted on YouTube using many of the photos posted in this blog.

Two Raccoons Arrive

Yesterday, two raccoons arrived.

We now have 14 raccoons kits!

These are not the same raccoons, but I thought this picture looked cute.

Three Bears

We finally moved the third bear into the room with the two other cubs. They seem to be getting along well, which is a relief.

As anyone enters the room they are initially frightened and hide in the corner. We want to make sure they keep such instincts so they can be successfully released back into the wild.

The female, who was raised by a human family for a period, eventually walks right up to the cameraman, while the two others hide in the background. We haven't given them names yet, although you are welcome to submit your suggestions as a comment.

When the bears get a little older, they will be moved into a larger enclosure located elsewhere on site, and then eventually moved in with Baloo, our resident non-releasable adult bear.

Two Fidgety Squirrels and a Small Bird

Over the weekend, two baby squirrels arrived.

Taking pictures of them was difficult as they bolted about the box.

We also got a small bird, which we are yet to definitely identify. We are presently looking into it.

Our new grackle seems to be doing well (our last one died unfortunately). It squawks incessantly and is a pain in the neck.

Meanwhile, our robin just sits there looking content after a feeding.

Blind as a...Woodchuck?

Barry and Pam came across a woodchuck running around aimlessly on a local road yesterday. Although they are knowledgeable of local wildlife, it wouldn't have taken much insight to realize this wasn't normal woodchuck behavior. Upon closer examination, they discovered it was completely blind.

So they took the little guy in. One must be careful handling woodchucks: although they are cute and small, their incisor teeth and sharp claws used for burrowing can cause serious damage. We will probably be taking this unlucky rodent to the vet soon.

How to Tell the Difference Between a Starling and a Grackle

Yesterday a grackle arrived, and since we already have some starlings, I thought this might be a good time to show the difference between the two, which are often mistakenly identified as one another when they are young.

Notice that the inside of the grackle's mouth is distinctly red/pink.

By contrast, the starlings pictured below have bright yellow coloring on the inside of the mouth and grayer feathers.

Those pictures were taken eight days ago. As a side note, if we compare those with pictures taken today, we can see just how quickly these little guys develop.

Soon we will be able to release those starlings. A young robin is of course easier to identify; the orange coloring on the breast is a giveaway.

Special Arrival

Today another animal arrived, can you guess what it might be?

It's another black bear cub! Now we have three! This cub has a sad story. Her mother was seen hanging around a garbage disposal with her two siblings and somebody shot them. Incredibly, this little fellow survived.

Often black bears are erroneously seen as immediate threats to human security. While they are wild animals and should be treated as such, black bears infrequently attack humans. There have only been 56 documented human deaths as a result of black bear attacks in North America in the past 100 years. This means you are more likely to be struck by lightning in your lifetime.

The black bear cub that arrived yesterday was put in the same enclosure as the one that arrived in May, and fortunately, they seem to be getting along swimmingly.


Today or tomorrow, we will introduce our new bear cub to the other two and hope they get along. Once they get big enough, all three will be moved into a large enclosure with Baloo.

Baloo chowing down earlier today

Bear Cub Arrival

A young bear cub arrived today.

He will be introduced to our other bear cub who arrived on May 29th. We usually like to take in these animals in pairs, so they can socialize early on. Pictured below is our May 29th arrival, still healthy and kicking (or I should say, hissing).

Once they get large enough, these two bear cubs will move in with Baloo, our resident black bear, to learn appropriate bear behavior. Find out why Baloo can't be released here.

Baloo

Squirrel Release

Today was a special day; after moving them to a larger outdoor enclosure less than two weeks ago, seven squirrels we have raised from infancy were released.


They tentatively make their way out of the cage...


Some prefer to stay inside.


We took in a number of orphaned animals over the weekend.

a duckling

a robin

a dove

and last but not least, a group of pheasant chicks