A Little Robin Arrives

A small robin arrived yesterday. Luckily, he was orphaned in a late stage of his development.

what a slob eh?

Meanwhile our bear bear cubs are starting to get quite large. We have to be very careful around them now, because although they look cuddly, they can be very dangerous if provoked.

These two always stick together. Lucky is a bit of a loner, and more adventurous than the other two.

To all outward appearances, these cubs are maturing in a healthy way. It's fortunate that these bears were brought in (all three were brought in separately, by the way), otherwise they probably wouldn't have survived, due to bear cubs reliance on paternal care. However, if one thing is true of black bears, it is that they are survivors. While the populations of most large mammals in North America have fallen in very recent times, the black bear population has increased and their territory expanded. Adaptable and strong, there is reason to be optimistic about the survival of these cubs.

Checking Up On Old Friends

Upon returning to the AWI, my first comment was reflexively "where did all the geese come from?"

The answer is that they were always here, but as goslings. In the three weeks I was away, they went from this:


To this:

Remarkable. Now Bob, Fred and Flip have some company.

Meanwhile our blind woodchuck was sent to the vet.


Upon closer analysis, it appears that he was not involved with any sort of human accident or run in with a predator, but was simply born without eyes. He was moved in with Softscrub, our resident woodchuck (with eyes), and they seem to get along well enough. According to Pam, who knows Softscrub better than anyone else, he sometimes gets annoyed at the blind woodchuck for tagging at his heels all the time.

Softscrub

their shared enclosure

Three of our bear cubs were moved into a larger enclosure.

Lucky is always braver than the other two.

Lucky took a seizure recently, but a checkup from the vet showed there was no harm done. All three bears seem to be growing and healthy.

In a little while, we will move all three at once into Baloo's enclosure, so the cubs can have experience with an older, wiser bear.

a group of raccoons curiously watch Barry cut some wood

Some Recent Arrivals

As previously mentioned, the principal author of this blog was absent for most of July. During this time the Atlantic Wildlife Institute was incredibly busy. The number of animals taken in and cared for was significant; some made it and were released, such as a number of chipmunks and starlings, others might not have been so lucky. Lets look at some of the animals that have arrived recently.

This duckling has a baby barn all to itself.

Like to goslings, ducklings' inability to fly makes them totally helpless to defend themselves against prey or the elements. This makes them particularly vulnerable when orphaned.
Finally! A blue jay! I have been waiting to see that handsome tail since I arrived.


We decided not to wake this one up for a better photo.

This picture was taken during the afternoon, so it is natural for this skunk to be asleep. It is a myth that skunks are nocturnal. Their acute smell and hearing makes them at home in the dark, but skunks are typically referred to as crepuscular: animals that are active at dawn and dusk. For reference, diurnal refers to animals that are active during the day.

Another bear cub also arrived (now we have four). She is younger than the others, and is being kept in a separate enclosure from the other cubs. Pam explained that she was found unaccompanied on an ATV trail one day and was left alone. But when it was discovered in the same spot the next day barely alive, somebody took it upon him/herself to rescue her.

When she arrived, it was clear the young cub was suffering from serious head trauma (she was probably hit by an ATV). She had poor balance, coordination and vision. After a few days of treatment she has made remarkable progress, and is able to navigate herself around the room without difficulty.


Not another raccoon! Several arrived during the past few weeks. This one had an unfortunate run-in with a porcupine. Although he is rambunctious now, you can see in the picture below the permanent damage to his left eye.

Fortunately, if all goes according to plan, he should still be safely releasable after he matures. We now have 20 raccoon kits, in addition to quite a few matured raccoons that we will be releasing shortly.

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.