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.

a bear cub and goldfinch arrive

This bear cub arrived today. It's fortunate that the person who found him brought him in since the damage of excessive handling is not always reversible. Due to his age and limited time in captivity, this case looks promising.



Luckily, the AWI's resident bear, appropriately named Baloo, can be relied upon to teach this young cub the ropes. Baloo was orphaned at a young age by a truck accident which, in addition to killing his mother, left him permanently disabled. His docile demeanor makes handling him a bit easier than handling other black bears his size. Although he can never be released, he has provided invaluable guidance to younger black bears who were then released back into the wild.

Baloo

We also took in a Goldfinch with a damaged eye pictured below.