FRIENDS OF WILDLIFE

OUR MISSIONFriends of Wildlife is

an independent, non-profit, volunteer organi-zation dedicated to theemergency and extendedcare of orphaned orinjured Michiganwildlife.

Our goal is to reha-bilitate these animals ina professional mannerthat allows them toreturn to their naturalhabitat and continuetheir lives in the mannerof that species, inde-pendent of humans.

We are licensed byand have a close workingrelationship with theMichigan Department ofNatural Resources.

In addition to wildliferehabilitation, we arevitally interested in edu-cation and the broaderaspects of protecting andrestoring the naturalhabitat of the world weshare.

Friends of Wildlifeendorses the high stan-dards set forth by theNational RehabilitatorsAssociation and theInternationalRehabilitators Council.

Spring 2007________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rocky, A Squirrel’s Story

NEWS

This was exactly why I became involved with Friends ofWildlife. Animals are brought to me in all forms of health andall types of containers. My co-worker, Lisa, and I have hadbaby mice in bags, rabbits in buckets, squirrels in boxes, oncewe got a fish tank with eight hamsters, not to mention onedog and several birds.

These animals are left inAnn Arbor’s city parks,sometimes injured, some-times orphaned. Whateverthe reason, animals seem tomake their way to the FieldOffice of Ann Arbor’s Parksand Forestry. This day itwas a squirrel, handed tome in a raincoat held some-what like a dirty diaper.Jeff, one of our forestrytechnicians was the rescuer.

I always ask before opening anything – I hate surprises.So Jeff proceeded to tell me about this little guy. The forestrycrew had spotted him injured, making that pitiful, high-pitched scream squirrels can make, in the street near wherethey were working. The forestry techs work around squirrelsall the time – running a stubborn squirrel out of a dead treeslated for removal or moving a whole nest to another tree forthe mom to find later. This squirrel proceeded to crawl rightunder their truck, dragging his head and one of his front legs.Not wanting to run the squirrel over, they reached under thetruck, grabbed him by the tail and tossed him into the nearestyard. But he was still moving and screaming. The guys soonfound an old raincoat and used it to trap and bundle him up –and that was how “Rocky” came to me.

Carefully moving the raincoat aside, I looked into the boxat Rocky, a half-grown fox squirrel now screaming – but notmoving. It looked as though he had head trauma and aninjury to his shoulder or leg. I didn’t think he’d make itthrough the night.

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Friends of WildlifeP.O. Box 1505Ann Arbor, MI 48106www.friendsofwildlife.net

Board of DirectorsOfficersMichael MurphyPresident

Gail JarskeyVice President

Sarah DevaneyTreasurer

Karen O’ConnorSecretary

DirectorsPatricia DeLongNancy Haddix Don Kenney Barbara MurphyElaine Umholtz

Newsletter StaffPatti Roman

Web Page StaffJamie Wilke

Hotline Advice Bat 248-645-3232Deer 734-670-4343Fox 734-670-2920Opossum 734-670-2157Rabbit 734-670-1407Raccoon 734-670-2120Snake 616-789-1930Squirrel 734-670-2101Turtle 734-481-1812Woodchuck 734-670-4317General Info 734-913-9843

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Workshop IntroducesNew Volunteers to

RehabbingWe are happy to report

that the IntroductoryWildlife Rehabilitation Work-shop held Saturday, March31, was a wonderful success,with more than 30 newattendees present.

The workshop was anintroduction to what Friendsof Wildlife (FOW) does tohelp native wildlife in ourarea. Topics included thehistory and structure ofFOW, Department of NaturalResources (DNR) regula-tions, immediate care proce-dures, volunteering,fundraising, and informationthat will help new volunteersbecome licensed wildliferehabilitators with FOW.

Completion of the work-shop enables new volunteersto participate in hands-ontraining sessions coveringspecific needs of nine nativeMichigan wildlife.

We thank everyoneinvolved who made the daysuch a success!

NOTE:If you’dlike tobe noti-fied

about next year’s work-shop, please call 734-913-9843.

Letter from the Boardof Directors

It’s spring and our rehabbingseason has begun. We arealready getting calls!

Over the winter, severalgood things happened:

.The advanced and basic work-shops were wonderful withgreat turnouts. It looks good forthe future of rehabbing here andin adjoining counties.

.Sarah Devaney, a dedicatedFOW rehabber, joined the boardand will be our new treasurer.

.An ambitious Eagle Scout ismaking much-needed releasecages for many of our animals(please see page 3 for story).

.We had a wonderful responseto our fall/winter newsletter.Your support and donationsensured our being able to con-tinue to help thousands of ani-mals this coming season.

In addition to continuingour rescue/rehabilitation work,we also plan on raising publicawareness of FOW and have andstrengthened our committees tohelp in that endeavor.

Thank you again for yourvaluable support and have awonderful summer.

FOW Board

Please contact us at 734-913-9843 with any comments,questions, thoughts or sugges-tions. Thank you for yourcontinued support!

Friends of Wildlife HoldsAdvanced Training Workshop

On February3 of this year,Friends ofWildlife (FOW)held a half-dayworkshop formembers inaccordance with DNR licensing rules.

Our speaker, Lisa Fosco, received B.S.degrees from the University of Illinois inBiology and Chemistry. She teaches work-shops all over the country, including throughthe International Wildlife RehabilitationCouncil (IWRC) and holds the position ofDirector of Animal Care for the Ohio WildlifeCenter (OWC).

The OWC, a non-profit wildlife rehabilita-tion organization located in Columbus, Ohiohas provided veterinary care and rehabilita-tion for orphaned and injured wild animalsand birds since 1984. More information canbe found at their website www.ohiowildlife-center.org.

Fosco discussed initial care and treat-ment, focusing on assessing newly presentedcases, diagnostics, and formulation of treat-ment plans. More simply – how to reallylook at an animal during the first hours afterhe is brought to a rehabilitator and attemptto decide what is wrong with him based onweight, color, general appearance, tempera-ture and manner so as to provide appropriatecare and treatment for the animal.

Our thanks to the Friends of WildlifeBoard who put together this wonderful work-shop and to Lisa Fosco for her extremelyeducational presentation which was enjoyedby everyone.

NEWS FOR MEMBERS AND REHABBERSCan’t Rehab at Home?

Here’s Another Way to Help!

Help us help animals by staffing informa-tion tables at two important events thissummer.

We are looking for volunteers to pass outinformation about Friends of Wildlife andanswer basic wildlife questions (or give theappropriate phone numbers to get thosequestions answered) to folks who will beenjoying two summertime events in AnnArbor this year:

.The 7th Annual Green Fair, Friday, June15 from 5-9 p.m. on Main Street in AnnArbor

.Huron River Day, Sunday, July 15 atGallup Park

If you think you’d like to help, pleasecontact Nancy Haddix at NHaddix@com-cast.net.

Thanks so much!

Rehabbers - Please Don’tLeave Us Hanging!

We know how busy you can get and weunderstand if you’re unable to take in ananimal, but PLEASE return all phone callsfrom placement people who are looking forfoster homes. It’s very frustrating to waiton return phone calls which never comethereby delaying calling the next person onthe list of interested rehabbers. If youbelieve that you’ll be unable to rehab forthe season, please let your placement per-son know that also. It will save a lot oftime for us in the future! Thanks so much!

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Friends of WildlifeP.O. Box 1505Ann Arbor, MI 48106

Can You Help?Any donation made is greatly appreci-

ated by us and the animals who need ourhelp. The amounts listed below areapproximate in raising an entire litter ofthe animal named through to the date ofrelease, though sometimes the expense isconsiderably more if any are seriouslyinjured.

Rabbit $ 20Squirrel $ 25Snake $ 30 Opossum $ 30Turtle $ 50Woodchuck $ 65Raccoon $ 130Fox $ 150Deer $ 300

Wish List. Release sites on

private land

. Heating pads

. Materials for build-ing outdoor cages(wood, wire mesh,

etc.)

. Volunteer help inbuilding cages

Thank You. Keith Warner and

Serv-All Printing

. Our volunteers whoare about to enter into

another busyspring/summer season

. Our donors whohelp make our efforts

possible

Last year the Chelsea BoyScout Troop invited Friends ofWildlife (FOW) to participatein their anniversary celebra-tion by allowing us a publicinformation table at theirevent where we could raiseawareness and funds to help inour efforts of saving orphanedwildlife.

Everyonewho stoppedby enjoyedtalking withFOW rehab-bers andlearnedmuch aboutMichigan’swildlife. Theday was a success!

That success led to a won-derful surprise when ScoutScott Roblee contacted FOW acouple of months later to offerto build release cages for oursoon-to-be-released wildlife aspart of his Eagle Scout Project.

Shortly after, Scott joinedmany FOW rehabbersto exchange ideas andexperiences on cagebuilding. Opossum,raccoon, squirrel, fox,deer, and woodchuckrehabbers sharedvaluable experiencewith Scott and hisEagle Scout Mentor,Steve Mattison, whowas helping Scottwith his efforts.

After visiting avariety of existingcages, Scott present-

ed the EagleScout Project tothe FOW Boardat their February,2007 meeting.His ambitiousproposal was tobuild two rac-coon releasecages 8’ x 8’ x 8’ and two

squirrel releasecages 4’ x 4’ x8’ – and allwould beportable. Scottaddressed theBoard andanswered allquestions pre-sented. His

proposal was accepted unani-mously.

Scott is currently finishingthis wonderful project withthe help of his fellow troopmembers. Delivery of allcages is expected by late Mayof this year.

If you would like thankScott or to make a contribu-tion to this project, please call734-913-9843 and leave yourname, phone number, andinterest in the cage buildingproject. Your personal infor-mation will be forwarded toScott in a confidential manner.

Our heartfelt thanks toScott, his mentor Steve, andthe Chelsea Boy Scout Troopfor their wonderful efforts to

help our orphanedwildlife!

Eagle Scout Project Garners New Release Cages for Wildlife!Chelsea Eagle

Scout ScottRoblee tookon building

much- neededrelease cagesfor Friends of

Wildlife

Eagle Scout ScottRoblee (left) andhis mentor, SteveMattison, checked

out numerouswildlife releasecages including

this one built forsquirrels????Can someone

check to see if infohere is correct!!!

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“The purpose of humanlife is to serve and toshow compassion andthe will to help others.”

Albert Schweitzer

At home he was gentlyplaced into a small aquariumwhich was partially on top of asmall heating pad set on low. Igave him a drink of Pedialitethrough a syringe into his gapingmouth. He wouldn’t take much.I moved him as little as possibleand in the morning I was happyto see he no longer screamedwhen he saw me, but took a lit-tle water when offered. I knewthat without some sign ofimprovement, euthanizationwould be necessary.

I placed a small piece ofbanana near Rocky, hopingagainst hope he might take it.When I returned later I wasthrilled to see the piece was defi-nitely smaller. He continued toimprove over the next four days,first dragging himself around thetank and then sitting up.

Once Rocky was sitting heimproved quickly. He was sooneating and drinking normally andquickly became “bright-eyed andbushy-tailed” – just like a squir-rel should be. To acclimate himto the weather, he was put into anesting box outside during theday and brought in with his boxat night. Each time I neared hiscage, he quickly hid inside hisbox. Fear of humans is alwaysgood for wild animals.

I had kept Jeff, his rescuer,updated daily on Rocky’sprogress and mentioned that hewould soon be ready to release –after only two and one-halfweeks at my house. Jeff wantedto release Rocky right where hewas found and I agreed, as it wasbest Rocky return to familiar ter-ritory – his true home.

As so often happens whilerehabilitating wild animals,things do not go as planned.That very night, as Rocky wasallowing me to see only his headthrough the hole in the nestingbox, I noticed a slight crustynesson the edge of his ears, a proba-ble sign of mange and a very

common problem insquirrels. My hopes ofreleasing Rocky would

be delayed, at least two moreweeks, for treatment.

Although mange is easilytreated, it occurred to me that Iwould have to handle Rocky if Iwanted to make sure he took themedicine. Rocky was now ahealthy, active squirrel whom Ihad not touched in more thantwo weeks – this was not goingto be easy. I prepared mysyringe of medication andapproached the cage confidentthat, when Rocky was finallyreleased, he would be completelyhealthy.

My plan would be simple andquick. Trap Rocky in the nestingbox, open the side door of thebox, hold him firmly, then shootthe dab of medicine into hismouth. How foolish could I be?I had neglected to inform Rockyof my intentions, or even ask forhis input, so how could I havepossibly expected him to cooper-ate?

The moment I opened theside door of the nesting box therace was on. Even with my handover the open door he squeezedthrough my fingers and up myarm. He raced around my headfrom shoulder to shoulder anddown my back. I was able tograb him off my lower back butrealized that I had forgotten toput on my leather gloves (alsovery foolish). Expecting to bebitten at any moment, I loosenedmy grip just the slightest – andthe race began again. Up myarm and across my shoulders hewent, but he never jumped offme. I quickly grabbed and heldhim with the “squirrel hold” –one finger on top of his head sohe couldn’t squeeze his shoul-ders out of my hand. The medi-cine went into his mouth and hewent back into his cage. Thewhole thing took about 10 sec-onds, but both of us were out ofbreath and in shock. Rocky,because of the assumed assaulton his life and me, because Iwasn’t bitten! I would haveliked to think that Rocky didn’tbite me because he knew I hadnursed him back to health, but

let’s be real, as far as he was con-cerned I tried to kill him and, ifgiven another chance, he wouldeducate me on proper squirrelhandling.

A week later Rocky’s mangehad cleared and the release planswere back on. The second doseof medication was given in agrape which Rocky happily ate.Why hadn’t I thought of that thefirst time?

The next morning Rockywent to work with me, ready forrelease back where he had beenfound. I left Rocky in the cornerof the forestry shop since I knewJeff was expecting him, but was-n’t in yet. It wasn’t long beforeJeff was in my office questioningif Rocky was even in the cage atall. I assured him that he wasjust hiding low in the nestingbox and that he would have toopen the side door to get Rockyout. I never questioned Jeff’sability to release Rocky, sinceworking around squirrels is com-mon practice for our forestrytechs.

An hour and a half later Jeffwas back with an empty cage.When I asked how it went hesmiled and said, “just fine.” Hehad taken the nesting box out ofthe cage, opened the side doorand Rocky “shot out like a bul-let” straight toward a row ofpine trees. No limps and noteven a backward glance. No onewould ever have known he wasthe same injured, screamingsquirrel, in the same street, sucha short time ago.

Rocky’s story had a happyending, but not without the helpof many people besides me.From the forestry rescuers to myco-worker who covers for me sothat I can check on injured ani-mals, to my knowledgeable FOWcoordinator and my husband andkids who support me in all myanimal rehabilitations. Withoutall of these folks Rocky may nothave had the chance to live outhis life on a quiet Ann Arborstreet.

By Elaine Bater,FOW Rehabilitator

continued from cover

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