DeliCATe Rescue!

After a day of fun but stressful wildlife rescue with TWC I long to see some healthy animals in their natural habitat so I took a few backroads home, hoping to see just that. After several unsuccessful attempts I made my last turn and drove toward a prime coyote field and...finally I saw a critter!

I went through my mental wildlife library trying to place it...squatted down in the mud, white, fluffy...hmmm.  I pulled to the side of the road quietly waiting until it turned around.  When it finally did, my heart sank.  It was a purebred white Himalayan cat alone in the middle of nowhere, and it was a mess.  The look on its face said "please help me" and "please don't come near me" at the same time.

One of her eyes looked infected, she seemed depressed and her fur looked horrible. I slowly approached her to see how she would react and when she turned around to run from me I then realized how bad it was.  She was scampering and dragging her back end - she was mobile but her legs weren't really working.

I then realized I had one more rescue of the night or I couldn't live with myself so I got my net out and ran toward her. She scampered as fast as she could (which wasn't that fast) and I was able to net her. 

I never thought my rescue day at TWC would end up like this!

She remained under the net growling and hissing while I ran back to my Jeep to assemble a kennel cab.  To my relief, after a few minutes I was able to coax her from the net into the cab.  She scampered into the cab for safety - I had her!   Whew!  After a few phone calls I was happy to learn that an on-call staff member from Pickering Animal Services was willing to meet me and scan her to see if she was chipped.

To my surprise, I heard some sweet m-e-o-ws from the back of my Jeep, totally different from the growling and hissing I'd  heard a few minutes earlier.  I opened the hatch and there was this beautiful kitty rubbing her cheeks and chin along the bars, wanting me to pat her!  I gave her head scritchies and she started purring and looking so grateful for the warmth of the blanket and the safety of the kennel cab. That was the first time I realized that maybe her injuries only seemed severe, maybe she would be okay!

You can see her poor condition, with bare and matted underbelly.

When Jen from Animal Services arrived we took her inside and she was scanned (unfortunately no chip) and we discovered that the likely reason she couldn't walk is because she had mats underneath, as large and as hard as pingpong balls from front legs to tail - hopefully that is the only reason she can't properly walk.

Jen put her into a very cozy cage with more food than a hungry kitty could want.  It didn't take a second before her dirty face was in the bowls.  She was ravenous!

In order to be in the condition she was in, she was either badly neglected or on her own for a very long time, and how this declawed, luxurious puffball of a cat survived in farmers fields with predators is beyond me.

Last I saw her she was still eating and seemed very grateful for the hospitality.

She will need to be shaved, then spayed or neutered (if necessary), microchipped, given any medical attention and if unclaimed, will be ready for adoption in five days.

If it weren't for Osgrrr (canine king of the cat haters) I would take her in a heartbeat. 

IF YOU KNOW OF ANYONE WHO HAS LOST A HIMALAYAN CAT IN NORTH PICKERING THEY NEED TO CALL PICKERING ANIMAL SERVICES RIGHT AWAY:
905-683-7575.

Huge thanks to Jen and Pickering Animal Services - it was so nice to see how genuinely concerned she was about this kitty's well-being. 

I left feeling so relieved...a really happy ending!

Another Wild Day!

Never a dull moment volunteering at Toronto Wildlife Centre.

First rescue was a very sick fox reported to be lying against the side of a house in south Scarborough.  We didn't know how sick he was, and after an amazing rescue by Andrew we had him!  This was one of the sickest foxes I've ever seen - thin, bare, skin and little face covered in crust.  Should his tests confirm that he is a good rehab candidate, he will receive roughly 8 weeks of medical care at TWC and will then be released.  It was wonderful to meet the caring human neighbours of this fox, who appreciate and respect the wildlife near their homes.
(UPDATE:  the fox has had tests and it looks like he will be a great rehab candidate!!).

Next up, a daring rescue of a soon-to-be mama raccoon, who had chosen to reside on the second floor balcony of a home.  What better place to build a nest for her babies than a cardboard box full of old albums!  She had wounds and injuries, likely from a fight with another raccoon or a dog.   Andrew was two for two in the amazing rescue column today and after 20 minutes of careful maneouvering, and despite her hanging by her toenail at one point threatening to jump down, she was safely in a kennel cab and on route to the hospital.   She was quickly assessed and because she was with babies, and that her injuries would heal with the help of antiobiotics, she was given an injection and we were able to release her later in the afternoon.  

Soon to be Mama Raccon, after receiving treatment and being released.

The grand finale of the day was the long-awated release of a beaver, who had been in care for months at TWC.  Significant time, money and effort is required to care for these larger animals, and while the beaver will be missed, the bright side is that volunteers will not need to do any "full cage cleans" for a while!
Releases are always stressful and you hope you have chosen the best possible site, as close to where the animal was found.  Thoughts (usually irrational) always go through my head - where will the animal sleep tonight?  Will it have enough to eat?   But this release had it all!  The habitat was perfect and by the time we'd left the beaver had found a place to sleep, and explored every corner of the habitat.

Here's the release:

TWC is a not for profit and it takes significant resources to care for these animals.  Please visit www.torontowildlifecentre.com to see how you can help.

I love happy endings :)

But just when I thought my rescue day was done...read on!

Spring Sparrow Smackdown

**No birds were hurt in the making of this blog post**

Something caught my eye as I looked out the window this morning.  From the porch I saw two male House Sparrows fighting.  Certainly not unusual this time of year but it went on for a bit too long and the wildlife rehab volunteer in me kicked in and I ran over and broke it up.  I was happy to see the one on the bottom was fine as he flew back into the tree.

Twenty minutes later, same thing.  I let it go on as long as I could stand it but finally I once again broke it up (no easy feat!).  I've seen many early spring scuffles but this was extreme.  Once again, though, the one on the bottom was fine.

After a third round I resigned myself to the fact that this needed to play out despite my best efforts so instead I pulled up a chair and watched.

The Move of the Day award went to this bird, who had grabbed a tailfeather in its beak and suspended his competitor from a branch. It was roughly a minute before the dangling bird was able to free itself.

It turns out there were three males, battling it out for the affections of a lovely female sparrow, who sat coquettishly watching from a nearby perch.

Sometimes it was only a two-bird smackdown:

Beak-lock!

Other times, it was a three-bird cage match:

For six hours battle royale ensued, and the only time they took breaks is when they got hungry. Oddly enough, they would fly to the backyard feeder together, share nicely, fly back to the female in the front yard and immediately all heck would break loose again.
Even while in the birdhouse the fighting continued. There is a male inside, and the other has grabbed his tailfeather in an attempt to pull him out.

Is this the bird equivalent of pulling hair?

Down to the grass for another round!

While the other two are fighting it out, may I steal a kiss, my pretty?

Prime Real Estate

This is the lovely female who started it all.  No doubt we will soon be having baby sparrows!

Swan Song

We're lucky to have three beautiful swan species in Southern Ontario, and recently I've been spending time with them at two locations near my house.

To me, the surest sign of spring is the trumpeting mating call of Trumpeter Swans - it is like nothing I've ever heard.  With swans there is a very fine line between love and hate, and at marshes and lakes everywhere this time of year there is constant activity, fluctuating between nasty, aggressive altercations to sweet swan romance.

Trumpeter Swan L02 was chasing after everything from Trumpeters to Canada Geese.

I thought he really disliked one swan but turns out he was "wooing" her!

This time of year, male Mute Swans are often seen in a larger, fluffier posture, which I can only assume is perceived as macho in the swan world.  Amusement park swan rides are often designed in that posture and Trumpeter swans don't do this, so if you see a swan huffing and puffing, it is a Mute.  Below are a couple of Mute Swans - they look quite different than Trumpeters but are equally beautiful.

Foraging Mute Swan

Splish Splash

I thought I'd gotten a decent shot of a Trumpeter in flight last time I visited the marsh and it wasn't until I made it home and got this on screen that I realize it was a Tundra Swan! There are many migrating through this time of year.  They look similar to Trumpeters but are smaller, and most Tundra Swans have yellow markings on their cheeks. 

Tundra Swan

But before you go thinking you've got it all figured out, I've recently learned there are a handful of Trumpeter Swans in Ontario that have similar yellow markings on their cheeks.  This seems to be a genetic trait that can be traced back to a pair at Wye Marsh some years ago.  At first glance the swan below may be confused with a Tundra but it is actually a Trumpeter, Tag #J06, a Tundra wanna-be!

Trumpeter Swan J06 with yellow lores.  There is also a similar swan at Bluffers Park.