Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue to Release (Gail Buhl)

This is part-4 of a conversation with Debbie Sykes about white tail deer fawn. We spend more time on nutrition and the types of plants the young fawns should be exposed to as they are growing to get them ready for release. The episode continues with housing, covering both indoor and outdoor housing, and what are the most important factors for each from the fawn's point of view. We also touch on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which is affecting deer in many places around the country. We also have a good discussion about soil! You will find all the episodes plus resources on white tail deer fawn and much more at the webpage for Wildlife Rehabilitation From Rescue to Release! 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

This series of episodes will focus on creance flying as a reconditioning technique for raptors as the last step before release back into the wild. 

Host Gail is joined by Lori Arent, Assistant Director of The Raptor Center (TRC) at the University of Minnesota for an interesting set of conversations about creance flying. They discuss Lori's journey from interest in animals to a passion for raptors. She became a falconer early in her career at TRC to learn as much as possible about raptor flight and how that, coupled with her science background, led to the scientific studies on reconditioning raptors. 

If you are interested more on creance flying for rehabilitation, please check out the eBook: Reconditioning Raptors: A Training Manual for the Creance Technique by Lori Arent.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail is joined again by Lori Arent, Assistant Director of The Raptor Center (TRC) at the University of Minnesota, for a captivating conversation about how the science of the creance technique for reconditioning raptors was developed. So much of what is done in wildlife rehabilitation is educated guesses. This episode explores how educated guesses and trial and error led to the study of reconditioning. It is an art that pulls from the biomechanics of flight, sports physiology, and horse racing!

If you want to learn more about creance flying for rehabilitation, please check out the eBook: Reconditioning Raptors: A Training Manual for the Creance Technique by Lori Arent.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

In our last two episodes on creance flying raptors I talked in depth with Lori Arent, Assistant Director of The Raptor Center (TRC) about her journey to TRC and what eventually led to a study regarding reconditioning raptors using the creance technique. Tune into this final episode Creance Technique in Practice as we focus on what creance flying looks like--the ins and outs of this useful tool to ready raptors for release.  Lori goes into the details of a raptor exercise program including the nitty gritty of what species specific gear is needed, where and when you fly and what staff/volunteers you may need to make it successful. From the field you exercise the raptors on, down to the leathers you use on their legs- no detail goes unnoticed. We talk about stress levels in raptors and how to reduce stress before, during and after the flight session. TRC uses a raptor centric/patient centric approach to all aspects of raptor rehabilitation and it shows. We also discuss why she feels it is critical to recondition raptors to prepare them for success in the wild. If you would like to learn more about creance flying than these podcast episodes can teach you, here are a few options:1. First look at the sample video Lori has provided so you can get a better understanding of what creance flying looks like. It is a compilation video set to music. 2. The Raptor Academy offers an online self study course on creance flying called Reconditioning and Release 3. The Raptor Academy also offers an ebook called Reconditioning Raptors:  A Training Manual for the Creance Technique on the subject of reconditioning raptors for release. 

I want to give my deep thanks to Lori and the team at The Raptor Center for spending the time to talk to me about raptors and the art and science of reconditioning them using the creance technique. I learned a lot and I think you will too. 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus-2 is a disease that affects both domestic rabbits and wild rabbits and hares. It is a fatal disease that is also extremely contagious. If that wasn't bad enough, this disease is very hardy in many environments and is easily moved from one place to another via fomites -- clothes, shoes, cages, cage furniture etc. Laura Davich Jette is an Eastern cottontail rabbit wildlife rehabilitator in Minnesota. In her day job she is an Emergency Room nurse. This makes her very suited to working on all the biosecurity protocols one would need to be able to rehabilitate wild rabbits and hares. In this episode we talk about what RHDV-2 is, where it came from, how it spreads and how we as rehabilitators can protect the rabbits in our care from this fatal disease. Here are some additional Resources about RHDV-2 to help you plan your biosecurity:APHIS-USDA: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/fs-rhdv2.pdfAVMA: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/animal-health-and-welfare/animal-health/rabbit-hemorrhagic-diseaseRHDV-2 Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rabbithemorrhagicdiseasenewsnetwork/Wisconsin. gov: https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Programs_Services/RabbitHemorrhagicDisease.aspxWildlife Health: https://wildlifehealth.org/rabbit-hemorrhagic-disease-virus/ 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

North America is currently experiencing an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in both wild and domestic birds. 

To discuss this devastating disease and the implications for wildlife rehabilitation, I am joined by Dr. Victoria Hall, Executive Director at TheRaptorCenter at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Hall is the Patrick T. Redig Endowed Chair in Raptor and Ecosystem Health. She holds a Master of Science in Preventative Medicine and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from Mississippi State and is board certified in Veterinary Preventive Medicine. Dr. Hall has spent her career working at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health - an intersection known as “One Health.”   Dr. Hall formerly served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, responding to infectious disease outbreaks in human health, including: multidrug resistant tuberculosis, measles virus, and Zika virus. With experience at organizations including the Smithsonian National Zoo, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and the United States Department of Agriculture, Dr. Hall is passionate about working on complex ecosystem health challenges on a global scale and engaging stakeholders and partners of all levels.  Now as Executive Director of The Raptor Center, she oversees a team of professionals who treat over 1,000 injured raptors a year and who care for 28 ambassador birds. In addition to excellence in care for individual birds, she also leads innovative ecosystem health research at the University of Minnesota to help secure the future of the environment that humans and animals share. This involves working on critical health challenges, like SARS-CoV-2, lead toxicity, and avian influenza which is the topic of this episode. 

Dr. Hall describes what HPAI is, what the letter/number combination H5N1 mean, and how seriously we should be concerned about this globally reportable disease. How does the disease (if the bird is symptomatic) manifest? We also talk about what biosecurity means in a wildlife rehabilitation setting —whether it is a one room operation or large wildlife rehabilitation center like The Raptor Center (TRC).  

 Special thanks:

 Production assistance by Twin Cities based audio engineer Thom Whetston.

This episode concludes with the track “Firebirds,” which is the closing track on INFINITE INFINITIES, the debut LP from the band INFINITIES, recorded in Minneapolis in 2015. Simon Calder songwriter and: vox + guitar, Tristan Bion Craig: drums + bass, Leigh Marson: vox recorded and mixed by Adam Paulus at Luck Machine mastered by Edward Folly at Folly Manor. Used with permission from the artist.

To download, please visit: https://infinities8.bandcamp.com/track/firebirds

Here are more resources so you can learn more about HPAI. 

Webinars: 

TRC:  https://umnadvet.instructure.com/courses/524

ZAHP: https://zahp.org/hpai-updates-for-zoo-wildlife-professionals-webinar-recording/

Resources:

USGS:

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Eastern cottontail rabbits are a high stress prey species. They are one of the hardest wild animals to rehabilitate. This episode I speak with Laura Davich-Jette a Minnesota based wildlife rehabilitator that specializes in cottontail rabbits. Since stress is a real experience for all young cottontail rabbits, everything rehabilitators can do to reduce stress needs to be considered. The episode explores intake exams and how to reduce the rabbit's stress. Laura shares some pro-tips about how to do a thorough exam in under two minutes. Gail and Laura go over how to assess hydration and how to alleviate dehydration.  They talk formulas and probiotics and the pros and cons of the different choices. The best is saved for last--a talk about urination and defecation! Laura has a technique for encouraging young rabbits to urinate and defecate that you have to hear to believe!For the last episode in this series, Laura and Gail finish with a talk about raising cottontail rabbits, from weaning to housing to release.  We end with some audio that offers a glimpse into future episodes!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

So you are able to get your young eastern cottontail rabbit eating formula--or maybe you are tube feeding the youngsters. They are growing and developing so quickly! It is time to start weaning the young rabbits. Here in lies the danger however--switching to solid food too quickly can be devastating to the developing gut of the rabbit. Laura Davich Jette and I sit down and have a detailed conversation about weaning young cottontail rabbits. I learned SO much about setting the rabbit and you up for success during the weaning process.We have several resources for you at our webpage. There are videos and a wonderful set of handouts for raising cottontail rabbits. You can find those here.We also discuss another resource called Wildfoods 4 Wildlife.  Look for my conversation with the Founder of Wildfoods 4 Wildlife in a future episode. For now, I hope you enjoy this episode of Wildlife Rehabilitation From Rescue to Release.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

This is the last in our series of episodes on Eastern Cottontail rabbits. Laura and I had a great conversation talking about housing of cottontails at all ages. They are a little easier to house than many of the other animals rehabilitators care for.  We also talk in depth about release criteria and all the details to think about to make their transition to the wild as successful as possible.This is a long one, so you may have to pause and come back to it --maybe while you are feeding baby buns! Check out the videos, if you haven't already, on stimulating young rabbits to urinate, doing an intake exam, and syringe feeding on the Wildlife Rehabilitation From Rescue to Release website. Let me know your thoughts on this series! gailbuhl@umn.edu

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Stephanie McMahon is the Board Chair of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Ontario Canada and a licensed therapist, and Dr. Renee Schott is the Medical Director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota. These expert guests take the stage in the next two episodes to bring attention and awareness to a condition many rehabilitators suffer from but may not know they have.

Compassion fatigue: What is it, what are the identifying symptoms, and, more importantly, how does someone prevent or overcome it? Host Gail's conversation with Stephanie and Renee shed light on this very real and commonly shared issue by helping rehabilitators define and understand the various states of compassion fatigue, its signs, and its effects on their performance, effectiveness and well-being. We discuss preventive measures, intervention tips and resources for support. These experts touch on topics relating to self-care and self-compassion in their efforts to breaking down the lingering social stigma behind mental health and offer help to those within the realm of wildlife rehabilitation.  

Check out Stephanie and Renee's Facebook page:   Wellness for Wildlife Warriors                    and their podcast:  Wellness for Wildlife Warriors!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

In this episode, Stephanie McMahon, Board Chair of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Ontario Canada and licensed therapist, and Dr. Renee Schott, Medical Director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota rejoin host Gail to elaborate on last episode’s conversation on compassion fatigue. They further explore the intersection of self-care and rehabilitation. Listen to learn about the different elements of self-care and what rehabilitators can do avoid burn out and compassion fatigue.  

Also, get an inside look into Stephanie and Renee's  journey to promote healthy well-being and their mission to inform, educate and spread awareness about compassion fatigue. We discuss action steps and resources to help navigate the world of self compassion and self-care in order to change the conversation surrounding mental health within wildlife rehabilitation. 

Check out Stephanie and Renee's Facebook page:   Wellness for Wildlife Warriors                    and their podcast:  Wellness for Wildlife Warriors!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl is joined by Tim Jasinski, Wildlife Rehabilitation Specialist at Lake Erie Nature and Wildlife Center in Bay Village, Ohio. We talk about an underappreciated bird the Timberdoodle. What is a Timberdoodle you ask? Some know it as the "Bog Stomper." Bog Stomper is my new favorite name for the American Woodcock (Scolopax minor). Lake Erie Nature and Wildlife Center receives 200+ woodcock every year for rehabilitation. Tim and I talk about the natural history of the Woodcock and  why that makes this species particularly difficult to rehabilitate. And on the flip side why the natural history of this bird is critical for successful rehabilitation efforts of adults and young orphans. Tim and I got connected when a wildlife rehabilitation facility in Duluth, Minnesota, called Wildwoods, received some young Woodcock and we were looking for the best way to care for them. Valerie, Wildlife Rehabilitator at Wildwoods, Tim and I decided that after the busy season we would write down an SOP from all the information in Tim's head about rehabilitation of Woodcock. We did just that.  On the Partners for Wildlife Podcast webpage there is a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for rehabilitation of adult and orphan American Woodcock for everyone to download and use. This is a long episode, so please pause and come back to it if you need to but I think you will find it a very interesting listen! 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Calling all plant people, foragers and rehabilitators! Ready to forage for a cause? Naturalist Kate Guenther is working to bridge the gap between the foraging community and rehabilitators through her ongoing project Wildfoods4Wildlife. As a website and database designed to share knowledge of wild foods and animals’ diets, Wildfoods4Wildlife is a wonderful resource for rehabilitators, and volunteers interested in the connection between flora and fauna in wildlife rehabilitation. 

In this episode, Guenther discusses how foraging for rehabilitation can be used to help feed orphaned, injured or sick animals. We discuss the benefits and limitations behind the use of wild foods during rehabilitation. Rehabilitation volunteers and volunteer foragers can use this website to learn how they can assist their local rehabilitation centers.  This resource is a great way to learn a new skill and gain insight on where to find and utilize foraging communities and other volunteer groups. 

 Check out Wildfood4Wildlife.com for more information about wild foods and wildlife in your area. Kate suggested a few other resources on plant identification as you delve into the world of plants and foraging for the animals in your care. She suggested 3 books to get you started in Identification: Newcomb's Wildflower Guide; Peterson's Field Guide to Wildflowers and Plant Identification and Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary. This is our last podcast episode of this inaugural season! Thank you so much for coming along on this journey. Please connect! Did you have a favorite episode? Did you have a least favorite episode? Here is my email: gailbuhl@umn.edu  Our next season will start sometime this fall. We will again have some episodes on caring for more "common" species in rehabilitation, a few on not common species, and other episodes will be on resources I hope you can use. Lastly, there will be at least ONE episode on training Ambassador Animals for use in conservation education. For those of you that know me my paid professional career has been in training, managing and presenting Ambassador Animals to the general public. I have had so much fun learning and putting this podcast together. We are such a wonderful diverse group of people that is always wanting to share and help others in their rehabilitation. Thanks to ALL of my guests this season for being SO willing to share their expertise with all of us! I have learned a lot, enjoyed my conversations and hope you have too. Gail

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

This episode kicks off Season 2 of Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue to Release! I am so excited about this episode. I think you will enjoy listening to it as much as Leslie Kollmann and I had recording it. I know you probably would not normally put “joy” and “infection control” in the same room, let alone the same sentence but when you find out how you can take simple steps to protect yourself and the animals you care for, you may actually stand up and cheer. 

Leslie Kollmann is a Certified Veterinary Technician from the Minnesota Department of Health’s Zoonotic Disease Unit. Prior to working at the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), Leslie was Infection Control and Safety Technician at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center. She has experience in all areas of veterinary related Infection Control and Occupational Health. Her wide-ranging experiences include working on a Veterinary Occupational Health and Infection Control Assessment Pilot Program as well as a pilot program for wildlife rehabilitators, sanctuaries, and zoos called the Wildlife Occupational Health and Infection Control Assessment-or fondly referred to as WOHICA.Leslie has authored two book chapters on Infection Control and Zoonotic Diseases and has been a co-author on various other articles. Leslie and I had a wonderful and joyful conversation about how we as rehabilitators can use simple thoughtful techniques to improve infection control practices for ourselves and the animals that come into our care. We did spend a bit of time talking about hand washing. You may think you know all there is to know about washing your hands, but I think you will find out there is more to learn. There is a great activity you can do at home or with other rehabilitators to see just how well you wash your hands. There are lotion products that when seen under UV light, show you just how well - or not - you have washed your hands. One of the products is called Glo-Germ. There are videos of the Glow Germ exercise on the site Glo Germ: Handwashing training .  Sometimes just simply putting up reminders to wash your hands increases your infection control. The MDH has a lot of great posters on hand washing that you can print, laminate, and post. Here is a great hand hygiene printout.We weren’t done yet. We talked about cleaning and disinfection, how to make a make a makeshift sink from Pinterest when you are in places without a handwashing sink.We also talked about higher levels of protection, such as wearing gowns. But you need to know how to put on (don) and take them off (doff) properly. Here are some videos to help you practice if you need to wear gowns/N95 , and another on how to

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

I'm so glad you came back to listen to episode 2 of our second season, which began to drop in January, 2023. I spoke with Brittany Turner, who serves as Rehabilitation Director at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota. Brittany has led a fascinating and ambitious career, having started as nursery intern to a Director in just under 10 years! She has experience with all the 200+ species the WRC sees. Over the years Brittany has always had a special place in her heart for songbirds, which, by the way -- WRC treats over 1,000 songbirds representing about 50 species per year! This episode is part 1 of 2, so please check back again on Thursday, February 9th, 2023 for Part 2. Part 1 begins with an introduction to Brittany and her career in wildlife rehabilitation (listen also for a couple special furry guests around minute marker 8:00!), then dives into an overview of the WRC. If you want to skip straight to our discussion about songbirds, that begins around 23:00. Later, around 36:30 we get into defining types of songbirds and the variations on care they require, then around 43:00 our discussion shifts toward feathers. Quick facts:--WRC is the largest wildlife rehabilitation hospital in the world--WRC hosts 70 summer interns and utilizes about 500 volunteers--At any given time, WRC can have over 200 or more animals in-care, though the total number of animals receiving treatment often varies depending on the time of year and what is happening in the wildlife ecosystem.Want to learn more about how to support and get involved with WRC? Visit them online here: Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota (wrcmn.org)Again, so glad you've joined us for Season 2, Episode 2! -Gail

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl is back for a Part-2 with Brittany Turner, Rehabilitation Director at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, or "WRC." The conversation began in Episode 2 with a a look at Brittany's background and career at WRC. In this episode, we get into the nuts and bolts of songbird care, from intake through feeding, housing, and preparation for release. We also touch on a metabolic bone disease that is increasingly being seen in North America.There is SO much to cover about songbird care, we couldn't get into all of it in this interview. Brittany and Gail plan to record more, so keep an eye -- or ear -- out for more on songbirds later this season.For more on the WRC, visit: Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota (wrcmn.org)

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl invites Partners For Wildlife podcast producer Kirk Klocke to step out of the booth and onto the mic to discuss public outreach, which is a big part of his role as the new P4W Outreach Specialist. Gail and Kirk quickly realize in the course of their back and forth about issues around public outreach communications & education that this discussion can spin off into deep dives across multiple areas, ranging from social media best practices, to how best to help staff and volunteers interact with the public, to a big elephant in the room that is explaining who we are, what we do, and what we don't do as rehabilitators. Gail's book recommendation as a tool to help explain some of the more sensitive aspects of wildlife rehabilitation, including answering that question: why bother rehabilitating prey species like rabbits and deer?Pass The Energy, Please! / Barbara Shaw McKinney (2000)

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

In Episode 5, Host Gail Buhl caught up with Rebecca Duerr, MPVM/DVM, one of the world's leading experts on water birds. Dr. Duerr serves as Director of Research and Veterinary Science as well as the primary veterinarian at International Bird Rescue's two wildlife centers in California. Jennifer Martines, one of IBR's talented veterinary and rehabilitation technicians, also joined the interview, which we recorded onsite at the 2023 NWRA Symposium in Wilmington, Delaware.

Dr. Duerr and Jennifer first give us a brief overview of their origin stories. After we learn a bit about the winding career paths that led each of them to where they are today, we have an in-depth conversation  at Brown Pelicans, which are a majestic migratory water bird that divide its time between the Southeastern U.S. and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Central California, and the Pacific Northwest coast, depending on the season. Find out more about Brown Pelicans through All About Birds produced by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Make sure to check your memberships with your state/national organizations to see if you have member benefit access to Birds of the World too! 

The conversation covers the basics of brown pelican rehabilitation, including some of the ways they land in rehab, intake, husbandry, treatment, diet, and preparation for release. We also hear how IBR handled a sudden huge influx in sick pelicans in 2022.UPDATE:8/9/2023 Dr. Duerr (along with many other authors) published a paper on a long term post release study on California Brown Pelicans. Read it here:  MEDICAL HISTORY AND POST-RELEASE SURVIVAL OF REHABILITATED CALIFORNIA BROWN PELICANS PELECANUS OCCIDENTALIS CALIFORNICUS, 2009–2019 American Bird Conservancy has a good reference on Brown Pelican Natural History:

Show Notes:

• International Bird Rescue started amid an oil spill in the San Francisco Bay area in 1971, and has since expanded its capacity as a responder for large stranding events. In addition to oil spill recovery support, IBR assists with sudden starvation events in seabirds, severe weather, and mass health events such as toxic algal blooms. Learn more here!
• VIDEO: IBR Staff and Volunteers Releasing Pelicans (See also, IBR’s news release about 100th Healthy Brown Pelican Released During California Pelican Crisis)

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl breaks from the podcast's usual taxa-specific format to discuss a topic of growing importance and interest in the wildlife rehabilitation world: databases. Such databases are the wildlife medicine equivalent of electronic medical records now used in most (human) healthcare systems and hospitals. In this episode Karra Pierce, a veterinary director at The Wildlife Center of Virginia, discusses the WILD-ONe database, which was launched there and is widely regarded as a top choice among wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians for tracking the medical and day-to-day care of animals. This is the first of four wildlife databases we'll cover this season. These database-specific episodes will appear in the lineup as their creators and managers are available to speak with us. Visit The Wildlife Center of Virginia online: WILD-ONe | The Wildlife Center of VirginiaVisit WILD-ONe online: WILD-ONe

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl caught up with Lauren Glickman, a former Volunteer Manager at PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society) in Seattle and current organizational training and development consultant. 

Lauren Glickman began her career in the Peace Corps, then found her way into wildlife rehabilitation in the Seattle area. There she volunteered at PAWS and quickly realized she had found a passion for animal care. After landing a full-time role as a volunteer coordinator, Lauren established monthly ethics lectures for new volunteers, laying the groundwork for what would eventually become her niche as a consultant. Also while working at PAWS, Lauren earned a Masters of Applied Behavioral Science. “I wanted to support people who were working for missions I cared about,” she said in our interview. 

In this episode, Gail dives into the complex topic of ethics in wildlife rehabilitation, one of Lauren’s specialties. They open the discussion by coming up with a working definition of of ethics, then dig into some specific cases that can arise with both animals and people in the course of wildlife rehabilitation operations. Such issues range from professionalism around animals being rehabilitated (no “nuzzling” of the squirrels, please) to informed consent during the recruiting and hiring process about wildlife rehabilitation job requirements and expectations.Resources:NWRA/IWRC Code of EthicsBook: Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring For Self While Caring For Others (Laura Van Dernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk 2009)Ideals and Realities: Presenting Wildlife Ethics to Volunteers and the Public. Lauren Glickman presented at the 2002 National Wildlife Rehabilitation Symposium, DeMoines, IA. Also published in NWRA Wildlife Rehabilitation Proceedings Vol 20. Linked here with permission of the Author. How Resilience Works by Diane Coutu How Resilience Works (hbr.org)Minimum Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation, Third Edition (2000), Erica A. Miller, DVM

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Dr. Dave Scott began his career as an electrical engineer, working for 10 years at the Department of Defense, then decided to attend veterinary school. He practiced small animal vet med and emergency care for several years, but eventually followed his heart into wildlife medicine. He again went back to the Department of Defense, but continued to practice wildlife medicine on a volunteer basis.A paid full-time staff vet job in wildlife medicine ( rare opportunity) opened up at the Carolina Raptor Center and he worked there for about 14 years, helping the center grow into an internationally recognized raptor facility.Upon retiring from the Carolina Raptor Center, Dr. Scott decided to focus most of his attention on growing and refining RaptorMed, the database he had been building on the side for close to 15 years while at the Carolina Raptor Center. Early on, RaptorMed was mostly a tool Dr. Scott made for himself to make his job easier, but it quickly became apparent that the software could be helpful to a wide range of veterinary medicine facilities and rehabilitators. Dr. Scott is now on a mission to help other practitioners and facilities increase efficiency so they can help more animals and share data, generating valuable epidemiological insights. Links:RaptorMed

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl connected with marine mammal veterinarian Dr. Michelle Rivard, and Casey Mclean, of SR3, the Washington state based organization named for its missions: sealife response, rehabilitation, and research. Casey and Dr. Michelle tell Gail about SR3’s origin, how they came to be involved, and all about the work they’re doing with harbor seals. This is a two-part series. In Part-1, we cover some common reasons harbor seals land in rehabilitation, what their rehabilitation  process looks like, and how SR3 staff prepare them for release.Check out the resources below for more on marine mammal rehabilitation, including who to call if you encounter a stranded, orphaned, or injured marine mammal. In Part 2, Gail, Michelle, and Casey discuss more about the release process, then dive into some similarities and differences of another common West Coast marine mammal, the California Sea Lion. 

Notes:

SR3: SR³ SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation, and Research (sealifer3.org)

Full listing of contacts, visit: National Marine Mammal stranding response hotlines 

Northern and Northeast U.S.: 866-755-6622

Southern and Southeast U.S., including Puerto Rico: 877-942-5343

West Coast: 866-767-6114

Alaska: 877-925-7773

Hawaii: 888-256-9840

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Dr. Michelle Rivard and Casey Mclean, marine mammal expert guests from SR3 in Washington are back in conversation with Gail Buhl, sharing more about the release phase of caring from Harbor Seals. Later in the episode they get into some of the nuanced differences among pinnipeds, particularly the California Sea Lion. We learn what a what makes a seal a "true seal." This episode also dives more into the nitty gritty of daily operations of a marine mammal rehabilitation facility, which is no small feat. There is a LOT of federal paperwork when it comes to marine mammals, but SR3 knows just how to navigate all of it to safely and legally care for the animals in need of help along the Pacific Northwest Coast in the U.S.Check out the resources below for more on marine mammal rehabilitation, including who to call if you encounter a stranded, orphaned, or injured marine mammal. If you missed Part 1, Gail, Michelle, and Casey discussed their origin stories, the creation of SR3, and caring for Harbor Seals from intake to preparation for release. 

Notes:

SR3: SR³ SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation, and Research (sealifer3.org)The Marine Mammal Center: Pinnipeds | The Marine Mammal Center

Full listing of contacts, visit: National Marine Mammal stranding response hotlines 

Northern and Northeast U.S.: 866-755-6622

Southern and Southeast U.S., including Puerto Rico: 877-942-5343

West Coast: 866-767-6114

Alaska: 877-925-7773

Hawaii: 888-256-9840

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl connected with Rachel Avilla, co-founder and project manager of the database Wildlife Rehabilitation MD, or "WRMD." Rachel gives us a synopsis of her origin story, starting with her first career step out of college, which was a summer internship at The Bird Rescue Center in Santa Rosa. That led to an internship at Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital. There she met Devin, her husband and partner in creating WRMD. Rachel and Devin continued working in the wildlife rehabilitation sector during WRMD's early years, but eventually the database grew to the point at which Rachel had to take managing it on full-time. She continued to volunteer in the wildlife sector as WRMD grew. Today the database is regarded as one of the top platforms for quick data entry and data mining for wildlife rehabilitators. Show Notes:About Wildlife Rehabilitation MD (wrmd.org)A note from Devin via WRMD

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl caught up with Dr. Michelle Willette of Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Willette shares her expertise on the ever-evolving and sometimes controversial topic of animal welfare. Welfare isn't something we give to an animal, she says, rather it's a state of being that exists with the right inputs and conditions for that animal. Dr. Willette is pursuing a board certification in Animal Welfare, a relatively new sub-specialty within veterinary medicine in the U.S. Since animals cannot speak their preferences and feelings in quite the way we can, veterinarians must look for clues that signal their wellbeing. Evaluating animal welfare takes place through the lenses of different ethical frameworks. Listen for buzz phrases such as "The Five Freedoms" and "The Five Domains" of animal welfare. The evolution of animal welfare as a discipline has unfolded over generations and encompasses a vast body of knowledge, so this episode is just a taste of how we decide what a good quality of life is for an animal. Stay tuned for future episodes, as Gail and Dr. Willette plan to revisit this topic in even greater depth. Show Notes:Michelle Willette, MPH, DACVPM, is a senior veterinarian at The Raptor Center and an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine and College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. She joined the University of Minnesota in 2007 with an extensive background in zoological and wildlife medicine with an emphasis in animal welfare, disaster preparedness and response, and public health.By 'helping' wild animals, you could end their freedom or even their lives – here's why you should keep your distance (theconversation.com)Five Freedoms info via ASPCAFive Domains info via NIH3 SpheresPractical Ethics via Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl caught up with Amanda Nicholson, senior vice president of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Amanda has long been their communications and social media guru, and was eager to share some of the things she's learned, having managed the Wildlife Center of Virginia's social media presence since the earlier days of Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Gail and Amanda talk about how and why having a robust, actively managed social media presence can benefit a wildlife organization - both reputationally and financially. They dive into some of the challenges that can arise when using social media to engage with the general public, including the phenomenon of "trolling" and how to address misunderstandings that arise out of wildlife rehabilitators' practice of humane euthanasia. This episode is part 1 of 2 of Host Gail Buhl's talk with Amanda Nicholson, so be sure to tune in August 4th, 2023 for more about social media best practices, and an exploration of how best to implement livestreaming.Show Notes:Nicholson, A. (2021). Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Wildlife Rehabilitation. Wildlife Rehabilitation Bulletin, 36(1), 2–4. https://doi.org/10.53607/wrb.v36.128Social Media Examiner, a tool for marketers to keep on the latest social media management best practices and trends:https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/Call of the Wild Conference | The Wildlife Center of Virginia

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

In Part 2, host Gail Buhl talks more about social media for wildlife rehabilitation settings in Part 2 of an in-depth discussion with Amanda Nicholson, senior vice president of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. Amanda is one of Gail's go-to gurus for all things social media. This part of their discussion gets into best practices, including avoiding posting content that could jeopardize a wildlife rehabilitator's permit status. It also touches on engaging audiences through livestreaming on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and later gets into whether or not it's a good idea to use social media platforms for fundraising. Show Notes:Publications by Amanda Nicholsonhttps://nwrajournal.online/index.php/bulletin/article/view/128 

Nicholson, A. (2021). Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Wildlife Rehabilitation. Wildlife Rehabilitation Bulletin, 36(1), 2–4. https://doi.org/10.53607/wrb.v36.128Resource site for social media marketing best practices:https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/Conference organized by the Wildlife Center of Virginia:Call of the Wild Conference | The Wildlife Center of Virginia

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Our host Gail Buhl invited Dr. Leslie Reed on the show to talk about her unusual niche within the wildlife rehabilitation sector -- wildlife dentistry! Animals that have teeth suffer from many of the same problems humans do, such as cavities, chips, decay, and foreign bodies lodged in the gum line. These and many other dental issues can severely affect an animal's quality of life in care and after release, so Leslie draws on her years of experience to help her patients with the best dental outcomes possible. This is the first in a 2-part discussion about wildlife dentistry, so be sure to check back at the end of this month for part 2! In this episode, Leslie reveals a bit about her origin story, including her path to becoming a specialist in wildlife dentistry. We learn about what "dentition" means and how it is critical to an animal's healthy functioning in the wild. A big challenge in in wildlife dentistry is VERY small teeth. Leslie describes what it was like to perform a root canal on a bat. It's a memorable story, so be sure to listen all the way through!Dr. Leslie Reed is our final guest on Season 2. We take a break from posting new episodes in the fall and shift to finding and interviewing more interesting people in the wildlife rehabilitation community. Do you know someone who would make a good guest on the show?  Is there a topic you really want to learn about? If so, we want to hear from you. Feel free to email your ideas directly to Gail: gailbuhl@umn.edu 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

In Part-2 of our discussion with Dr. Leslie Reed, a Minnesota-based veterinarian who specializes in wildlife dentistry, we get into more specifics about what good dental care looks like for different species of wild animals and why it's so important to treat pain adequately.  Gail and Leslie get into how wildlife rehabilitators can be more effective caregivers through learning dentistry basics and also collaborating with their veterinarian on standard operating procedures for animals that need care right away, which is often the case. If you are looking for resources on wildlife dentistry there is not a lot out there. But....Dr. Leslie recommended the book Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents, 4th Edition by Katherine Quesenberry DVM, MPH et al. This is the final episode of Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue to Release, Season 2. We're so glad you stuck with us for a second season, and we're excited to start sharing Season 3 episodes when they're ready. Please let me know if you have topics you would like to hear. Do you know someone involved in wildlife rehabilitation and/or medicine who would be interested in this podcast? Please pass it along! Feel free to email Gail Buhl directly at gailbuhl@umn.edu or email our podcast producer Kirk Klocke, Outreach Project Specialist, klock082@umn.edu.  Season 3, will start early this coming winter season!Show notes:Dr. Leslie Reed: lreeddvm@gmail.com

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue To Release host Gail Buhl is back for a third season! Gail, a Master Level Wildlife Rehabilitator in Minnesota, draws on decades of experience caring for wildlife to connect with guests on a deep, meaningful level, eliciting thought provoking dialogue among fellow peers. That unique ability to draw out the story behind the story comes into play right off the bat in Season 3, Episode 1 - a discussion on the Art of Wildlife Rehabilitation with Dr. John Huckabee, a retired wildlife veterinarian who began his career in Texas and later spent many years in the Seattle area serving PAWS (Progressive Animal Welfare Society).We know there is science to wildlife rehabilitation and wildlife medicine -- using natural histories, medical information from related fields like Zoo medicine etc. We also know MUCH more needs to be done for our wildlife. There however, is also an "art" to wildlife rehabilitation--where rehabilitators and veterinarians know just how to "tweak" an enclosure or medical procedure, or whether to use medications or not for a good outcome for that individual. What are those things? Can people learn that "art"? In this two-part series we get into this subject. As it turns out, you can learn the Art of Rehabilitation! Listen in to find out how.This is Part 1 of 2. In Part 1, Gail and Dr. Huckabee touch on topics such as his unusual origin story, the use and overuse of certain medications and avoiding the "just because" syndrome, and achieving mastery through intentional practice. Stay tuned for Part 2, which drops online on Thursday, January 25th and will appear on podcast apps that Friday, January 26th.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Gail Buhl is back with Part 2 of her in-depth discussion with Dr. John Huckabee on the Art of Wildlife Rehabilitation. Dr. John Huckabee is an icon in the wildlife rehabilitation world in North America. What's clinically best for an animal and what feels best isn't always the same. In this episode, Gail and Dr. John talk about how that plays into the need for adequate self-care and risk of compassion fatigue.  You'll hear Gail remind us: when in doubt, always consult with mentors, wildlife rehabilitation peers, and veterinarians. Later, Dr. Huckabee tells us his story of the Acme Bear Cub, (Acme is a small town in Washington state) which took place in the Cascade Mountains north of Seattle. This bear cub taught Dr. John  a lot about the importance of effectively managing animals in captivity. Maintaining an environment conducive to health can reduce the need for invasive procedures and medications, sparing an animal the risks that come with surgery and side effects. Other topics in this episode include renesting baby raptors, accepting new challenges and learning from mistakes, seeking out good mentors, adopting a habit of teaching others, and evaluating the quality of information sources. Dr. Huckabee brings a wealth of information and wisdom to the discourse surrounding animal caretaker wellbeing and personal development, so we're so happy you've decided to tune in! Please join host Gail for upcoming episode 3, featuring Deb Galle, an expert on Cottontail Rabbits.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Deborah Galle, a longtime Connecticut-based wildlife rehabilitator joins host Gail Buhl to discuss caring for Eastern Cottontail Rabbits. Deb and Gail get into a lengthy discussion, so we've divided their talk into two parts. Here in Part 1, we learn about Deb's career path, which originally had nothing to do with wildlife. Later Gail poses the common question, "Why rehabilitate rabbits?" This episode also includes a bit about working with finders to better understand what may have happened to the animal and whether or not it really needs to be brought into rehabilitation. What is the severity of their injuries, if any? Does it appear to have been orphaned? Working with people is often one of the most challenging part of wildlife rehabilitation, and Deb brings a lot of wisdom about the people element of the process.Thank you for joining us for Episode 3, and we look forward to seeing you back for Part 2 / Episode 4! Part 2 of Gail's talk with Deb gets more into the specifics of husbandry, including types of food and formulas used, bedding, charting progress, pre-release conditioning, and the lead-up to release. If this episode seems familiar, you are right! In Season 1 Episode 14, Gail had a great discussion with Laura Davich from Rabbit Rebound about raising rabbits. Both guests remind us that there are many ways to do things correctly for the animals in our care. You will also notice a great deal of overlap too: Those are some of the sweet spots to pay attention to, especially the WHY. 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl is back for Part 2 of the in-depth discussion she had with Deb Galle this past fall about Cottontail Rabbits. Here in Part 2, Deb gets into more of the specifics about how she cares for rabbits after assessment and intake. Those include formulas and food, housing, avoiding imprinting, controlling the environment and her approach to managing rabbit's stress, general husbandry, and the lead up to release. Cottontail Rabbits also make an appearance in Season 1, Episode 14, in which Gail spoke with another expert -- Laura Davich of Rabbit Rebound. Having different experts' perspectives, Gail says, is key because Cottontail Rabbits are such a common species in need of rehabilitation. There can be many ways of doing it "right". 

You will see a lot of overlap too between Deb and Laura— those, Gail says, are some of the sweet spots to pay attention to–especially the WHY behind every how & every what.

Next episode, Gail welcomes back another familiar face (and voice!), Tim Jasinski. Back in Season 1, Episode 19, he was on the podcast to talk about Timberdoodles. This season he joins Gail to discuss all things fostering Canada Geese. He talks about why the Canada Goose is his favorite bird, gives an overview of the species’ natural history, and much more! We hope you’ll join us for episodes 5 and 6 for this deep dive into the fostering the Canada Goose. 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

In episode 5, Gail welcomes back a familiar face --Tim Jasinski, a wildlife rehabilitation specialist at Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village, Ohio. Tim originally appeared on the podcast in Season 1, Episode 19 to discuss one of his passions in wildlife rehabilitation, the Timberdoodle. That first interview with Tim and Gail is well worth going back to take a listen! In this episode, Tim brings with him yet another area of expertise -- wild fostering of the Canada Goose. Not all wildlife rehabilitators enjoy taking on these noisy, poop-happy aquatic birds, but Tim loves them! We've divided Gail and Tim's talk into two parts. In Part 1, Tim revisits his path into wildlife rehabilitation, which started as a job at a pet store and a passion for animals. They later get into why the Canada Goose is Tim's favorite bird, the pros and cons of fostering goslings, natural history of the Canada Goose, gender distinctions in geese, a bit on goose eggs, and interpreting goose behaviors. Next episode in Part 2, Tim and Gail talk about the importance of avoiding geese misimprinting on humans and related techniques, some basics on husbandry while fostering goslings, obtaining proper permission for placing fostered geese on private property and public parks, why geese sometimes can't fly, and more!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl is back for a Part 2 with guest Tim Jasinski to talk about the wild fostering of the Canada Goose. In Part 2, Tim and Gail get further into topics such as goose behavior, understanding flocks, gender differences, how goslings develop, and techniques in wild fostering of goslings in their journey to independence.  Next episode, Gail welcomes Ruby Davis, wildlife biologist and wildlife rehabilitation director of the Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center in North Carolina.  Ruby will discuss one of her passions and areas of expertise -- skunks! So, don't be a "stinker" and remember to join us for Episode 7 on skunks. It was a really interesting talk, so you won't want to miss it!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl welcomes Ruby Davis, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Director for Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center. There, she oversees the center’s rehabilitation, along with the training and mentoring of staff and volunteers.This was an in-depth conversation, so we've divided it into two parts. In part 1, Gail and Ruby cover Ruby's origin story and how she came to enter a long and fulfilling career at the Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center. From there, the conversation covers some basic natural history of striped skunks, a common skunk species in North America. This episode details the striped skunk's eating habits, seasonal and mating behavior, types of nests they prefer, and times of day they're most active. Ruby also recounts some common reasons skunks are admitted to wildlife rehabilitation and how members of the public encounter them. Be sure to stay tuned for Part 2, in which we do a deep dive into the details of skunk rehabilitation!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Gail Buhl is back with Part 2 of her discussion with Ruby Davis, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Director for the Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center. In Part 1, episode 8, Ruby discusses her origin story and the natural history of the striped skunk, a common skunk species in North America. Here in Part 2, Gail and Ruby do a deep dive into the rehabilitation techniques of young skunks in care. That includes feeding, behavior, husbandry, and even how to avoid getting "sprayed." Ruby includes a spray scrubbing recipe to get the smell out of your skin and clothes in case it does happen. Next episode, Gail welcomes Amanda Nicholson back to the podcast to discuss having "crucial conversations." A lot of tough conversations come up in the course of wildlife rehabilitation, so you won't want to miss episode 9! Back in season 2, episode 13, Amanda talks with Gail about social media best practices in wildlife rehabilitation.  

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Wildlife rehabilitator Sara Cole, of Duluth, MN discusses the process of becoming a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and establishing a home wildlife rehabilitation practice. 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Debbie Sykes tells us about how her college biology program led her to discover wildlife rehabilitation as a fulfilling career. In just a few years, Debbie's passion for the field carried her from rehabilitator newbie to expert specializing in North American White Tailed Deer.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Listen as Debbie Sykes of Nashville Wildlife Conservation discusses white tail deer fawns and the first point of contact wildlife rehabilitators have with that fawn -- the public. Gail and Debbie discuss how to enlist the caller/finder as an advocate for the fawn, including when the fawn should be left alone. As rehabilitators, we want to educate the finders on what is the best for the fawn. Gail and Debbie also discuss strategies to make the right decision for the individual animal. 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Debbie talks in detail on how to evaluate a white tail deer fawn when it comes into care. What are the factors for first housing a fawn? How does grouping of young fawn reduce stress? We also talk a lot about the GI system of deer and critical importance of nutrition. What are the components of nutrition, when should you introduce solid foods, and in what form should it take?  If that is not enough, Gail and Debbie talk and have a laugh when and how often to stimulate a fawn. 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

In episode 9, Gail Buhl welcomes Amanda Nicholson back to the podcast. If you missed Amanda's first appearance on Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue To Release, check out season 2, episode 13. There she talks with Gail about social media best practices in wildlife rehabilitation.

Amanda serves as Senior Vice President of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. In this episode, she virtually visits Gail to talk about having crucial conversations -- those sometimes difficult or touchy talks we have to have with our partners, bosses, employees, or even someone checking on the status of an animal in rehabilitation. Amanda offers some basic guidance on keeping these conversations structured and simple while offering the other person as much autonomy and dignity as possible. She urges the listener to be especially careful about not filling in the blanks with a (often negative) made-up story explaining someone's behavior or point of view. 

This is a must-listen for anyone working in wildlife rehabilitation, because these conversations come up so frequently. 

Next episode, Gail talks with wildlife veterinarian Miranda Torkelson about the red fox. It's a fascinating in-depth, 2-part discussion on the red fox's natural history and techniques for caring for it with the goal of release back into the wild. We hope you'll join us!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Gail Buhl welcomes wildlife veterinarian Dr. Miranda Torkelson for a two-part discussion about the medical management of red foxes. Dr. Miranda starts out with some of her origin story, which includes highlights from her ambitious career in wildlife medicine. Later in the episode, Gail and Dr. Miranda cover the basics of red fox natural history as well as perspectives on often well-meaning but ill-informed attempts by members of the public to try to fight the parasite sarcoptic mange. Dr. Miranda explains why programs such as "Mange By Mail" can do more harm than good and why it's critical to leave treating wild animals to licensed veterinarians. Gail and Dr. Miranda share their own stories of contracting mange (often called scabies when it's an infection in humans). We get itchy just thinking about it! 

Next episode, in Part 2, Dr. Miranda and Gail continue talking about the medical management of red foxes with topics that include trapping, more on treating mange, itch & pain control, housing and more! Dr. Miranda has a lot of wisdom and experience to offer on foxes, so we hope you'll join us for episode 11!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl is back for Part 2 of her in-depth discussion with Minnesota-based wildlife veterinarian Dr. Miranda Torkelson on the medical management of fox. In this episode, Gail and Dr. Miranda touch on topics ranging from the treatment of mange and other parasites to diets, handler safety, housing, and preparation for release. Dr. Miranda urges listeners not to attempt to treat wild fox outside of the guidance of a licensed veterinarian. Dr. Torkelson was very gracious and if you have any questions about fox, fox mange, transfusions (for the veterinarian listeners) etc. please contact her via email: mirtork@gmail.com

Next episode, Gail welcomes Tiffany Wentz-Root to discuss the mental health & wellness aspects of working in wildlife rehabilitation. Tiffany draws on her own experience as both a therapist and a person who has experienced mental health struggles to be able to delve into the topic in a meaningful way. This is a topic that affects all of us, whether we’re aware of it or not, so we hope you’ll join us for season 3, episode 12! 



Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu)

Host Gail Buhl welcomes Washington state based mental health therapist Tiffany Wentz-Root to the podcast to discuss self-care for wildlife rehabilitators. This is Part 1 of 2. In Part 1, Tiffany explains her origin story, which includes serving in Iraq for the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003. Tiffany goes on to reveal some of her own past struggles with mental health, how that experience led to her interest in becoming a mental health provider, and how she draws on her experiences to cultivate greater empathy for vulnerable populations she serves. 

Gail and Tiffany begin to discuss the phenomenon of "compassion fatigue," a specific type of burnout seen most often in caretaking professions that witness suffering of animals or fellow humans. Tiffany describes the broader theme of burnout as an imbalance between stress and the ability to cope. Compassion fatigue arises out of vicarious trauma, Tiffany explains, which is experienced when the caretaker witnesses suffering of their patient. The episode includes some signs and symptoms of unaddressed trauma such as changes in eating habits, diminished memory, and sleep difficulty. 

In Part 2, episode 13, Gail and Tiffany will continue the conversation on maintaining self awareness of one's own mental health and things to do to move forward when feeling stuck in burnout.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

“Whatever you think an animal might need, you need too.” – Tiffany Wentz-Root on self-compassion for wildlife rehabilitators.

Partners for Wildlife kicks off its fourth season with the second part of our compassion fatigue conversation. Washington state-based mental health therapist Tiffany Wentz-Root joins host Gail Buhl to discuss the impact of trauma, burnout, balance, joy, boundaries, and the power of memes!

This episode contains references to restrained eating habits, military service, negative self-talk, elements of depression, and child-care trauma.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Links:

Part one of this conversation

Check out Lindsay C. Gibson’s book: Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

Learn more about The Raptor Center

Finding a therapist through Psychology Today

Partners for Wildlife is excited to welcome Dr. Katie Haman, the Wildlife Diversity Veterinarian with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, to the show. Join host Gail Buhl as they explore the concept of One Health. Dr. Haman shares her journey while diving into the interconnectedness of animals, the environment, and humans. They also discuss One Welfare and highlight the essential role that wildlife rehabilitators play as vital contributors to One Health!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Mark your calendars to celebrate One Health Day next November 3rd!

Links:

One Health Institute

One Welfare

“There’s a lot of beauty in just being in the dance” – Sara Cole on wildlife rehabilitation.

Partners for Wildlife is excited to welcome back to the show, Sara Cole, a wildlife rehabilitator from Minnesota. Join host Gail Buhl for a discussion about baby squirrels, expressions of gratitude, lessons learned, and advice to new rehabbers. Sara shares her insights, and experiences, describing how “the work calls you to be in community and maybe even in communion with living things in a way that just cracks you open.”

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

“The dead teach the living” – Dr. Mark Pokras on the importance of necropsies.

Partners for Wildlife welcomes Dr. Mark Pokras, a wildlife veterinarian and nationally renowned expert on loons and wildlife medicine, to the show. Dr. Pokras and host Gail Buhl discuss his career, imposter syndrome, One Health, common loons, loon biology, sentinel species, and forensic pathology.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Partners for Wildlife returns with Dr. Mark Pokras, a wildlife veterinarian and nationally recognized expert in loon and wildlife medicine. In this episode, Dr. Pokras and host Gail Buhl discuss environmental justice, the importance of working groups, the iNaturalist app, and sentinel species.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

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Links:

Loon & Diver Stewardship Working Group

Northeast Loon Study Working Group (NELSWG)

iNaturalist

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Partners for Wildlife is excited to welcome back Brittany Turner, the Rehabilitation Director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, to the show. In this two-part discussion, Turner and host Gail Buhl explore the natural history of pigeons and doves. The conversation will continue in episode 7, where they will discuss baby pigeons and doves and their care.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Links:

Birds of the World, Cornell Lab

NWRA

Partners for Wildlife is excited to continue our conversation with Brittany Turner, the Rehabilitation Director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota. In the second half of their two-part conversation, Turner and host Gail Buhl talk about baby pigeons and doves, providing tips and tricks for their care based on their natural history!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Links:

NWRA Standards Book

Oxbow Carnivore Care

RoudyBush Formula 3 for Granivores

National Pigeon Association

We’ll be sharing additional resources called out in the show shortly. Stay tuned!

Partners for Wildlife is thrilled to welcome Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research's Clinic Director, Andrea Howey-Newcomb, along with Marian Quinn, the Clinic Outreach and Oil Programs Core Team Volunteer, and Maryanne Yingst, the Volunteer Coordinator and Downstate Delaware Field Response.

In this two-part discussion, our guests and host, Gail Buhl, dive into the system Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research developed for training volunteers to rescue and transport birds. We discuss the origins of The S.A.F.E.T.Y. System, its meaning, how it is used, and its evolution. 

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Links:

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

We continue our conversation with Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research's Clinic Director, Andrea Howey-Newcomb, along with Marian Quinn, the Clinic Outreach and Oil Programs Core Team Volunteer, and Maryanne Yingst, the Volunteer Coordinator and Downstate Delaware Field Response.

In this episode, the Tri-State team discusses how adult learning theories have shaped the S.A.F.E.T.Y. Method. They highlight inspiring collaborations with other local rescue organizations and share valuable insights and strategies for expanding training programs and engaging volunteers!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Links:

Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research

Malcolm Knowles’ Adult Learning Theory

Partners for Wildlife welcomes Debbie Sykes, the Director of Nashville Wildlife Conservation, to the show! In this two-part conversation, we dive into natural history, common injuries, and care of Eastern Box Turtles. Did you know they’re born the size of a raspberry? We didn’t!

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Links to referenced presentations: 

NWRA Presentation: Soft Release of Rehabilitated Eastern Box Turtles: Maximizing Health & Territory – NWCC

Debbie Sykes: Eastern Box Turtle Patient’s Needs  – NWCC

In this episode, we continue our discussion on Eastern Box Turtles with Debbie Sykes, the Director of Nashville Wildlife Conservation. We explore common injuries, care processes, behaviors, and criteria for release.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Links to referenced presentations: 

NWRA Presentation: Soft Release of Rehabilitated Eastern Box Turtles: Maximizing Health & Territory – NWCC

Debbie Sykes: Eastern Box Turtle Patient’s Needs  – NWCC

In the first part of a two-part conversation, we discuss the significance of ambassador animals with Melissa Moore, the Curator of Behavioral Husbandry and Ambassador Animals at the St. Louis Aquarium, and Jackie Kozlowski, the Senior Trainer at Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City.

Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.