Yesterday was an exciting day at WRC.  The Great Blue Heron chicks rescued in the aftermath of the tornado that ripped through north Minneapolis on May 22 were moved to large outdoor flight pens, their final stage of rehabilitation.

About 30 songbirds raised in our Avian Nursery also made the journey with the herons to their new outdoor caging.

The “celebrity-status” of the herons alone makes the move newsworthy, but it also has larger implications for WRC.  To fully explain I have to go back a few years.

In July of 2008, WRC’s Board of Directors held a strategic planning session that resulted in a sweeping, far-ranging vision for WRC’s future.  We looked at it as an opportunity to dream a bit about our future, to “make no small plans,”

Our vision was to create the Wildlife Health System; a network of facilities that would better serve the needs of the people who bring us animals and the wild animals who need our care.  Our current Roseville facility would serve as the flagship medical facility, providing the best possible care for injured animals and training the next generation of veterinarians.

We also envisioned satellite facilities to respond to the increased demand for our services for healthy, orphaned animals.  Facilities would need ample outdoor caging, to reduce the stress of human contact and provide species with specific care.  An ideal location in the south metro was subsequently identified.

Several months later the economy collapsed and WRC, like the rest of the community, hunkered down in survival mode.  Fortunately, we survived and last year even retired the remaining debt on our Roseville clinic.  Relieved of that debt, during the last year we began planning to expand our physical capacity to respond to the increasing demand from the public and our patients.

This spring, we finished construction on several large outdoor flight cages at the southern facility in Inver Grove Heights. This will be the final stage rehabilitation site for the majority of our nursery patients. It’s vital that they acclimate to the outdoors, away from humans, prior to release.

So it is fitting that the first patients in our new outdoor facility are the herons.  Their plight struck a collective nerve in the community.  Watching them spread their wings in their new outdoor flight pens, is symbolic not only of survival, but of WRC’s ability to spread its wings to meet the needs of future generations.

It’s a small, first step in what we hope is a “big plan” and a soaring journey.

We received a very exciting piece of news: Our Executive Director Phil Jenni has received the 2011 UMN College of Veterinary Medicine’s Outstanding Service Award.

The award recognizes “individuals from the community for their accomplishments, service and contributions to veterinary medicine.”

Specifically, Phil is being honored for providing leadership that, in the UMN College of Veterinary Medicine Dean Trevor Ames’ words: “has enhanced the wonderful work of the Center and its national reputation” while “strengthening the collaboration between the Center and the College.”

The ceremony will be Friday, April 15th at the UMN.

Congratulations, Phil!

Probably not today.

Every year the staff at WRC eagerly awaits the first baby animals of the spring.  Most work places have an office pool for the college basketball tournament.  Not here.  Our “tourney” pool  is for the date that we admit our first orphan.

Even with the late spring our choices ranged from March 12 to March 28^th.  Last year we admitted our first baby, an Eastern Gray Squirrel, on March 6 and by March 23^rd we had admitted 15 baby animals.  The latest 1st orphan admit that we’ve posted since we moved off the University campus in 2002 is March 23 – today.

I’m doing better in my BB pool than the WRC pool as my date has come and gone.  That’s not all bad however.  The infants we receive in the early spring (before March 25) are severely compromised.  They are generally newborn and weigh less than 20 grams – about the same as three quarters.  Most animals this young have little chance of survival, regardless of our efforts.

I’m hoping we all lose our pool this year.  The babies are out there; it’s just that we’re not.  So all the babies in the nests in the eaves, outdoor grills and other inconvenient spots might be big enough to leave by the time the late winter yields to our spring chores.

Meanwhile I can concentrate on those badgers … the Wisconsin Badgers.

Our annual open house is one of my favorite days of the year.  For me, it’s one of the first signs of spring – right up there with the early, distinctive call of the Northern Cardinal.  We’re also just a month or so away from the beginning of another busy season meaning the deadline to clean, scrub, paint, etc. comes at a good time.

Sunday – the nicest day since November – lived up to expectations.  Staff, volunteers and all the wonderful people who came through our doors seemed buoyant in the nice weather and appreciative of the chance to see what goes on at WRC.

From the two kids who talked their dad into going around twice, and not just in the hopes of an extra cookie, to the two year-old who brought her own bunny, which was almost as big as her, the day was filled with delightful surprises.  It was especially nice to have visits from a girl scout troop and a 4H group both accompanied by parents and advisers.  Their generous donation to WRC added more “inventory” for our exhibits featuring all the cool ways young people help WRC.

It was a great day; appropriate for the first day that felt as if winter was receding at last.  While it’s still too early for budding trees, we certainly were blessed with a bunch of budding veterinarians.

Leslie’s post reminds us of why caring for injured wild animals is such a challenging endeavor.  Most of our patients view us as a predator or competitor to be avoided or challenged; none is willing to display any sense of vulnerability.

We often balance between the poles of success and sadness; triumph and tragedy. It’s rare for us to experience both ends of the spectrum in one case, as we did with swan 88F.

As medical professionals we strive to keep our emotions in check and our attachments limited.  But Trumpeter Swans are very charismatic birds.  We celebrate their beauty and cheer their recovery from the brink of extinction just a generation ago.  In the individual case of 88F, we also were moved by the hauntingly beautiful photo of his bloodied wing, impressed by the brave and difficult rescue organized by Mary Wicklund, delighted in his successful rehabilitation and release.  Reuniting with his mate several weeks later gave the story an almost mythical resolution.

So what do we make of this story?  It’s hard to separate our emotions from the science.  Readmitting a banded bird gave us a rare insight into a successful release and a return visit from a different injury.  We know the natural world is unforgiving and often brutal.  Nature is not a Disney movie.  On the other hand, both of 88F’s injuries were caused by people, first the gunshot wound and then the lead.  Our world and that of the animals we share it with is not tidy.

But nothing in my years here at WRC has been as emotionally trying as watching this released and reunited swan be rendered helpless by lead poisoning.  Even with the 8,500+ animals we admit every year, it’s hard not to feel a personal attachment to 88F; hard not anthropomorphize his seemingly senseless death, especially after his earlier close call.

We can’t do much about the lead that already exists in our lakes, ponds and rivers; it will continue to poison wildlife for years to come.  But we can make sure that we stop putting more into our waters.

At the same time, we can also, if just for a moment, suspend our urge to blame, or to understand or explain, and reflect on just how mysterious animal behavior is, how beautiful, and ultimately how unforgiving life in the wild can be.

Photo of Hudson swans taken by Bill Gausman, Mary Wicklund’s brother, dedicated in memory of Swan 88F.

It’s hard for me to admit sometimes, being a verbal person, that a picture is worth a thousand words.  But there is no better  illustration of that adage than the case of the mangy fox.

In August, WRC Veterinarian Renee Schott blogged about mange in mammals after we admitted a severely dehydrated and mangy female Red Fox.  The fox’s admit photo shows the severe level of mange infestation:

At the time the fox’s condition was very guarded and her prognosis uncertain.  But thanks to the wonderful care of our medical staff she recovered rapidly and has just been released.  Just look at how healthy she is:

Long-time contributors Joe and Shirley Wolf, and WRC founding Board member Paige Winebarger participated in the release and witnessed the fox trotting off for a second chance on life – the evidence of her recovery readily apparent in the photos.

Renee’s post the other day reminded me of the important work being done by Project BirdSafe.  Originally convened by Audubon Minnesota, Project Birdsafe is a joint effort to reduce the number of birds killed or injured when they collide with structures such as buildings. WRC is proud to be a founding and active member of this program.

A key component to Project BirdSafe is its Lights Out program.  Most birds migrate at night and can be drawn off course by tall, lighted structures in their flight path. Many birds are killed or injured in collisions with buildings or drop from exhaustion after circling them, reluctant to fly out of the light.

Through Lights Out, dozens of companies and business owners have agreed to dim or turn off their building lights during fall and spring migration.

Project BirdSafe needs more volunteers to patrol the base of the buildings to help recover birds that collided with windows (that’s how the Chestnut-sided Warbler found its way to WRC).  Injured birds are brought to WRC for rehabilitation and release (like the Yellow-rumped Warbler above); dead birds are recorded as data.

Each volunteer is assigned a specific course to monitor – we hope you’ll consider joining us and Audubon Minnesota in an effort to protect and save our songbirds.  (an application is available on the Project BirdSafe page, approximately halfway down).

While every day at WRC is rewarding and filled with moments of deep satisfaction, yesterday was a very special day.

Two juvenile river otters, which we’ve raised for the past eight weeks, were released at the Rapids Lake area of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refugee near Carver.  Releases are usually intriguing, often unpredictable and sometimes exciting; yesterday’s release was that and more.  The otters were certainly ready to be free.  They were snarly and aggressive when we captured them for the trip to freedom.

In addition to US Fish and Wildlife officials, our staff and some of our summer interns, KARE11 joined us to film the release and aired it on last night’s news.  Here’s a full-page display of the news video.

River Otters are a difficult species to raise.  They get very stressed during handling, their diet is challenging and requires introducing a variety of foods, including live prey (such as the crayfish you’ve seen in an earlier post).  As they grow older they require significant space and high water quality.  Their aggressive nature makes it difficult to monitor their progress. They are also social and seldom do well alone.

We (and the otters) were fortunate in this case.  We rarely see otters, yet these two came to us just five days apart – on June 10 and June 15.  And the later arrival came from Belle Plain, near the release site.

We’re very grateful to the US Fish and Wildlife staff for finding an appropriate site at the National Wildlife Refugee and for giving us permission to do the release.  USFW staff have seen otters all along the Minnesota River Valley.  This release is a celebration of our success in raising these otters and is also symbolically important since the presence of otters is an indicator of improving river habitat on the Minnesota River.

Here’s more information on River Otters.

We were honored that Sen. Amy Klobuchar contacted us earlier in the week and asked WRC to host a panel discussion regarding potential impacts of the Gulf oil spill on Minnesota’s migratory bird population.

Yesterday at WRC, Sen. Klobuchar met with a group of wildlife officials including me and John Christian, Assistant Regional Director for Migratory Birds, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Region 3; Carrol Henderson, Director, Non-Game Wildlife Program, Minnesota DNR; Ryan Heiniger, Director of Conservation Programs in MN and IA, Ducks Unlimited; Dr. Julia Ponder, Executive Director, The Raptor Center; and Mark Martell, Director of Bird Conservation, Audubon Minnesota.

The meeting was well-covered by the media.  Sen. Klobuchar made it very clear that the fate of these migratory birds is one of her highest priorities and she stressed that officials needed to create a plan to respond if necessary.  Of course at WRC we are very concerned about the conditions in the Gulf.  We currently have admitted more than 2,000 waterfowl, shorebirds and songbird species that will migrate to or through the Gulf this fall.

We’re grateful Sen. Klobuchar is focusing on the upcoming migrations amidst all the other issues surrounding the spill.

It’s my hope that we act on this opportunity to channel public outrage about the spill into a long-range commitment to wildlife and wildlife habitats here in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

The media glare will soon fade and eventually the spill damages will be repaired.  But we can’t let that diminish our ongoing focus of healthy habitats here and in the Gulf Region.  Even before this spill, there was a dead zone the size of New Jersey in the Gulf where the Mississippi flows into it. The recent StarTribune series on the health of Minnesota lakes should be a wake-up call to conditions in our own backyard.

As Jay Holcombe, executive Director of the International Bird Rescue and Research Center, which is working with Tri-State to clean oiled birds, says, “A pelican is a pelican whether is it tangled in fishing tackle or oiled.”  As we know only too well, a Trumpeter Swan with lead poisoning is still an injured bird.  A loon too ill to migrate and trapped in the ice on Lake Bemidji is as threatened as the loons in the Gulf.

Yes we worry, as we should, by what happens when “our” loons and other birds return to the Gulf.  But we should be equally worried about what happens when they RETURN HERE.  We shouldn’t wait for the next disaster but do all we can to protect our birds and their habitats now and in the future.

Today when I launched my internet browser I, and several other million people around the world, was greeted by a photo of a bird covered in oil.  It’s heart wrenching to see these photos of dead and dying oil-covered animals.

It’s understandable to ask “How Can I Help?”

Then, earlier this afternoon WCCO contacted me to find out what was being done locally to respond the growing crisis in the Gulf.

And, on NPR’s All Things Considered, Jay Holcomb of International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) and Carrol Henderson (MN DNR Director of Non-Game Programs and Loon Expert), talked about the devastating effects the oil has on waterbirds; even those that may seem safe up here in Minnesota but will migrate to the Gulf in the fall.  Their interview can be heard here.  (actually, Carrol’s didn’t make the archives, but we’ll post a link to it as soon as we can find a copy.)

Rehabilitation of oiled wildlife is a complex, crisis-oriented endeavor.  Unlike natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes more volunteers can cause more harm than good.  And be wary of organizations asking for money to help the injured animals.  All of the clean-up costs will be covered by the responsible parties.  Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research from Delaware, who we’ve worked with in the past, has been contracted to manage the response for animals affected by the spill.

Tri-State is a rehabilitation center much like WRC; annually they treat approximately 3,000 birds.  Started in 1976 in response to an oil tanker spill in the Delaware River, Tri-State specializes in oil spill response.  Over the years WRC staff have trained at Tri-State and Tri-State people have been to WRC.  Personally and professionally, I’m reassured to know that the very best people have been called upon to help the Gulf Coast wildlife.

Tri-State has information on their Web site devoted to the spill.  IBRRC also has information on their site.  Note that on both their sites they clearly state that BP is covering all their costs.  There are many organizations “soliciting” funds to help with wildlife.  Beware of these requests.

How will WRC help?  That remains to be seen, but no matter how the drama unfolds we’ll do whatever we can to assist Tri-State, IBRRC, the DNR and the FWS.