At WRC, we see many different species with different injuries and diseases.  In order to have a more complete picture of what is happening with the animal, we can look at blood under a microscope.

This photo, taken from our microscope shows Virginia Opossum blood.  Opossums and other mammals (like us) have round red blood cells, many of which can be seen in this photo.  The large cell in the middle is a neutrophil which is a white blood cell that helps rid the body of infection and is a “first responder” when some sort of traumatic injury has occurred.  Neutrophils are typically the most common white blood cell seen when counting cells.

The pink cell in this photo is an example of an eosinophil from a Western Painted Turtle.  A high number of eosinophils can indicate that the animal has a large number of parasites.  Notice the other cells in the photo, they are red blood cells.  In birds and reptiles the rbc’s have a  dark purple nucleus and are generally larger than mammal red blood cells.

This last photo shows a heterophil from a bird.  Heterophils in birds have the same function as neutrophils in mammals.  There are five types of white blood cells that are counted when we look at blood and each cell has a different function.  Each of the 170 or so species we see may have slightly different looking blood cells so the three photos shown are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to blood cell evaluation.  Seeing the difference between the cells can be tricky business but the information that these blood counts can yield is very valuable to our veterinarians… and our patients!

As we start to see signs of spring, snow melting away, birds on the move, and of course, our first baby squirrel admit, the WRC staff prepares for the influx of thousands of animals.  Right now, we are making improvements to our flight rooms, which are used to house hundreds of migratory and resident adult songbirds, as well as orphaned songbirds that are raised in our avian nursery. 

Flight rooms are, for most of our wild bird patients, the last stage of rehabilitation.  Once the birds recover from illness or injury, or have learned to fly, they are placed in flight cages to gain the strength and endurance needed to survive in the wild.  In these cages we provide various forms of enrichment and food sources to prepare the birds for release.  Natural perching, various types of bird feeders, as well as natural food sources, such as mealworms and fruits, encourage foraging behaviors.

After many years of use, our current flight cages need to be rebuilt.  With the help of long-time volunteer Steve K., we have found a plan that will provide us with two additional flight areas taking us from 4 flight cages to 6 flight cages.  This may seem like a small increase to most, but for us it’s huge.  A lot of little songbirds will fit into these two additional cages.  We are finalizing plans and beginning to look at the materials we will need and hope to begin construction soon.  

Support our baby or adult wild birds!

On a cold day last November, a baby eastern garter snake was brought into WRC.

It was found hibernating in an Arden Hills basement. This tiny snake was smaller than a pencil when it was brought in.

Females do not lay eggs like a lot of snakes do, they give birth to live young. The young are small, defenseless and have many predators. This baby found what it thought was a good hibernation spot. Usually these snakes hibernate in large groups under rocks or the abandoned dens of other animals. They emerge in early spring and make useful yard-mates because they eat slugs, and other pest insects. They are not venomous but will bite if you handle them improperly. The baby garter snake at WRC is fed grubs, minnows and crickets while it is in the hospital. It is doing very well and sheds its skin as it grows. It weighed 4 grams when it arrived and now weighs 8.6 grams. It will be released early this spring into a good habitat where it can find plenty of cover. Eastern garter snakes can live to be around 10 years old. 

 Late last October, a hatchling common snapping turtle presented to WRC very weak and non alert. The turtle was found on a path heading away from the lake it had no doubt hatched near. The baby snapping turtle we have been rehabilitating may live to be near 100 years old if everything goes well for it. The common snapping turtle is a really interesting animal. The tiny quarter size hatchling’s are mostly eaten by predators.

During the summer months many large adult snapping turtles present to WRC due to being hit by cars while trying to get to their preferred breeding or hibernating spots. Many are released after a couple months of cage rest, pain medication, and anti-biotic treatment for the large wounds in their carapaces. It is important to release snapping turtles near the water where they are found because they will travel to get to a preferred location and risk crossing roads to get there. A snapping turtle will not begin to reproduce until it is around 10 years old. The death of one large, older turtle could make a sizable loss in population for that area because they are so slow to reach reproductive age.

Through donations, dozens of people entered our drawings at the Open House.  The winners are:

Smokey Joe Gold:  Molly Maloney
Jane Jenni Gift Bag: Margaret Ritter
Wii Tech Console:  Jerry Fischer
and… the opportunity to release a rehabbed animal:  Karen Ritter

Congratulations, everyone!  We’ll be in touch in the next couple days with all the details.

Our vets are examining hundreds of animals today.  Stuffed animals that is.  Today’s our annual Open House and more than 500 people have visited with the vets, peered into microscopes at creepy crawlies, and even had a chance to visit with KARE11 Meteorologist and Simply Science Host Sven Sundgaard.

It’s so fun to watch people – adults and young kids alike – go through the building holding their bandaged stuffed animals. Our med staff has been amazing with everyone; answering questions, explaining why we bandage things the way we do, pointing out cool things to see under the microscope.  All in all, it’s been a fun (but tiring!) day.

Many thanks to everyone who took time to come by and visit today!  (and to all our volunteers who helped us prepare for, and worked during, the Open House)

 Today a baby pigeon was brought in to WRC.  Every winter we get a few young pigeons in to the Center, but it always seems odd to see such a young bird in the middle of winter.  Pigeons are the only birds that will breed all year round, even during our harsh Minnesota winters.  They do this by being well-adapted to living in cities and around humans, using them to find shelter and sources of food.  Because of this, pigeons are often seen as a nuisance to some people.

In attempts to control pigeon populations some people opt to use a substance called Avitrol.  Avitrol is a toxin that may be placed in seeds that pigeons and other birds eat.  It will normally cause one or two birds to start having seizures and showing other neurological signs.  Since pigeons often flock together, the other birds in the group will see the ones acting strange and fly away.  However, the birds that have already been affected continue to suffer from the poison and will oftentimes die.

When we see a bird that is acting as though it has ingested Avitrol, we immediately administer a medication to stop the seizures and give an oral medication called Activated Charcoal to “soak up” the toxin like a sponge so that it can pass through the bird without being absorbed into its system.  Sometimes birds will recover from this, sometimes they aren’t able to.  Over the last two weeks, several birds have come to WRC showing signs of having this poison in their systems.  Once they make it through the early stages of Avitrol poisoning, they begin to act like normal birds again and recovery is quick. 

Even though pigeons sometimes have a bad reputation as being pests, I thoroughly enjoy working with them.  They have their own personalities and are very pretty with iridescent feathers that shine with different colors in the light.  Also, there is no greater feeling than helping an animal, even a pigeon, that would not have survived without our care. 

Sorry about that folks: a minor technological blip in our Comments area.  You should be able to post things from this point forward.

Yesterday, a client brought in an opossum who was nearly at death’s door.  It had been attacked by a dog, but the dog was able to catch it due to its emaciated and dehydrated state.  It had frostbite on its tail and overall was not looking good.  The injuries from the dog weren’t nearly as concerning as the opossum’s extremely poor body condition.

After warming it, giving it fluids and a night of rest, the med staff were pleasantly surprised to find a fiesty, snarly opossum in the cage this morning.  It’s these recoveries of animals that you just don’t think are going to make it, that give us all a bit more hope overall.

A big thank-you to the client in Andover who took the time to rescue what appeared to be a dying animal, rather than just letting it suffer.

While we didn’t take photos of this opossum (we try to not stress animals any more than necessary), here’s a photo of a released opossum taken by our volunteer Becki S. 

We’re glad you’re joining us as we talk about the daily life behind the doors of one of the nation’s busiest wildlife medical centers. 

The nature of our business is very seasonal (busier in the spring and summer with orphans) so the frequency of our posts will vary throughout the year. 

You’ll get to know our staff, including our seasonal nursery coordinators.  And you’ll have a chance to follow along with our patients’ stories and journeys toward rehabilitation – both the sad and uplifting ones.

 We hope you’ll join us by posting comments on items you find interesting or have questions about.  Don’t forget our FAQ page on our site. It has lots of information on general wildlife questions.  And, if you’re following up on an animal you brought to us, please use our status email account for that, and not this venue.  It’ll help keep the Pulse focused on what’s occuring daily at the Center.  As always, feel free to drop me a note with any questions.

Thank  you for caring about wildlife and for following our Mission.

 - Tami