A Northern Leopard frog was brought into the Center about a week ago, it was found on top of the ice of a frozen lake, and it was thought that it was trying to get under in order to hibernate, but unfortunately had made it just a bit too late.

It had some minor scratches to its skin, and a curious air bubble on its upper back, beneath its skin. I learned this is called a subcutaneous emphysema (see picture above).

The Northern Leopard frog is actually the state amphibian of Minnesota! It has been housed in an aquarium within our reptile and amphibian ward, and given some much-needed warmth and food. Now its lesions are healing nicely, and the subcutaneous emphysema has completely disappeared! Unfortunately, this frog will have to stay with us over the winter, since although it is a species well adapted to the cold, it is well past the date when it should have found a hibernation spot. It’ll be released with other over-wintered amphibians and reptiles in the spring.

‘Tis the season for reflection and party conversation, for simple answers to complex questions and for small talk and big ideas. That came home with me recently when I was asked, “So what do you do for a living?” Of course, I always eagerly anticipate that question because I love what we do at WRC. It’s also an easy question because what we do at WRC is actually quite simple. We provide medical care for injured wild animals – this year about 8,000 – and provide training to hundreds of students and volunteers.

I’ve found that what we do is seldom a conversation stopper. My answer inevitably leads to another question. “Why do you do what you do?” The answer to this question might seem simple, but it’s more complex and I think quite profound – it’s a big idea.

What we do is about the health of a single animal. While we take pride in our improved medical outcomes, that alone is an incomplete, perhaps even insufficient, reason. Why we do what we do is a reflection of our collective responsibilities as stewards of our world. I believe that by its presence in our community, WRC helps create a culture of hope, compassion and kindness. We provide a place for seemingly small, often individual, acts of compassion; a place for people to act on their instincts to assist.

Indeed, I believe there is a sacred quality to the nature of our work. It inspires us to ask deeper questions about our role on earth. While I believe we should be at the cutting edge of wildlife medicine, science can only tell us so much about whether and what animals feel. But we know that as individuals we feel, and all of us have been touched in some way by the animals with which we share our world, especially when we witness injured and orphaned animals.

As the days shorten and darkness deepens we gather with friends, family and neighbors often to just share small talk about our daily lives, but in a deeper way we gather to celebrate the promise of renewed light and rejoice in the spirit of compassion and hope.

Make no mistake, what we do is a big idea – it does make a difference in the lives we live and world we leave for future generations.

Thank you for being part of this truly inspiring enterprise. I hope we can count on your continued support in the form of a generous year-end contribution to injured animals; and to the spirit of our community.

Warms regards and best wishes for a happy holiday season.

Hi everyone! Thank you Tami for introducing me, I don’t have much to add other than I’m really excited to be here, and to have the opportunity to help out at such an amazing organisation like the WRC! I heard about the Center from a friend that I met out in Africa – proving that the news of the great work you do really does travel far!

So my first blog is going to be about a pelican that came in on Friday 2nd December – caught on a frozen river out near Hudson, Wis.

I can’t think of any birds that we get in the UK that are nearly as big as pelicans, so it was a really great experience for me! Unfortunately, it was quickly apparent upon vet Renee’s admit examination that the patient had an amputated wing as a result of some accident. We thought that this could have happened from flying into a power line. As this injury made the bird non-releasable, unfortunately the only option was euthanasia.

It was, however, amazing to work with the pelican up close. We found pouch-lice inside its bill, (see photo).

And holding the pelican felt like gripping bubble-wrap! This is due to the large amount of air sacs under the bird’s skin. These help to keep it insulated in cold temperatures, and also keep it buoyant.

Also, we managed to salvage the pelican’s other wing, which was in perfect condition. It will soon be incorporated into an educational display of avian wings in the conference room, scaling all the way down to a tiny hummingbird’s!

I’d like to introduce you to our newest WRC Pulse blogger: Eve Smaller. Eve’s visiting us from the United Kingdom on a year-long work study.

She has lots of incredible experience including work in Namibia, Uganda and Wales.

Thanks for welcoming her to our team!