We receive many phone calls during the winter months regarding wildlife behavior,  especially in regards to migration and hibernation. I had a phone call earlier this week regarding whether muskrats hibernate or not. As a thick furred mammal, many people think that they do or should be hibernating, but the opposite is actually the reality for these large rodents.

Muskrats do NOT hibernate, but ARE less active in the winter months in order to conserve body heat and energy. They spend most of their time sleeping and eating in their safe, warm lodges.  The muskrat’s home has to have an entrance that is located far enough under water that it will not freeze.  This way the muskrat will be able to leave its lodge to eat even when the water is frozen. Muskrats chew through the ice to create entryways into the water so they can forage for food out of the water.  After they create an opening, they build a covering over the opening out of cattails, grasses and mud.  A muskrat’s diet consists of aquatic plants, freshwater clams, frogs, small fish and salamanders. If these foods become hard to find, they can also survive on dry twigs, stems and leaves. The fur of the muskrat is very thick and keeps them very warm. It is nearly waterproof and helps keep them from getting wet. 

So don’t be alarmed if you spot a muskrat out during the winter! He/she is just foraging for food and will soon be back in the lodge warm, safe, and napping away

Fun fact: We admitted 13 muskrats in 2011!

Being over 4000 miles apart, it’s no wonder that the diversity of wildlife in Minnesota is completely different to that of the UK, but along with different animals, comes different diseases, and many different parasites.

A parasite which I have not encountered before my time here at the WRC is a type of roundworm, whose host is the raccoon. This parasitic worm is called Baylisascaris procyonis. It usually spends its life inside the gut of a raccoon, periodically shedding its eggs within the raccoon’s feces. To the raccoon, it is virtually harmless, but very widespread, infecting up to 70% of adults and 90% of juveniles. If it is harmless though – then why write a blog about it?

Since my time at the WRC, numerous other, ground-feeding animals, such as squirrels, rabbits and woodchucks have been brought in with suspected Baylisascaris infections. These animals have accidentally ingested the eggs along with their food whilst foraging. When this happens, the parasitic larvae migrate to their brain or eyes, which is not only potentially fatal, but can also cause visual impairments, substantial neurological damage and considerable lack of coordination.

I’ve also learned that Baylisascaris is a potential threat to humans. It most commonly affects children, as they are more likely to ingest contaminated soil or sand to which raccoons may have access. Unfortunately, there is no treatment which is known to completely eradicate the disease in humans, and in cases where the infection is not fatal, severe neurological damage can occur, along with blindness.

This is the direst warning we can give to people who find orphaned raccoons in their yard, and with the best intentions, want to care for and rehabilitate them. Not only is this illegal without the necessary permits from the DNR, but it is also incredibly dangerous.

On a positive note – not all of the infected animal patients admitted to the WRC suffer fatal damage from the parasite. Sometimes the worm causes only a slight visual impairment, or some minor imbalance. One of the neurological effects of the worm can also be a decrease in aggression, and lack of fear of predators. Although these particular animals would not do well in the wild, it does make them ideal for placement, given that they do not become stressed in the presence of humans.

Recently, an infected female woodchuck came in that stole the hearts of everyone at the WRC, not only was she approachable and friendly toward humans, but the sight of her munching on a carrot in her enclosure was enough to make anyone smile.

Happily, she was able to be placed at the Staten Island Zoo in New York, where she will educate a whole new generation of children to love wildlife as much as we do!

I love being a wildlife veterinarian!  However, working with over 160 species means that I need to know about many different types of animals; this makes me more of a generalist (ie. your family doctor) rather than a specialist (ie. an oncologist).  When an animal has a problem that I’m unfamiliar with and books aren’t helping, I’m not afraid to call in the true specialist for a second opinion.

This female mallard came into us after being hit by a car.  She had some wounds at the base of her beak and some scratches on one eye (a large one is visible in the photo below).

The scratches didn’t heal with typical treatment (antibiotics, pain medications), so I called an ophthalmologist.  Luckily, Dr. Olivero from the Animal Eye Clinic in St. Louis Park, is nice enough to volunteer his services for wildlife.  He examined the mallard with me and provided additional suggestions for its course of treatment. WRC is very lucky to have boarded veterinary specialists like Dr. Olivero to help our patients when needed.

Thanks to Dr. Olivero, this mallard is well on her way to recovery!

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.

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.

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!

Last week the swan who was shot in Wisconsin was finally ready for release!  He needed to get outside so he could stretch and strengthen his healed wing, so he was released at a park preserve that is fenced in (no ground predators can sneak up on him) and supplied with food.  We call this a soft release. It gives him time to restrengthen his flight muscles while being protected.  Another swan that was with us was also released at the same time.

We are very excited that this fall, we co-taught a new 4th-year veterinary student elective course through the University of Minnesota (UMN). The 2-week rotation, titled “Exotic Medicine,” is targeted toward the student who wants to go into private practice (usually small animal), but may see some exotics or a wildlife case here or there. Therefore, they would like to be prepared and have basic knowledge of species recognition, husbandry, first aid/triage and patient stabilization.

Students spend three days a week in the classroom attending lectures and going over cases, and two days a week on field trips, where they spend the day at either WRC, Como Zoo, The Minnesota Zoo, or Minnesota Sealife Aquarium.

While at their rotations, the students gain hands-on exposure to common exotic and wildlife species.  Based on feedback from the students, the first year of this rotation was very successful! We will continue to work collaboratively on this course each fall.

Below is a picture of Vet Renee and I with students Erika and Chad, as they examine a Western Painted Turtle.

I was able to sneak up on it while it was eating in its enclosure and get this video.  It was thrashing the mealworms around to kill them before eating.  A very simple but cool bird behavior to see up close.

Sedge Wrens are one of the most nomadic territorial birds in North America, flying around from habitat to habitat.  It’s common to see them one year and not see any in the same area the next year.  They prefer to live in short grass and sedge marshes. Sadly, their numbers  are declining due to habitat loss. Amazingly, it’s estimated by Audubon Minnesota that more than 32% of the global population of Sedge Wrens breed here in Minnesota.