NEWSLETTER FOR WILDLIFE REHABILITATORS OF NORTH
CAROLINA
NEWSLETTER FOR WILDLIFE REHABILITATORS OF NORTH
CAROLINA
Volume 23 March 2006
| A quarterly newsletter produced by the Wildlife Rehabilitators of North Carolina (WRNC). WRNC's mission is to share information and knowledge about wildlife rehabilitation for the benefit of native wildlife. For comments or questions, write to: WRNC, 2542 Weymoth Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27103. |
|
Brenda
Hiles and Sally Davis, editors MEETING MINUTES Jennifer
Gordon of Carolina Waterfowl Rescue was elected to a three-year term
on the board during the general meeting at the 4th Annual
Symposium on Jan. 28. Gordon has been a volunteer at the Carolina Raptor
Center since 2003, working about 200 hours in the rehabilitation and
resident bird care departments. All officers
agreed to continue in their roles for a second year. The board also
solicited feedback and suggestions for next year’s symposium at its
general meeting Jan. 28. Daron Barnes of the Wildlife Resource Commission
has become WRNC’s first liaison with the state agency. Jean Chamberlain
and Beth Knapp-Tyner will serve as liaisons from WRNC to the state.
The decision was made during a teleconference meeting. Feb. 26. All
members were present except Bobby |
|
|
Schopler, who was excused. The goal of the
liaison program is to create a better channel of communication between
WRNC Alicia Cawlfield, Class of 2009, was appointed
WRNC’s first representative of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Cawlfield
will serve as the liaison from CVM for the annual symposium and other
activities involving WRNC and the college. She’ll help advertise the
symposium among students and will be a point of contact with the college.
The veterinary school representative role
will be filled on a two-year rolling cycle, eventually with a first-year
and third-year student active in the spring semester every second year.
WRNC is waiving the $15 membership fee for the school representatives.
WRNC’s Continuing Education for Veterinary Professionals committee is
also working on a plan to reach veterinarians and their clients. Plans
include letters, a special section on the website and a brochure or
poster geared toward the public. |
|
||
|
·
The board decided not to
participate in the North Carolina Veterinary Conference because of the
cost and because it does not adequately benefit membership goals.
·
The board is reviewing a
brochure provided by Jennifer Gordon which focuses on the dangers of
feeding bread to waterfowl. The brochure could be used as an educational
tool for the public.
·
WRNC adopted an advertising
policy for in-kind donations, which will be used on a limited basis.
The policy of the newsletter is not to sell advertising space.
·
Committee membership was
reviewed: Emergency
Disaster Fund: Linda Bergman, Beth Knapp-Tyner, Janenie Ledbetter
and Mary Weiss. Continuing Education for Veterinary Professionals:
Jean Chamberlain, Laurel Degernes, Mathias Englemann, Jennifer Gordon,
Lauren Powers and Bobby Schopler. Federal
Permit for Birds: Alicia Cawlfield, Jean Chamberlain, Jenni Symposium:
Alicia Cawlfield, Jean Chamberlain, Elizabeth Hanrahan, Carla Johnson,
Beth Knapp-Tyner, Cathy Lillard and Toni O’Neil Cage
Grant: Linda Bergman and Toni O’Neil Refresher
and Basic Course Committee: Jean Chamberlain, Elizabeth Hanrahan
and Carla Johnson RVS
Rehab Committee: Jean Chamberlain, Carla Johnson, Beth Knapp-Tyner
and Bobby Schopler. Newsletter: Sally Davis and Brenda Hiles. |
|||
|
CONTINUING EDUCATION
·
The WRNC website maintains a training information page with contact
details. Check it out at:
http://www.ncwildliferehab.org/wrnctrain.html
·
ARC's next training class will be held March 18,19, 25 and 26th
at Alexanders Childrens Home. The cost is $75 and includes the ARC training
manual and 2006 membership. Register at least 14 days before the class
begins.
·
Like to travel?
For updated IWRC calendar, course information and registration go to:
|
|||
|
Date |
Course |
Location |
|
April 8-9 |
1AB: Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation |
Adrian, MI |
|
April 8-9 |
1AB: Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation |
Lawrence, KS |
|
Disclaimer
The opinions, techniques, and recommendations expressed in the articles of this newsletter are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by WRNC. |
|
ANNOUNCEMENTS The Piedmont
Wildlife Center is holding
its Walk for Wildlife from 1 to 4 p.m. April
9 at Lake Crabtree County Park in Morrisville. Children from across
the state raise money from sponsors to walk along the park’s trails
with presenters who discuss various wildlife issues. The money is used
to pay for the care and rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned
wildlife. To participate in the walk as a presenter or exhibitor, contact
Gail Abrams at gail@piedmontwildlifecenter.org. For more information, go to |
|
On the Trail of Avian Influenza By Brenda Hiles On a map projected onto
the wall behind them, Dr. Bobby Schopler and Dr. Peter Cowen tracked
the march of avian influenza through Southeast Asia to Kazakhstan and
Turkey. UPDATE: The bird flu virus
was detected for the first time in European Union nations in February.
Birds with the disease were found in Italy, Greece and France. The disease
also has been found in migratory birds in Nigeria, West Africa. As of
Feb. 12, 160 people have been infected with the diease, mostly through
close contact with sick birds.
|
|
Cage grant awarded The WRNC
Board awarded the 2006 Cage Grant of $250 to Marti Brinson of Grifton.
Brinson has been a wildlife rehabilitator for more than 35 years and is
involved with many agencies in Pitt County, including the Greenville
Animal Control Department and the Pitt County Humane Society.
She serves as the first contact for the Greenville Police Department
whenever they come across wounded wildlife. She also is a member of
the Pitt County Wildlife Advisory Board. Her rehab work with beavers
is approved by Beavers, Wetlands, and Wildlife. She has a non-releasable
beaver that she uses in school programs. Brinson
is using the grant to purchase a water tank and panels to create a beaver
pen. Brinson was the only applicant for the grant this year. |
|
Frantic Feeders and Fussy Eaters By Jean Chamerlain
Feeding problems: the
squirrel nurses frantically, the cottontail not at all. Squirrels tend to nurse
frantically. When feeding a squirrel, use a feeding syringe with a nipple.
Do not use bottles. Syringes allow you to control the flow of the formula
so that frantic eaters don’t aspirate. Rather than depressing, you may
have to hold the plunger to limit the flow. If a baby squirrel nurses
frantically, try increasing the number of feedings per day. Cottontails don’t suckle.
Patience is needed when feeding them. It sometimes helps to place small
drops on their lips. Use a feeding syringe alone or with a Catac nipple
that has a fairly large hole. For both squirrels and cottontails the temperature of the formula is very important. If the baby is not taking formula, the first thing to check is the temperature. It must be warm. |
 |
|
|
|
One
Size Doesn’t Fit All By Toni O’Neil
|
|
Developing a Disaster Plan Part 2 By Elizabeth Hanrahan Ocracokebirdworld@earthlink.net After the possible disasters
that could occur have been determined, the risks to the rehabilitation
center, caging and storage areas need to be identified. Evaluate the structural integrity of the wildlife rehabilitation center, clinic, storage areas and the caging. What are they constructed of? Are they strong enough to withstand hurricane-force winds, flooding, or heavy snow? Are there hazardous building materials such as asbestos? Is the wiring exposed or overloaded? Sliding glass doors or large windows could shatter in high winds allowing the loss of heat in cold weather. |
 |
The design of the facility is an important consideration.For example,
where flooding is a threat, a two-story building allows for movement
of animals, and for the storage of records and materials.
Every facility should have an interior area that provides safety
in a hurricane or tornado. |
 |
Have enough carriers for animals in rehabilitation as well as for those you expect to receive afterward. |
 |
Identify the most expensive
or irreplaceable items, or those that are most necessary, such as records
and equipment, to get the facility operating again. Identify safe areas of the wildlife
rehabilitation facility. Move important equipment to a safe location
or off-site. |
|
f supplies or equipment
will be needed in a disaster, purchase them or make arrangements to
borrow them ahead of time. Most wildlife rehabilitation
facilities have hazardous or flammable materials. Turn off valves to hazardous
material tanks. Label all tanks, CO2 for example, so emergency responders
will know what chemicals they are dealing with. If small quantities
of hazardous materials, such as bleach or cleaning supplies, are stored
on shelves, move them or store them in locked cabinets with safety latches.
Separate all incompatible chemicals; bleach and ammonia create toxic
fumes; diesel fuel and fertilizer are explosive when mixed. Label even
small quantities of hazardous materials. Identify flammable materials,
which may need to be disposed of in advance. Keep updated inventories
of all hazardous materials. Check local floodplain
or storm surge maps to see if the facility is in danger of flooding.These
maps are available through the local emergency management office in
each county. Many of these maps were revised after Hurricane
Floyd in 1999. Be sure that you and
your family, volunteers or staff are up to date on immunizations, including
for tetanus and hepatitis. Vaccinations are often available through
the local health department. Know local weather terms,
such as the difference between “watch” and “warning,” and take alerts
seriously. Monitor the radio
during alerts. Assign everyone at
the facility to be responsible for particular tasks before the disaster
and afterward. If the rehabilitator expects to receive a large number
of wildlife following the disaster, make the appropriate arrangements.
Will volunteers be needed? Can some wildlife be transferred to other
facilities? Make arrangements in advance.
Include a method for
securing records and backing up computer records. Perhaps, they will
need to be moved to a safe location off-site.
Valuable computer files and records can be electronically transferred. Devise an evacuation
plan. If the facility is in danger, the evacuation plan should be
implemented. Devise a system to ensure that all people and
animals are accounted for before leaving so that no one is left behind. Finally, include plans
of action if the facility is cut off from the rest of the community,
when getting assistance, supplies, or receiving animals may be impossible.
You may want to write press releases in advance to let the public
know what they should do if they find an orphaned or injured wild
animal. |
Case Study –Hurricane Plan
|
In late July storms
were brewing in the Atlantic. One had just been classed as a major hurricane.
The projected path was to hit coastal South Carolina. One hundred miles
inland in central North Carolina, three “in-home” wildlife rehabilitators
followed the projected progress of the storm.
They had worked together
frequently. Each January they got together, ordered supplies in bulk
and divided up what they each needed. If one had too many animals to
care for or was an expert in a species, they would transfer animals
among themselves. They lived in different towns within the same county. On Monday weather forecasts
projected the Category 3 hurricane to hit the coast and track inland
through their county. |
 |
 |
What they learned: |
What they did: | ||||
| üYou can never
have too many deli cups and toilet paper for baby
birds. üCall volunteer foster rehabilitators twice daily to monitor progress and answer questions. üSeveral people who had found wild babies were not able to get them to a rehabilitator. üThey developed "fact sheets" on the emergency care of wild babies to send to the people who were not able to bring the animals to them. üThey contacted these people daily. |
üEach bought extra bottles of amoxicillin to treat infant squirrels with upper respiratory infections. üThough they had some formula for baby squirrels, they each ordered more. üThey each got in supplies of baby bird foods. Experience had taught them that they could expect a lot of mourning doves. üThey bought supplies: soap, extra bleach, more plastic containers. üThey each called trusted friends, family and volunteers and arranged a quick training session for those willing to foster baby squirrels. üThey made advance arrangements to transfer animals among themselves; bunnies to the bunny expert and birds to the rehabilitator with the federal permit. üThey traded supplies and equipment they thought the others might need. |
||||
|
Is there
somewhere online we can purchase these meds? Vicki Comer, Alexander County A: A good place to order from is Washington
Homeopathic Products at Answer provided by WRNC member Pat Isaacs, Fort Mill, S.C. |
|
One Rabbit’s Amazing Recovery By Jeanette Schmitt Anyone who has cared
for injured rabbits knows how sensitive they are and how difficult
it can be for them to survive. In
the past 25 years of doing rehabilitation work, this was by far the
most difficult and challenging case. I want to share with you one
rabbit’s incredible recovery despite all odds. I received a phone
call on July 20 from a woman who had returned from work to find a
baby rabbit behind her refrigerator. Her cat had attacked it that
morning, but I didn’t receive the rabbit till early evening. The rabbit weighed
184 grams and was so battered I couldn’t believe he was still alive. From just behind the shoulder blades to above
the base of the tail was raw meat with a couple of tiny patches of
fur hanging on to loose flesh. Some
of the underlying tissue had been slightly damaged as well, but no
internal organs were exposed. The
rabbit was basically degloved. The
injuries also extended down the left side to where the hind leg meets
the body. The left hind foot was bent in an upward frozen position with a
bone protruding from the bottom of the foot, giving the impression
of a break in the bone. For obvious reasons,
I named the rabbit Scalper. Due to the severity
of the wounds, I doubted he would live, but decided to work as quickly
as possible in case he had a chance.
I began with a heavy dose of Baytril to ward off infection,
used Dexamethasone for shock and injected a large dose of lactated
ringers under the skin. I flushed the wounds as best I could and applied
1% Silver Sulfadiazine, an excellent prescription antibiotic ointment
usually used on burn victims to promote healing. I tried gently bending
the frozen foot to a normal position and realized that there was a
partial dislocation. After this manipulation I was able to flex the
foot pretty well. However,
there was nothing that could be done with the protruding bone. I placed
Scalper in an indoor cage (48” x 20” x 17”) with a soft steri-pad
material over the entire bottom to allow liquid waste to drain and
to prevent bacterial growth. I thought he would probably be dead by the
next morning or would have to be euthanized. When I checked on
him the following day, to my amazement he had eaten quite well. If he was willing to try, so was I. I took Scalper to
Brevard Animal Hospital for advice on how to deal with the severity
of such a wound. Dr. Christine
Weaver treated the rabbit and advised debriding the tissue with gentle
Nolvasan soaks and scrubs every other day. She told me to apply my
antibiotic ointment as well as injecting Baytril and fluids twice
daily. It was going to be a long recovery. The rabbit might not survive
due to the nature of the injury. “Good luck!” she said. My lengthy regimen
of twice daily treatments began.
During the next five days, I followed the doctor’s directions
exactly. Scalper was a trooper in every sense. He never tried to bite and he seemed to know
I was trying to help him. No matter how gentle or careful I was with
his treatment, it was very painful, and he would whine or grunt. I was very diligent
in making sure his nutrition was top notch. Twice a day he was given
a conglomeration of clover, various grasses, weeds, cherries, blueberries,
apples, strawberries, and a large amount of Oxbow diet consisting
of alfalfa/ timothy pellets and fresh timothy hay.
Because of the loss of blood and body fluids, his weight had
dropped to 174 grams, making sub-Q fluids mandatory. Unlike many rabbits
who are picky eaters in captivity, Scalper had a great appetite, especially
for the Oxbow products and fresh produce, which I believe contributed
to his quick healing. On the sixth day I
stopped the fluids but continued the rest of his regimen. By now Scalper
should have been about 185 grams but slowly continued to show improvement
by increasing his weight to176 grams. He seemed to be very content
in a quiet section of my basement with one side of the cage facing
the wall and the other exposed to the indoor treatment area for other
patients. Covering the exposed side of the cage with towels and using
an overhead light in a corner of the cage during the day helped calm
him and created a semblance of day and night. To avoid traumatizing
him further, I tried to be as quiet as possible when I treated him
and spoke in a whisper. By the eighth day,
I decided to pay my veterinarian another visit. Scalper was up to
200 grams, but scabs were forming and the tissue was a mess with the
skin on his back about to slough off.
The edges were very crusty and dry.
Dr. Mark Thompson advised putting Vaseline on the skin around
the edge of the wound to help soften the tissue so it could adhere
better. It’s a trick used on horse wounds, he said.
This was a real turning point in his recovery.
Dr. Thompson advised me to continue my home therapy for the
skin and to apply the same treatment of Nolvasan scrubs and antibiotics
to the bone protruding from the foot. Surgery was too risky but flexing the joint
twice daily would help improve movement. He believed the rabbit had
only a slim chance of recovery. Another problem arose
on the ninth day of treatment. After washing and rinsing the rabbit
with Nolvasan, I dried the area with a towel.
Because Scalper’s back legs were always bent, the skin on the
back of the left hind leg didn’t dry well enough, causing the whole
back of the leg to open up, exposing muscle and tendons.
This, I was told, could have been due to the effect of the
injury on that side. If I ever wanted to give up, it was then.
I regained my composure and concentrated on solving the problem.
Although using gauze
and towels to dry the area is the normal protocol, that wasn’t working,
so I had to be creative. I used a hand-held animal dryer with various
controls. I placed Scalper in a net bag on several towels
in the sink and used the dryer on a cool to warm setting, holding
it about 14 inches from his body. I constantly moved the dryer to
different positions and ran my fingers through the fur so as not to
burn the rabbit and cause further damage to the injured tissues. My decision to use a dryer on a low setting after each washing and
then apply the Vaseline and topical antibiotics proved most beneficial.
However, the noise created more stress for Scalper. I gently stroked
his fur and talked to him in a soft, low voice. Our close bond enabled
me to work well with him. Besides
the entire back of the rabbit and the left foot, I now had the whole
posterior side of the left leg to treat with Silver Sulfadiazine.
It was not an easy area to heal because of the constant movement of
the leg from hopping around the cage. Also, pressure had to be applied to the patella
to extend the leg for treatment.
As the battle for his recovery continued, my determination,
patience and tender loving care paid off.
Scalper continued eating and gaining weight despite the setbacks. This was one tough rabbit. Another two weeks
passed with incredible results. Overall
healing was taking place. After
26 days of being indoors, I could now place Scalper’s cage outside
in my enclosed compound with no more antibiotics and daily weighing.
I didn’t have to worry about maggots or wet weather infiltrating
weakened tissue. On Aug. 19, I called
the Brevard Animal Hospital to view the rabbit one last time before
release. Both doctors were amazed at the his recovery.
Their support and excellent medical advice was invaluable. Scalper had a slight
circular bruise about half the size of a dime on the bottom of his
left foot where skin grew over the protruding bone. The left leg was
completely healed and new fur covered his entire back.
After 29 days in captivity, he weighed 560 grams and was agile. The release took place in my development in a lush green area on the side of a dam overlooking the mountains. It broke my heart to release him because of the obvious attachment, but when I saw the twinkle in his eye at freedom, it was worth it. I had given him a second chance at life and was very grateful for God’s miracle. The old adage “Where there’s life, there’s hope” was certainly true in this case. Jeanette Schmitt is a rehabilitator in Pisgah Forest, N.C. |
  |
Danger in the Water: Ospreys and Mercury
By
Heidi Alderman Master of Science candidate,
t was late June 2004 when
I peeked over the tangled twigs of an osprey nest on Lake Mattamuskeet
in Hyde County to complete my data for the lake’s first to hatch that
season. I expected to see only fish remains and some soft Spanish moss,
but my heart sank. |
|
In the nest I found scavenging beetles and two lumps of feathers with bones beneath. Lake Mattamuskeet’s first two ospreys to hatch in the 2004 nesting season would not be contributing to the eastern North Carolina osprey gene pool. My research, under the
direction of Roger Rulifson, Institute for Coastal and Marine Resource,
and Department of Biology, at East Carolina University, is on mercury
accumulation in osprey nestlings reared in eastern North Carolina. I
sampled 22 birds from 12 nests on Lake Mattamuskeet and 20 birds from nine nests
in Beaufort County on the Pamlico River with permission from the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service. I found Lake Mattamuskeet osprey chicks had
significantly higher mercury burdens in blood, down, and contour feathers
than Pamlico River nestlings throughout development except for one situation.
Though little or no mercury was detected in the eggs from the study
areas, the youngest birds sampled (about 4
weeks after hatch) had the highest blood-mercury concentrations. The
seasonal mercury burdens for Lake Mattamuskeet nestlings averaged 0.24
± 0.17 (mean + standard deviation) parts per million (ppm) in the blood,
4.40 ± 1.73 ppm in the down, and 6.03 ± 2.22 ppm in contour feather
samples. Seasonal mercury burdens for the Pamlico River nestlings averaged
0.11 ± 0.06 ppm in blood, 1.76 ± 0.89 ppm in down, and 2.37 ± 1.22 ppm
in contour feathers. Mercury values for the
lake samples ranged from undetectable to 0.81 ppm for blood, 1.45 ppm
to 9.36 ppm for down, and 1.97 ppm to 13.45 ppm for contours. Samples
from Pamlico River birds ranged from undetectable to 0.30 ppm for blood,
0.20 ppm to 3.27 ppm for down, and 0.23 ppm to 4.81 ppm for contours.
The exception to this
trend was the blood-mercury levels at the peak of feather production.
Blood samples from birds about six weeks old weighing about 1200 grams
appeared to be about equal at both sites, whereas the feather concentrations
consistently remained higher on the lake. Initial high blood-mercury
levels in lake birds decreased because mercury in the living tissues
was drawn into the proteins forming the feathers, sequestered away from
where it can do harm to the developing bird. After the feather production
ceased, however, the mercury in the blood began to rise as the Lake
Mattamuskeet fledglings fed. Pamlico River nestlings generally had stable background mercury levels throughout development (age 2-10 weeks), however, they showed variation between upstream birds and downstream birds. Upstream nests had higher mercury levels. When the data was split by upstream (more freshwater) and downstream (more marine) nests, there was a significant difference in blood and contour feather levels. Upstream nestlings nearer Washington, N.C., had higher mercury levels (blood 0.14 ± 0.07 ppm, down 1.75 ± 0.73 ppm, contour 2.84 ± 1.17 ppm) than downstream birds nearer Aurora, N.C. (blood 0.08 ± 0.03 ppm, down 1.77 ± 1.02 ppm, contour 1.99 ± 1.17 ppm). This supports the notion that the freshwater prey base for osprey is higher in mercury than saltwater prey base.
The hatchlings I described
had mercury levels below the higher estimate but were still considered
at best elevated for risk to bird health. In terms of rehabilitation,
when interpreting a nestlings’ chances of survival relative to mercury
levels found in their feathers or blood, keep in mind the following:
location of the food base, age of the bird, bird weight, time frame
within the nesting season, state of feather production, condition (starvation,
injuries or illness), and behavior of the bird.
Sources: Burger, J. and M. Gochfeld. 1996. “Risk, Mercury Levels, and Birds: Relating Adverse Laboratory Effects to Field Biomonitoring.” Environmental Research 75:160-172.
Poole, A. F. 1989. Osprey: A Natural and Unnatural History. Cambridge University Press, New York. xviii + 246 pp.
Whittemore, R. E. 1984. “Historical overview of osprey at the Mattamuskeet National Wildlife Refuge: results from ten years of nest and productivity surveys.” Pages 17-41 in M. A. Westall (ed.), Proceedings of the Southeastern US and Caribbean Osprey Symposium. International Osprey Foundation, Inc. Sanibel, Florida.
|
NEWS FROM THE STATE
Keeping Chronic Wasting Disease at Bay
|
|
|
|
includes mad cow disease in
cattle and scrapie in sheep. The
disease is thought to be caused by an abnormal protein called a prion
that converts normal proteins in the brain and other neurological tissue
into other prions. Chronic wasting disease is always fatal; no
treatment, cure, or vaccine exists. |
|
WRNC has
set up a listgroup on Yahoo! for members to share information, ask
|
Advertisement
| VITAHAWK VITAHAWK MAINTENANCE: For flying, molting, and breeding raptors. 100 g $10 300 g $20 VITAHAWK BREEDER: Use WITH maintenance during breeding season. 100 g $12 300 g $22 Original Recipe NEW LARGER SIZE 3.5 g Jess Grease: $12.95 Game Shears-wide comfortable handle, stainless steel, dishwasher safe, use left or right handed- $13.00 SHIPPING CHARGES: Order Total: <$50 $50-149 $150+ USA add: $6 $9 $17 Canadian add: $8 $11 $19 Funds drawn on a US Bank. Credit cards accepted. Email for instructions on sending card information or use our secure on-line ordering - see website. |
 |
By D.B. Scientific
Ensuring raptor health and endurance is the desire of all falconers. VITAHAWK is a vitamin supplement especially formulated by our avian nutritionist and veterinarian to meet your goals. VITAHAWK is used around the world by falconers, universities, rehabbers, and zoos. Now in use for over 14 years, raptor enthusiasts can trust the quality and expertise behind the name. D. B. Scientific Visit our Website at: www.vitahawk.com vitahawk@gmail.com |
Thanks!
WRNC extends a
special thank-you to the following in-kind contributors for raffle donations
or discounts for this year’s Symposium.
Jeffers http://www.jefferspet.com
UPCO http://www.UPCO.com
D.B Scientific/Vitahawk http://www.Vitahawk.com
Cracker Barrel Old Country
Store http://www.crackerbarrel.com
Squirrel Store http://www.squirrelstore.com
NEKTON Products http://www.Nekton.de
Ben Meadows Company http://www.BenMeadows.com
PetAg, Inc. http://www.PetAg.com
Washington Homeopathic
Products, Inc. http://www.homeopathyworks.com
Mike Dupuy Hawk Food http://www.MikeDupuyHawkFood.com
Coconut Creek Publishing http://www.WildlifeRehabToday.com
Nature’s Way http://www.theNaturesWay.com
Fox Valley Animal Nutrition,
Inc. http://www.FoxValleyNutrition.com
NWRA http://www.nwrawildlife.org
IWRC http://www.IWRC-online.org
Possumwood Acres/Toni O’Neil http://www.possumwoodacres.org
Animal Rehabilitators of the
Carolinas http://www.arcwildlife.org
Hampton Inn of Asheboro http://www.hamptoninn.com
NC Zoological Park http://www.nczoo.org
Kathy Lillard
Kay Raade
Wild at Heart Wildlife
Rehab./Beth Knapp-Tyner
John Althouse
Linda Bergman
Connie Sale
|
SPOTLIGHT Possumwood Acres Wildlife Sanctuary By Toni O’Neil Possumwood Acres Wildlife Sanctuary is a
work-in-progress in Hubert, N.C., halfway between Jacksonville and Swansboro
on the coast. It is a 17-acre wildlife rehabilitation facility created
by Toni O'Neil, who moved there in August 2003. |
   |
 |
|
Book Corner By Brenda Hiles
“The Pig Who Sang to the Moon – The Emotional World of Farm Animals” By Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson Random House 277 pages $25.95
|
 |
|
“I
think it is wrong to raise animals for food,” he writes. “I just do
not believe that anybody will take care to give an animal a “good life”
if the point of that life is to end up as a meal on the table.” We
betray the trust of farm animals every day, Masson argues, by taking
from them eggs, milk and meat. In often painful detail he describes
what occurs on farms: dairy cows that bellow when separated from their
young; pigs kept in cramped, squalid conditions; chickens forced to
produce too many eggs, only to be slaughtered when they can’t keep up
with demand. Masson
includes a chapter each on pigs, chickens, sheep, cows and ducks. The
book is rich in anecdotes to illustrate his argument that animals experience
pain and joy much as humans do. The
way to relieve their suffering is simple, Masson writes. We should allow
farm animals to live the life they were meant to lead without fear that
they will be exploited or slaughtered. He paints a Utopian picture of
chickens roosting in trees, sheep frolicking on hillsides and cows raising
their young in green pastures. Masson’s
argument for veganism works on an emotional level, but its lack of scientific
rigor may fail to sway many critics.
Humans,
who have difficulty maintaining habitats for wild animals, are unlikely
to find it economically feasible to create large areas for domestic
animals to live in peace. Surely the demands placed on the environment
by a growing population would encroach on Masson’s vision of Utopian
pastures. In
writing about the intelligence and sensitivity of pigs, Masson fails
to mention that pigs, too, will eat meat. A serial killer in Canada
disposed of his victims by feeding them to his pigs. No
animal starves or freezes to death in the wild, Masson says. Yet, there
have been documented cases of emaciated animals, especially deer, suffering
in the wild. Despite
its flaws, the book offers plenty to think about. Be warned: After reading
“The Pig Who Sang to the Moon,” it’s difficult to sit down to a meal
without thinking that the food on your plate was once a living creature
capable of great joy and pain. |
So
far the cases have been traced to contact with infected poultry, with
no evidence of human-to-human transmission.
T
