Fieldcraft

With the unseasonably warm weather and the prediction on Puxatawney Phil, Spring will have sprung soon enough. Even now, the crocuses are threatening to bloom, irises are sprouting, and daffodils are thinking about reaching toward the sky. I fear (and kind of hope) that they may be in for a shock in the coming weeks. Our area needs a good, long cold snap. Given the germinating flora that is emerging, I got to thinking about the fauna. As people who spend much of our lives enjoying our land lets take a look at an often misguided gesture of kindness. Let us talk about interacting with orphaned or injured wildlife.

When I was in college, I had the privilege of working as a necropsy and lab technician for the Avrum Gudelsky Veterinary Center located in College Park, Maryland. This facility was the post- mortem facility for the Virginia- Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, as well as for the USDA, and the Maryland Department of Agriculture. As a matter of terminology, and simply put, "autopsy" translates from Latin to "self- examination" meaning that it is only used when referring to fellow humans. "Necropsy" roughly translates to "examination afterlife," which makes the term useful when referring to other species. I was majoring in Animal Science and Equine Science at the University of Maryland, and my time in the lab was the perfect daily tutorial for my studies. I went to classes, labs, and discussions in the morning, and I went to work in the afternoon reinforcing what I was learning. I encountered many, many species, all of whom had a story to tell. I was there to help with the telling. Physical postmortem examination, dissection, tissue preservation, histopathology, serology virology, bacteriology, etiology, and epidemiology, etc.…. I learned all of it. Lots of "ologies." Often, the lab would receive wildlife that had been found by good Samaritans, had received their well-intentioned care and had passed.

At the same time that I was working at the Gudelsky Center, I was working with a wildlife veterinarian. He was an excellent steward of the critters that stare at us without our knowledge. His most significant piece of advice was always that they are more afraid of us than our worst "human" panic attack. Our "fostering" can literally kill them, and possibly harm us. Our avian friends are the most fragile. Imagine being abducted by aliens. That is their experience.

Contrary to common opinion, baby birds can, when possible, be returned to their nest. Birds do not identify their young by smell. In most situations, young birds, also called "fledglings" are out of the nest, can bounce around, vocalize, and will often have a parent warning from above. Leave these babies alone. Very young (no feathers) or obviously injured birds of any age, when not able to be "shooed" away, should be loosely wrapped in a towel, and placed in the smallest animal carrier available. Please do not attempt to feed them, or offer them water until you have spoken to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. If you are not familiar with your local wildlife rehabilitation center (Blue Ridge Wildlife Center serves the Piedmont), call your local Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries office or the NON-EMERGENCY number of your local sheriff's department, and they will guide you.

I did many, many examinations on baby birds that were fed bread soaked with milk, and were then taken to a veterinarian. Now, let us talk about the cute "orphans" that we find: deer, raccoon, and rabbits. There is nothing more precious than finding alone, sleeping baby deer. In almost every case, leave it alone. Does will always place their young and leave them for hours while they forage. Fawns have no natural scent, so they are ahead of the food chain when predators are on the hunt. There exist a few visible indicators that you may need to intervene.

Visible and extensive bleeding, heavy oral panting, or curled ears. Fawns that have been without milk for several days will exhibit ears that are curled. This is a sign of dehydration. In all cases, CALL FOR HELP. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REHABILITATE THE FAWN. Raccoons, rabbits, (and squirrels) are also of note. They tend to have precocious young, and crawling; inquisitive furbabies are usually okay. If they are lethargic, obviously very, very young, (or are lacking fur), if their nests have been disturbed or destroyed or they are injured, call your local wildlife center. Otherwise, it is best to leave them alone.

Not to be forgotten are our humble Terrapene friends, commonly called box turtles. One of my wife's favorite activities is to do the "turtle trot." In other words, it is beneficial to assist turtles in crossing roads when safe to do so. It is essential to move them in the direction that they are heading. Turtles have solid homing instincts, so relocating them will cause them to search for their home range, placing them at a higher risk of injury, or worse.

Whatever the species, use common sense if an interaction with our local wildlife is unavoidable. When in doubt, place a call to Blue Ridge Wildlife Center. They offer excellent advice over the phone and can arrange for transport to their center when warranted.

Thank you for reading. I will see you in the field.