Article
How Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers Help Animals Survive A Catastrophe
Orphaned otter in care at a wildlife rescue center (credit: Colin Seddon on Shutterstock)
Wildlife is more and more likely to experience a catastrophe. This is because extreme weather events such as floods and wildfires occur more often due to climate change. But also due to man-made disasters, such as oil spills. And because of urbanization, they are more likely to bump into a human structure, such as a fence or car.
Many animals including birds, mammals, and even reptiles are injured or orphaned because of these catastrophes. Some die from their injuries, others need long-term medical care. Thankfully, wildlife experts are able to help millions of injured or orphaned animals each year.
Wildlife experts usually treat injured animals in wildlife rehabilitation centers. Wildlife rehabilitation means providing short-term care for injured, sick, or orphaned wildlife, with the goal of returning them to the wild. Following best practices based on science increases their success. This is what is important for rehabilitation centers to help injured and orphaned animals survive:
Facilities
The first aspect that is important for wildlife rehabilitation centers to help injured and orphaned animals survive is having adequate facilities. Adequate facilities mean that the facilities exist and have the equipment and medication needed to treat the animals. Facilities these rehabilitation centers need include:
- first aid materials, such as bandages
- medication, such as anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics
- pain killers, such as opioids
- additional nutritional support, such as vitamin B12 or honey
- supporting devices, such as oxygen supply devices
- imaging technology, such as cameras and x-ray devices
- housing, such as cages
In this excellent video, you can see how a a sun bear that got orphaned was rescued and treated, and which facilities are used:
https://youtu.be/NJi55ls2yMA
Staff
The second aspect that is important for wildlife rehabilitation centers to help injured and orphaned animals survive is having expert staff. Having expert staff means hiring trained professionals such as veterinarians. It also means hiring the right number of trained people.
Having enough expert staff members to care for these animals is important to be able to help all animals. Often, volunteers support the professionals with rescuing, feeding, cleaning, and releasing the animals. Other tasks require veterinarians or wildlife rehabilitation experts. For example, operations require specialized knowledge and can only be done by veterinarians. Also, veterinarians assess the animals before release. They check their physical fitness, their recovery from injuries or illness, and their independence to make it as likely as possible that they will survive.
Procedures
The third aspect that is important for wildlife rehabilitation centers to help injured and orphaned animals survive is working with science-based procedures. Especially procedures for healthcare treatments, feeding, and skill development help more animals survive rehabilitation;
Healthcare treatments: Healthcare treatments are more effective when they are performed based on diagnostic tests rather than observations. Just like in our hospitals, in rehabilitation centers, it is important to make an accurate diagnosis so that the right treatment and the right dose of medication can be given. Clear procedures help prevent errors and save lives.
- Feeding: Feeding injured or orphaned animals with the right food is very important. Also, the right amount is important, as animals with more body fat tend to do the best after release. And how the animals are fed can make a difference too. For example, juvenile mammals that are fed by hand with an artificial milk replacer survive more often than when being fed with fish.
- Skill development: Critical for helping an animal survive after releasing it to the wild is teaching them the right skills. These skills include hunting, foraging, and social interactions. For example, baby deer need a mentor to replace the mother-fawn relationship.
- During rehabilitation, it is important to limit the interaction with humans. They should keep a healthy distance so that they also keep this distance when released in the wild.
Release
The fourth aspect that is important for wildlife rehabilitation centers to help injured and orphaned animals survive is knowledge about appropriate release back into the wild. These factors make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful release:
- Hard release versus soft release: Some animals are more likely to survive with a soft release, others with a hard release. A soft release means that animals are familiarized with the area before being released. A hard release means animals are released without familiarizing themselves with the areas first. For example, Asiatic black bears prefer a soft release whereas kangaroos prefer a hard release.
- Habitat quality: Apart from how animals are released, it is important where they are released. The area where they are released should be appropriate, which includes providing enough food and shelter. For example, koalas must be released in an area with eucalyptus to be able to survive. In case the area is not optimal, it is also possible to prepare the area, for example by building fences.
- Human interactions: Also important is whether many humans are present in their new habitat. Most animals are more likely to survive when released in areas with limited human contact. For example, bears need to be released far away from people to limit the number of bears being killed by local residents.
In this video, you can see a monkey troop being released. I got tears in my eye watching this beautiful moment:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbPKSqhSAAU
Conclusion
So, important for wildlife rehabilitation centers to help injured and orphaned wildlife survive are having appropriate facilities, expert staff, science-based procedures, and the opportunity to release the animals in appropriate areas.
How we can take action
Here are practical ideas of what you and I can do to help injured and orphaned wildlife survive:
- Supporting initiatives that work on rehabilitating wildlife
- Donating money to a wildlife rehabilitation center
- Volunteering at a wildlife rehabilitation center
https://www.sustainabledecisions.eu/guide-to-a-healthier-planet
Credit
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People working in wildlife centres are the heroes we don't deserve, doing tremendous work to save precious lives 💚
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This is impressive, the animals too need protection
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This is an impressive initiative that helps restore and maintain diversity.
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Amazing, Every animal deserves a better life just like human beings
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@millicent_olale you are right
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The devastation the animals go through is a lot. Thanks to those who put the animals into consideration and ease their pain
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This a great intiative, I always appreciate the rehabilitation center that take in Animals that have gone through catastrophe others is even displaced by forest distracted by cutting down trees, there some when I go through Facebook they would say when you review or commitment you participated I salute and do so. Good work done they really need support everyday because this disasters have been cause by human. I love the work the rehabilitation do.