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2006 in Review, Year-End Report for Wildlife Rescue

It Was A Very Busy Season, Indeed!

Due to the unusually heavy rainy season, the 2006 busy season didn’t really pick up until May. However, once the rain subsided the animals came pouring in as usual. WRI had one of its busiest squirrel seasons ever. We recruited dozens of new volunteers who willingly took on extra shifts to help out. In 2006, just under 1800 animals were admitted to our clinic. Special thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers, as well as all of our members and donors and for those writers who on our request "write my narrative essay for me" created a nice educational essay about our busy year, how many good things we have done, including different educational programms, animal rescues about our financial side and many others. We wouldn’t have survived the season without your help! As for 2007, the season began in February with our first orphaned squirrels admitted to the clinic- we are looking forward to an earlier, yet just as enjoyable, busy season!

Let’s look further into what 2006 was like…

Rehabilitation:

Interesting Animal Stories:

An unidentifiable orphaned nestling was admitted into our clinic last season. The nestling was very small and naked when it arrived. We had to wait weeks for the feathering to grow in order to identify it. With constant care from our clinic staff and volunteers the nestling progressed very well. To our amazement the nestling developed into a beautiful Pacific Slope Flycatcher fledgling. Approximately one month after the flycatchers’ arrival, it was successfully released.

On a more serious note, WRI received an ill adult Opossum last season. He was extremely emaciated and near death. His first night in the clinic was a battle. Through careful examination, we discovered the Opossum was suffering from an acute respiratory infection. He was immediately placed on antibiotics. Surprisingly after just two days, he was showing marked signs of improvement. Three weeks later, the infection had cleared and his weight had nearly doubled. He was successfully released.

WRI also received an adult Gopher Snake last season. It managed to get itself tangled up in a piece of mesh fencing. As a result, the mesh became embedded in its skin. It took our clinic staff over an hour to carefully remove every last piece of wire. Once the wire was removed, the skin healed quickly and the snake was successfully released at the Baylands.

Bobcat Update:

As some of you may know, we admitted an orphaned bobcat cub from Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve in Los Altos last summer. When he arrived at our clinic he was dirty, dehydrated, emaciated, and depressed. While he was with us, he was warmed, hydrated, cleaned and fed. Once he was stabilized, we transferred him to the Morgan Hill rehabilitation center where he was placed in a large enclosure with four other bobcat cubs. WRI recently received an update from the Morgan Hill facility. The bobcat cub is doing well and will be released back into the wild in early spring. They would like to release him sooner but due to the cool winter months they decided to err on the side of caution and wait.

Education:

Attendance for our Community Education programs increased once again in 2006. Our 13 Educational Team volunteers reached over 4000 children and adults with 60 programs. Community Education programs are already scheduled as far ahead as June 2007! A popular new addition this year was a puppet show for preschool children. Written by Stanford students specifically for WRI, the play features a little boy, his teacher, an injured squirrel and a wise owl. Our Education Team is proceeding with a revision of our educational coloring book, and had an update this winter to our middle school presentation as well.

Wildlife Rescue Day:

The 2006 Wildlife Rescue Day was the most successful to date. There were approximately 500 attendees. One of the highlights was a Girl Scout Troop who worked with children on their wildlife related craft projects. Other popular draws were WRI’s educational ambassadors, face painters and for the first time, a bake sale. The bake sale generated much needed additional donations. We are moving this event outdoors for 2007 so even more people can join in the fun and learn about Wildlife Rescue.

Fall Gala:

Our annual fall fund raising event was also a great success! Over $19,000 was raised to support WRI. Attendees enjoyed themselves by indulging in the wonderful selection of food and Thomas Fogarty fine wines as they bid on the large array of auction items donated for this year’s event. At dusk, a juvenile Great Horned Owl was successfully released. As one of our raptor team volunteers was telling the audience about the bird’s history, he leaped from her wrist. The owl gracefully flew to a group of trees in the distance where he landed on the tallest one. It was a beautiful sight.

Finances:

We had many successes in 2006, but we were also faced with several financial challenges. In the current economic climate we are facing stiff competition for every dollar. The organization is looking at various options to cut expenses while managing to maintain, and in some cases improve the quality of care we provide for the animals. This undertaking is being driven by the dedicated animal care professionals on our staff as they work closely with other rehabilitation facilities, educational institutions and veterinarians. The other staff members are busy looking for additional funding opportunities, and make sure that we are receiving the most return on our investment of time, money and energy.

All of our successes this year are because of the loyalty and generosity of our donors. Everyone at Wildlife Rescue, Inc. would like to thank you for your support. We all look forward to another exciting and successful season in 2007.