Megan Mosby
Executive Director
‘Tis getting to be the season… for lots going on around town and around Liberty Wildlife.
To add to all of the festivities, we are planning some events for you to be a part of this season… like Black Friday at Liberty Wildlife. We are encouraging everyone to spend an out of doors Black Friday with us. Come to see our beautiful, award winning facility with our educational ambassadors and their educational handlers. We will be out in force as a lure to get you outside. We will, of course, allow for shopping, but as in everything we do it will be shopping in a balance. The profits from everything you purchase will be funneled directly back to our mission, and that means providing care for the animals in need that you bring to us. Our store will be wide open, we will have raffle drawings for prizes and everyone will get a chance to participate in the raffle release of a rehabilitated wild critter. This new and fun event will be held the Friday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 29thfrom 10:00 TO 1:00.
Following that event and starting on Saturday morning, Nov. 30thyou will have a chance to capture your pet’s image for your holiday card or just for you. From 9 to 1 on Saturday and Sunday, Barb Del’Ve, veteran pet photographer, will capture your pet’s perfection! You will receive a 20-minute session and three Hi-Rez digital images for printing (up to 8×10). Your puppy, cat, bird, reptile or exotic companion is welcome with a limit of 2 animals per session. In addition, you will receive one complimentary admission ticket to Liberty Wildlife. It is so easy…book online at https://tinyurl.com/LibertyWildlife. Book now as the slots are filling up and there will be no walk ins.
And, if that weren’t enough, Barb Del’Ve Photography is donating 100% of the proceeds back to Liberty Wildlife. Here’s a chance, for a mere $35 for you to capture your pet at its best. At the same time, you are supporting Liberty Wildlife. And, last but surely not least, you are acting to support our planet.
Don’t forget our first Saturday of the month, Nature Walks with City of Phoenix Park Ranger, Brian Miller and our second Friday of the month Coffee with the Ranger. In both instances you can learn about the riparian area with its flora and fauna, visit beaver dams and watch the birds…both are free to you. How could you miss the free coffee and bagels or doughnuts and stimulating conversations to please all nature lovers.
I hope to see all of you soon.
This Week @ Liberty – November 19, 2019
It’s nearly Thanksgiving and the total is edging upward. I doubt we’ll hit the 10K mark, but each arrival now sets a new record. As long as the weather stays benign, we should be able to keep up with the migratory birds and animals that do end up in need of our care. The good news is the level of activity allows us to thoroughly treat the injured creatures we do see – and we are seeing a panoply of species in addition to the red tails and great horneds that we’d expect. As we take a breath from the rush of the spring and summer, we’re also preparing for the upcoming 2019 edition of the Liberty Wildlife Volunteer Appreciation Picnic (which will be more of a brunch this year.) If you’re a volunteer, be sure to attend! In the meantime, let’s see what came in…
We had a group of volunteer from Medtronics provided a work party that come out a short while ago. They spent several hours over two days helping City of Phoenix Park Ranger Brian Miller clean up the area around the trail from Liberty Wildlife down to the river. We have ideas to really make Liberty a “Go-to” destination in the area! Thanks for the help, guys!
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So yes, we do get in a lot of red tailed hawks and great horned owls, but lately we have seen a number of roadrunners come in for help. Unfortunately, a number of them have leg injuries which is particularly bad for a bird that spent most of its time running on the ground. the one we had recently appeared to have both legs intact, thankfully. He made the jump to an outside enclosure! The red bat is not as common a visitor as the Mexican free-tail or the Pipistrelles, but not exactly uncommon either. I suspect this little guy just missed the last bus home before sunrise and got trapped by the daylight!
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I recently brought a young turkey vulture up from Christy Van Cleve, our agent in Sierra Vista. It turned out he had a fracture of the ulna on one wing, quite near the joint. The closer to joints that breaks occur, the more problematic they are as pinning bones in that area is extremely difficult, as you can imagine. Dr. Lamb attempted to pin the breaks conventionally but ended up doing an external apparatus due to the proximity to the joint. The surgery was a success and the bird is now doing fine!
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Vet night (Tuesday) saw Dr. Lapa, and Dr. Wyman working on a couple of Cooper’s hawks, the roadrunner, plus a great horned or two. This time of year, with the decreased number of patients, the afternoon’s tasks are finished in short order with the skill of the veterinarians and the help of Sara, our Medical Services volunteer.
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Later on in the week, new R&T volunteer Steven Kay did his first rescue, an osprey with a wing injury. In this case, both the radius and the ulna were fractured, again close to the joint. (see x-ray) This was also repaired by Dr.Lamb with an external fixator. As of today – 11.18, both birds are healing well and doing fine. Having a tremendously talented avian surgeon available is incredibly fortuitous for Liberty – and the birds for whom we care! Thank you for being on the team, Dr. Lamb!
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Someone brought in a Pacific loon from the northern part of the State. Loons are not usually found in or even near the desert as they are designed specifically to be birds of the water. Their legs and feet are located so far aft of their center of gravity that they are unable to move freely on land. If one has unlucky enough to come down on land, they are in big trouble if they can’t get back to water again in short order as they cannot physically take off without a long water runway. This particular individual has signs that he was on the ground for some time (missing toes, abrasions on the chest, etc.) We are now thinking that the reason for his being down might be the wad of trash in his digestive system. In any case, Dr. Lamb is scheduled to surgically remove the foreign objects tomorrow. Updates to follow…
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Posted by Terry Stevens
Operations Director