Megan Mosby
Executive Director
The Power of Teamwork
Another Orphan Care Season is in the books, and a very successful season it was. Our Intake has slowed down enough that any late comers can be handled by our Medical Services Team. Our final statistics are still being tallied but what we know at this point its impressive.
So far, there have been over 1100 birds released with more still in the aviaries getting the final time to ready themselves to go out in the world. These numbers don’t reflect all of the other baby mammals that have come in for “raising” who have also gone back into the wild.
In the Orphan Care facilities over 70 volunteers filled shifts from 7 in the morning until after 7 in the evening…clean up and preparation for the next day always take more time that you think. But, these loyal, consistent and caring people of all ages and walks in life unselfishly clocked in for their shifts to feed insistent mouths and clean up for them afterwards day after day, week after week, month after month.
And let’s not forget, it all started with you, a caring public. The calls start coming in as babies are found on the ground, in orphaned nests, and storm damaged homes. Rescues are made and containers, kept quiet, dark, and warm, were transported to our Intake Window throughout the spring, summer and early fall. You played a necessary part of this team of heroes.
In fact, I am marveling at the power of teamwork to make this all happen. All our teams, including our Orphan Care team and our Medical Services team, are activated when you call our Hotline team, and they contact our Rescue /Transport team. Each cog of the wheel has a job to do when it comes to wildlife care for release back into the wild. Not one of those people is expendable… not one.
Our teamwork goes farther when you think of the food, medicines, and equipment that needs to be ordered, stored, or kept in tiptop functioning order. Those people have to be on top of the needs and make accurate projections for the future. Teamwork!
The facility has many moving parts, many programs, a small staff and a huge cadre of volunteers all of whom share the same mission. When your mission aligns with your goals and actions, magic happens. Unified efforts like this propel us to solve problems, to save lives, to make a huge difference. Our collective impact comes together to get things done.
A great example of this is our successful hatching and preparing of our first condor baby to go to foster parents at The Peregrine Fund last year. She is now grown and ready to be released back into the Grand Canyon entering the Southwest flock and replacing genetically her mother who succumbed to Avian flu.
Help us celebrate our successes and revel in the good that has been done by a dedicated group of like-minded folks…
“Individually we are one drop, together we are an ocean” –Ryunosuke Satoro
This Week @ Liberty – September 24, 2024
The cooler morning weather is not just well deserved, it also means that our Orphan Care season has come to a close and our rehabilitation side is slowing down. But, it also means that our education team is about to be busy; with different on-site events, field trips, and off-site events, our nearly seventy education volunteers are sure to be hard at work showing off our animal ambassadors and helping people learn about our native wildlife.
You’ll definitely want to keep up with the happenings here as we dive in to fall!
A Pigeon “Toupee”
I can imagine the term “pigeon toupee” is not one you’d expect to hear. If you’ve been following us for any length of time, you’re probably used to the randomness that pops up, at least, for rehabilitation. The truth of it is, we never really know what’s going to walk through our doors. Sure, broken bones and lacerations (cuts) are super common, but what this one pigeon endured, is not.
A cute little juvenile pigeon came in weeks ago with a wound called “scalping.” This is when a cut or a tear, usually on the back of the head, removes a large portion of the skin, which leaves the animal with the skull exposed (the before picture is pretty brutal, so we will forgo those this time around). Unfortunately, there are many who come in with this type of injury who have other severe injuries as well, and we have to make the call. Fortunately for this little guy, everything else but the back of the skull looked great.
Which, if you’ve been wondering, is where the toupee came in.
Our volunteer vets were able to surgically suture a medical patch onto the back of the skull, which, for all intents and purposes, acted as a second skin. This not only helps to protect the exposed bone, but helps to keep the area moist for proper healing.
And thankfully, it healed super well! After just a few weeks, the toupee came off and what remained was a minor laceration, which was then stitched closed. With orphan care season now at an end, this pigeon has been moved out to our aviaries, where we’ll ensure he is flying properly, and feeding himself, before being released back out into the wild, with no embarrassing bald patch.
Release @ Liberty Wildlife
I love a good release story (don’t we all?). I especially love those that are released here, right in Liberty Wildlife’s backyard.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about a Coachwhip, a snake we don’t often see (you can read the previous blog post here). Well, after officially being here for two months (to the day, too!), this spicy snake got a clean bill of health. Midwestern veterinarians and students were happy to announce we could release this coachwhip into appropriate habitat right here on property (I may be biased, but we do have some pretty awesome spaces here to hang if you’re a wild animal).
This Coachwhip took his time once released, lounging in the morning sun in the tall grasses around the wetlands. And, if you’ve ever wondered why these guys aren’t often spotted…I wonder if YOU can spot the Coachwhip, and all his camouflaged glory, sunbathing (before promptly disappearing all together).
What are some of your favorite camouflaged animals who live in Arizona?
Notable Mentions
Look at you, you made it! And I’m so happy you did. Starting October 2, our public open hours are back on the fall schedule, meaning we’re open from 10am-1pm (and with scheduled programing and wildlife presentations back in order!). We’ve also got a huge event popping up Saturday, November 9—the first official joining of Condors and Cocktails with our annual Wishes for Wildlife (silent auction) will commence between 4pm-7pm! You definitely don’t want to miss out on a fun filled evening of animal encounters, silent bids on some amazing products, and cocktails (you can buy tickets here at just $100/person for this 21+ age event).
Without further ado, here are this weeks’ notable mentions:
Zeus the bearded dragon takes a well-earned snooze (1 picture)
A wild first-year Harris’s hawk joins the flight team for a quick hello (4 pictures (2 by Ceci))
Medical service volunteer Susie and volunteer Dr. Sarah Coonrod assess an injured great horned owl (2 pictures)
A nestling pigeon comes in with an interesting growth of feathers (2 pictures)
As always, thanks for your time in getting here, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.
Until next time!
Posted by Acacia Parker
Public Outreach Coordinator