August 3rd, 2022
So the last week has been extremely quiet, which is to say it has been the calm before the storm. Yesterday we got 13 baby opossums, so work probably won't be quiet for much longer. We got two baby squirrels a few days ago as well. Near the end of the summer, there is always a second "wave" of baby animals, usually in the form of baby squirrels and baby opossums. By the time I come back and start volunteering at CWC after classes start at Juniata, there should be a ton of baby squirrels and opossums. I won't complain that this week was relaxing though. CWC's volunteer and intern party was last Saturday. I had to work most of the time, but I was able to get some food and relax for a bit. We were allowed to be out at the party as much as we wanted, but I think my boss has trained us to be a little too vigilant. We did get to leave an hour early though, so it was worth it.
Something that has been really exciting this week is that we have started working with and socializing our Merlin. The Merlin I mentioned in my blog two weeks ago is sadly unreleasable. She doesn't seem to be able to fly due to the nutritional deficiencies she suffered from as a baby. Additionally, the Merlin is imprinted on humans, meaning that she is very friendly towards humans and treats us like we are her parents. If the Merlin had been brought to CWC right after she was found instead of being improperly cared for by people for two weeks, she most likely would have been releasable. A lot of us at CWC are hoping that we will be able to keep the Merlin as an educational animal since she is so sweet and friendly. Don't get me wrong though, the Merlin still likes to nibble on fingers when she wants a snack, so it's not like she's harmless. I'm trying to convince people that we should name the Merlin "Hecate" if we get to keep her. Hecate is the Greek goddess of magic, which fits with the Merlin name. Also, some of our educational raptors have goddess names, such as our Peregrine Falcon, Artemis.
As happy as I am that we might get to keep the Merlin, all of us at CWC want to see our animals released more than anything. In cases where we are unable to rehabilitate an animal to the point it is releasable, we will try to place the animal with a wildlife sanctuary or zoo. Whether or not we place the animal depends on the species and temperament of the animal. Some species, such as mourning doves, just don't do well in captivity, so we never place them. Additionally, animals that are friendly or calm around people are much easier to place than ones that aren't. All of our educational animals are non-releasable for various reasons. Our educational songbirds all have permanent injuries that make them unable to fly properly. The bats Betsy and Henrietta are also unable to fly properly due to wing injuries. Opal, our opossum, was kept as a pet and fed improperly, so she has a bone disorder similar to what the Merlin has. Our skunk Petunia was born in a zoo, so she has never been wild at all. Mo the squirrel has hyperthyroidism, so he needs daily medication to survive. Sugar the sugar glider and essentially all of our turtles were confiscated pets that were brought to CWC by the Game Commission for care and placement.
Part of out job is to spend time socializing the educational animals, and I have a lot of fun doing it when I have time. Lots of our animals like special treats such as fresh fruit, nuts, and mealworms. Some of our educational animals like to be held, especially Mo and Petunia. Mo loves to run around on my back and we play games where he jumps between people's shoulders. Petunia likes to snuggle up to your neck and hair. Some of the turtles can be hand-fed pieces of fruit, and there's nothing more fun than seeing Opal chow down on a tasty treat while you give her pets. Something I will stress though, is that even though CWC's educational animals are friendly to us, they are still wild animals. People have gotten pretty bad bites from our educational animals by not being careful about where they had their hands while feeding them. Even though they are so fun, safety is always important when dealing with animals, even if they are "tame" to some extent. As long as we are careful, the educational animals at CWC are lots of fun, and I love spending time with all of them!
Next week will be my final blog post, so look forward to that!
