Date: Sun, 22 Feb 2009 08:01:59 -0800
Reply-To: Charlie <cmmbirds@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Georgia Birders Online <GABO-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From: Charlie <cmmbirds@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Woodcock mortality
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Liz and all,
I have a good friend who is an animal control person. He is a very good person and means well. I have no idea if his experience is typical for people in his position, but I assume it is.
He has NO training on anything except dogs and a bit on cats. He was basically an able-bodied person willing to do the work. Now and then I give him some tips, and he is very open minded about it and willing to learn. But his employer has neither ability nor willingness to provide training about anything else. The vast majority of their calls are for feral/domestic animals, and so that is what interests them. Which is, actually, very logical.
So my recommendation to anyone who finds an injured animal is to not even consider calling county or city animal control, unless the animal presents a danger to people, or obviously needs to be euthanized. Instead, contact a rehabber directly.
Of course, realize that with this terrible economy, rehabbers are really hurting. Some are likely to cease to exist without some serious financial help. So if you contact one, I strongly recommend you make a small donation at the same time. Consider the amount of time and cost of materials that animal is likely to cost them, and consider how much you can help offset that.
Also, realize that most rehabbers are one- or two-person operations and simply don't have the resources to drive across the state to pick up animals. So if you're going to help, you really should consider being willing to take the animal to them.
And as hard as this may seem... we should all really step back for a second and prioritize any animals we see - how likely is it to survive even if a rehabber gets it? While we humans see animal death as sad, remember that a small corpse may be what keeps a hawk, vulture, bobcat, box turtle or other being alive.
Now in Liz' particular case, I would bring the bird to a rehabber, as there likely aren't too many native decomposers in the area, and it sounds like the bird might have a chance to survive, given appropriate care.
And, more importantly... does anyone want to do a study of how many birds are killed by that building?!? From your post, it sounds significant.
Charlie Muise
Lamar County
--- On Sun, 2/22/09, Liz Horsey <erhorsey@COMCAST.NET> wrote:
From: Liz Horsey <erhorsey@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: [GABO-L] Woodcock mortality
To: GABO-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date: Sunday, February 22, 2009, 10:43 AM
Yep, you guessed it. Another window strike in the area of Peachtree Center. I do not know how long this bird has been dead since I found it on a Sunday morning. I have found two other disoriented woodcocks either in the parking lot or in the plaza of Peachtree Center in the past. Upon advice, I called Fulton Co. animal control to get one of those to a rehabber, after talking to FCAC, but the guys who wrangle pit bulls have no idea how to handle a bird without squeezing the life out of it and don't know to throw a cloth over a bird's head, or not to pitch it into a cat crate. That was an extremely disheartening experience. I have thought of getting a real bird rehabber to give a short class to Fulton County A.C. techs on how to handle birds, and would be glad to coordinate something like that with the County if I could get a volunteer to teach a class or two. Anyone interested? DNR has said they would not do something like this.
Liz Horsey
erhorsey@comcast.net
NW Atlanta, Fulton Co.
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