Conserve Wildlife Blog

Posts Tagged ‘rehabilitation’

Osprey 78/D: A Second Chance

Thursday, August 31st, 2017
“Chump” is rescued, rehabbed, and released

by Ben Wurst, Habitat Program Manager

Chump, what are you doing down there? Photo by Northside Jim.

On Sunday, July 30th I woke and checked my email early that morning. I had an urgent message from Deb Traster, who lives adjacent to the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences (LBIF). She said that something was not right with one of the young ospreys that fledged from a nearby nesting platform where I banded three nestlings with red bands on July 5. One was on the ground and could not take off. Fearing the worst (entanglement), she checked it out and sought help. After getting in touch with me, I reached out to my buddy, Northside Jim to see if he could get there that morning. (more…)

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Posted in Birds, osprey, Raptors, Wildlife News, Wildlife Protection | 3 Comments »

Basic Training Course for Wildlife Rehabilitation

Friday, September 27th, 2013

ANNOUNCEMENT:

Basic Training Course for Wildlife Rehabilitation

Where:  Mercer County Community College

When:  Weekdays Nov 4 – Nov 8, 2013

 

A young Barn Owl, healed of a leg fracture and about to be returned to its nest. Photo by MacKenzie Hall

A young Barn Owl, healed of a leg fracture and about to be returned to its nest. Photo by MacKenzie Hall

Wildlife rehabilitation is the process of  caring for injured, ill and orphaned native wild animals with the goal of releasing each back to their natural habitat.  This course is designed for individuals interested in becoming licensed wildlife rehabilitators, rehabilitators who wish to include additional species to their current permit and any person wishing to obtain knowledge about native New Jersey wildlife. Over the course of five (5) weekdays, students will have the opportunity to be taught by, interact with, and build relationships with some of the foremost experts in wildlife rehabilitation.

 

Course Description

 

The Basic Training Course for Wildlife Rehabilitation focuses on the skill sets necessary to become a successful wildlife rehabilitator. This course offers information and professional training provided by some of the most knowledgeable instructors in the field of wildlife rehabilitation. It includes history, licensing requirements and regulations, mammal, bird and reptile species identification and anatomy, proper handling, care and nutrition, medical procedures, and much more. Approved by the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife (NJDEP), this course is part of an alternative route program to meet New Jersey State licensing requirements for wildlife rehabilitators. Successful completion of the course will count for 40 hours toward the 200 hour New Jersey apprenticeship licensing requirement. This course will also benefit anyone interested in the handling and care of native wildlife. 

 

Objectives

 

Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:

 

  • better understand all aspects of wildlife rehabilitation
  • know how to provide safe handling and care of wildlife
  • have basic knowledge that encompasses mammal, avian and reptile species

 

The course will run five weekdays Nov 4 through Nov 8, 2013 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm each day. Completion of the course requires attendance at all classes. The course schedule and instructor bios can be found on the CDI website at www.cditraining.org.

Tuition for this program is $499.00, which includes all materials. Registration will be through Mercer County Community College at 609-570-3311. There is no requirement for prior experience or training to attend this course. Please contact Career Development Institute (CDI) with any additional course content questions that you may have:  732-821-6997, www.cditraining.org.

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Posted in Education, Get Involved, Wildlife Protection | 4 Comments »

A Sanctuary for NJ Bats

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

By MacKenzie Hall, Private Lands Biologist

Jackie Kashmer gives water to a bat inside a flight cage at the New Jersey Bat Sanctuary. Photo by M. Hall

Jackie Kashmer gives water to a bat inside a flight cage at the New Jersey Bat Sanctuary. Photo by M. Hall

Jackie Kashmer is a bat-saving machine.  Surely, no mere mortal is fit for the long, painstaking hours she spends to make the tiny animals well again.  But then, no machine could do it with the grace or heart.  Let me introduce you to the New Jersey Bat Sanctuary.

For six years, Jackie has focused her wildlife rehabilitation practice on bats alone – a decision that’s given her a special understanding of what makes bats tick.  And since all of her patients have similar basic needs, she can provide for them in a consistent and well-oiled way.

Inside the Bat Sanctuary are dark, warm rooms lined with nylon enclosures.  The enclosures have a maternal touch, with patterned cloth drapes, cushiony hand-sewn pouches, and little hollowed logs – all for the bats to nuzzle in and feel safe.  If you stand there with the lights on, the cages look still and empty, their furry occupants tucked away in the unlit spaces.  You hear an occasional chirpy “pz-pz-pzzz.”

But it’s not all darkness and calm.  White-nose Syndrome has changed the pace at the New Jersey Bat Sanctuary.  Last winter, Morris County’s Hibernia Mine was down to fewer than 800 little brown bats (from roughly 27,000 three years ago).  By late February, some bats were moving to the precarious “freeze zone” near the mouth of the cave – a sign that the White-nose fungus was taking hold.  Not wanting to see any more bats die, Mick Valent (NJ Fish and Wildlife) called Jackie about helping the bats at Hibernia.  Jackie said, “Bring me a hundred.  If I can handle a hundred, then I’ll take more.”  A couple weeks later she was boarding and feeding around 125 bats from Hibernia Mine – everyone from the freeze zone. (more…)

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Posted in Wildlife Protection | 3 Comments »