Patient #001 - Year of the Raccoon

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that we have a few traditions at the clinic. One such tradition is that each year has an animal-based theme. We don’t set the theme. It’s down to chance, or fate, or whatever force is behind cause and effect.

Our first patient of 2025 was a raccoon. As such, 2025 is the year of the raccoon. How will 2025 be raccoon-like? It’s hard to predict.

Some fun facts about raccoons may help us understand the year ahead:

Raccoons are known for their exceptionally advanced sense of touch. Most of a raccoon brain’s sensory perception region (cerebral cortex) is devoted to the interpretation of touch. In fact, raccoons hunting in the water appear to use their sense of touch extensively (exclusively at times) when searching for certain prey.

We see this reality manifest in the clinic context. For instance, without enclosure locking redundancies, raccoons will find their way out (even if they can’t see the mechanism they are attempting to manipulate). To a raccoon, it’s a very physical world. Will it be a tactile year? Time will tell.

Raccoon advice

2 things to be aware of as baby raccoon season approaches-

  1. If you find a young racoon, call us before you intervene (even if it’s alone or seems to be in distress). We will determine the best course of action based on the information and images you provide. Absent injury, we want to do everything to facilitate reunification with its family (its best chance is within the family unit).

  2. We often get calls during raccoon baby season (the height of which runs approximately from March through August) about raccoons in the home. Sadly, we often get these calls after homeowners have hired a removal service that has killed the mom but left the babies. This is unfortunate because there are free, simple, humane ways to evict raccoons while keeping the family intact. We will be happy to guide you through this process.

So, please call us first! We don’t expect you to cohabit with raccoons. We will give you free advice that will solve the problem without harming animals in the process.

Orphaned juvenile raccoon from 2024 (mom was hit by a car)

Opsrey - Patient 1461

Patient 1461 is a good illustration of our procedures and work at PMWC:

Kayakers spotted an osprey, a large fishing raptor, entangled in fishing line, hanging and trapped.   They acted fast - left the kayak , cut him down and, concerned about the power of the bird's talons and their own safety, secured the legs of the bird with a plastic clip. They then zipped the bird into their soft rubber tackle bag for safety, and then called PMWC for help.

At the wildlife center we examined him and made a plan based on his most emergent needs. He was very stressed, which can be deadly to wildlife, so his eyes were hooded while a sedative was administered.  He was dehydrated from being caught for so long, so we initiated fluid therapy.  Once stable, hydrated, and sedated, we treated wounds resulting from an embedded hook and fishing line that caused lacerations.  X-rays were taken to ensure no bones were broken nor any other metal hooks were present. 

The bird needed a few weeks to heal, with antibiotics and pain medicine. At PMWC, every animal gets species appropriate, nutritionally complete meals: for this bird it was live fish, which we procured for him every 2 days.  And these birds make a mess! Cleaning his space was a big part of his care.

It's important for us to return territorial adult animals back to their place of origin.  After test flights and physical therapy, the osprey was released at the reservoir which is his home. 

Not all rescues are so dramatic, but this one illustrates all that goes into a wildfire rehab- medical and supportive care on our part, but also, people willing to get involved, (don't worry, you probably won't have to jump into a reservoir!).  Most rescues are brought by regular people, in their cars.  If you find a hurt animal, we can advise on the safest way to help. Give us a call. 

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Summer in the clinic

This summer we are in full swing. Still accepting all species (including mammals, raptors and waterfowl).

More spring rehab activities

It is busy, here. Last week we received over 1,200 calls to our wildlife hotline. We are fully mobilized, firing on all cylinders as we approach the height of songbird season.

Young gray squirrel transitioning to solid foods (Photo by Eric Flores)

Released Eastern box turtle

Young robin and cardinal learn to feed themselves.

Downy woodpeckers just before feeding and nest replacement.

Juvenile fox about to be nursed.

Fox hit by car during undergoes examination.

Young bluebirds just before a feeding

A sampling of spring patients

Spring is in full swing. That means our buildings are filled with the sounds of orphans feeding.

Here are some of their pictures, captured by Eric Flores.

Orphaned gosling

Orphaned woodchuck

Orphaned woodchuck

Orphaned red squirrel

Orphaned raccoon

Orphaned mallards

Orphaned mallards

Orphaned gosling

Orphaned great horned owl

Orphaned great horned owl pair

Orphaned Virginia opossum

Orphaned red fox pair

Baby mammal season

March is baby mammal season. We already have young squirrels, rabbits, foxes, and raccoons in our nurturing care. Next to arrive will be woodchucks, skunks, and deer.

Nursing red fox (photo by Eric Flores)

In the vast majority of cases, it is possible to keep the family intact (even if they were temporarily separated) avoiding the need for admission. These cases are handled entirely on the phone. Baby animals’ best chance of survival is with their parents, and we take every step to preserve their care.

Nursing red fox 1

Nursing red fox (photo by Eric Flores)

Only as a last resort, when all other measures have failed, do we accept a baby animal into care. At the clinic, most mammals are fed species-specialized formula with a nipple and syringe four times a day. They spend the rest of their time in an incubator until they are capable of thermoregulation.

Orphaned gray squirrel

Orphaned gray squirrel (photo by Eric Flores)

Never contact Pennsylvania’s Rabies Vector Species (woodchuck, fox, bat, raccoon, skunk, coyote) with bare skin.

Orphaned gray squirrel 1

Orphaned gray squirrel (photo by Eric Flores)

If you find a baby wild animal, please call us before you take any action. We advise you about the best course of action. (267) 416-9453

Patient 0164 - Painted turtle

A kind individual found this injured painted turtle at a pond in Pottstown. This poor turtle had a fish hook embedded in its throat. Our team sedated the animal and retrieved the hook intact. It is now recuperating from the procedure. We expect a full recovery.

X-ray of painted turtle with hook

If you fish, please leave no trace. We frequently admit animals ensnared with fishing lines and/or hooks. These victims include aquatic snakes, turtles, ducks, geese, wading birds, and others. Please help keep the waterways safe for all who use them.

Painted turtle after hook extraction

Painted turtle after hook extraction

Year of the starling



This year our first patient through the door was a starling. And so, it is the year of the European starling. What that means, we will have to wait and find out…

This bird was struck by a car. It is in treatment for blunt trauma.


Injured European starling

Injured European starling


Starlings get a pretty bad rap. They are branded as “invasive”. Even supposedly empirical, dispassionate life histories refer to them as “trash birds”.

Through no agency of their own, they were brought to this country - they are here.

We have no illusions of grandeur about our impact. We don’t make even a dent in populations. We only treat one bird at a time.

We don’t presume to assign worth to this species or that. Each being has value intrinsically.



Happy new year.





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Beaver rescue

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Philly Animal Control (ACCT) brought us a juvenile beaver. After physical examination and passive observation, the animal appeared healthy.

Our best guess is that the beaver strayed far afield and found itself disoriented in unfamiliar human territory. An over-eager Good Samaritan assumed that the animal was ailing and brought it to ACCT. (Always call us before containing an animal. Many situations involve ambiguity. More often than not, animals do not need to come into care. Even if something is amiss, some issues may be addressed “in the field”.)

Young beaver may spend two years with their families learning the fine art of how to be a beaver. So, it was critical to get this beaver back to its home for further development. If reunification were not possible, the beaver might need to remain in care for over a year until self-sufficiency.

We took two separate reconnaissance trips to the reported point of origin with no positive signs of beaver activity. Further investigation yielded a more promising location directly from the person who brought the animal to ACCT. With this information, and recent correlating beaver sightings on iNaturalist, we zeroed in on the young beaver’s home. Another scouting mission confirmed evidence of beaver and a probable lodge site. After one last patient examination and a fattening-up session, we set out to get this youngster back to its rightful place. See how it went, below. A heartwarming end.

Juvenile beaver in rehab

UPDATE:

At release, we didn’t see any adults. So, we returned to make sure the young beaver was thriving. Upon arrival, an adult exhibited a splashing display to ward us off. This was good evidence that our patient had successfully rejoined its clan.

Cooper's Hawk with coracoid fracture

This cooper’s hawk was admitted because it was unable to fly. No fractures were discovered through physical examination. Luckily, our diagnostic toolbox includes an x-ray machine. The x-ray image revealed a fractured coracoid (a bone humans lack). The coracoid is a “flying buttress” that supports a birds pronounced sternum (keel) from the scapula. Unfortunately, this type of injury can only be treated with R&R (regular anti-inflammatory and pain medication medication, too), a difficult task with a bird as energetic and reactive as the cooper’s. Nevertheless, we set out to provide the patient with supportive care, all the while keeping it as calm and still as possible. The bird did not always comply with the treatment plan.

Cooper’s hawk test flight_1

In order for a bird like this to heal, its movement must be restricted. This means keeping it in close quarters. In confinement, the tail must be wrapped to so the feathers don’t get damaged. The tail is critical to effective flight and a bird’s survival. See how the bird uses its tail as a rudder and brake in its impressively dynamic flight.

Cooper’s hawk test flight_2

And, finally, a successful release.

Cooper’s hawk release

Injured robin

Injured juvenile robin

Juvenile robin with wing fracture

Here we are at the tail end of baby songbird season. The other day, we admitted an injured young robin with a broken ulna/radius and a wound with maggot eggs. The rehabbers cleaned the would of the eggs and treated the bird with an anti-parasitic. Next, the wing was immobilized so that bones could heal.

Juvenile robin with wing fracture

Juvenile robin with wing fracture_1

Birds mature in 19 days (as opposed to 19 years for humans). Healing broken bones in the midst of this level of accelerated development requires close attention to every detail. The bones must set in just the right way so the bird can live an autonomous, free life on the wing.

Juvenile robin recovering from with fracture

Robin recovering from wing fracture

A week on, and the bird’s wound is healing well. With some more supportive care, this robin should be flying in no time.

Baby season in full swing: foxes

We don’t take foxes unless we are absolutely sure they are orphaned. About 3 out of 4 times, upon investigation, the animals should be left alone. Please call us if you are worried about any young foxes. We will help you navigate the situation keeping the animal’s best interest at heart.

Foxes wean in about 6-8 weeks. Both mom and dad take care of the young. If one mate dies, the other can pick up the slack.

Another fox post.

Duck in a puddle

Clinic life on a slow, wet fall afternoon.

Though it doesn’t fall directly under our mission, we do end up with some domestic animals. If we discover a situation where there is a risk of harm or neglect, and we have the capacity and resources, we’ll take them. We then try to find a safe home.

Red-shouldered Hawk Emergency - exigencies of spring

A kind neighbor brought a Red-shouldered hawk that had been hit by a car.

Upon conducting the admissions examination, Director Rick Schubert noticed a brood patch on the patient. A brood patch is featherless skin on a bird’s underside that facilitates heat transfer during incubation. Evidence suggested that the patient had been sitting on a nest.

Time was critical. We had to rehabilitate the bird rapidly enough so that it could continue to raise its young.

The bird suffered a significant head trauma. The first order of business was to address the swelling with steroids. The next order was to provide palliative care and then nutrition to return the bird to strength.

As it turned out, the neighbor who brought in the hawk was a wildlife biologist who’d been watching the nest. He reported that another adult was tending the offspring but they were still in peril. It take two to raise healthy Red-shouldered hawks. One to protect the nest while the other finds and retrieves food. The biologist informed us that crows were closing in on the nest, so the other adult could not leave to find food for the babies.

As soon as the patient became more bright and alert, we creance flew the bird to gauge its flight fitness. The bird was in good shape to fly. So we quickly called upon a member of our team of volunteers to take the bird back to its nest to rejoin its family.

It took teamwork, communication, quick thinking, and community mobilization to pull this effort together. Thank you to everyone involved in this success!

 

Thank You to our Partners