The

WildlifeWatchBinocular

In a world full of war, poverty, anddaily examples of man’s inhumanity toman, it may be difficult for us to focuson the suffering of other species.Human hardship is evident on so manyfronts, be it starvation, disease, geno-cide, or “natural” disasters. One’s heartgoes out to fellow beings in extremedistress; and the relatively well-offamong us often make efforts to allevi-ate what we can, whether by donationsto charities or, in some cases, by directaction such as joining the Peace Corpsand other worthwhile groups.

Misery is not limited to mankind,however. All living beings are subjectto the whims of nature, and sadly,many are also vulnerable to the cruelor unthinking actions of people. Ifthose of us who care about the welfareof wildlife take the trouble to informourselves, we can take action to savemany innocent animal individuals fromunnecessary anguish.

One such case which needs immedi-ate attention is the taking of sea turtleeggs in Costa Rica, a crime againstnature which threatens to cause theextinction of this species in the verynear future.

Contrary to Costa Rica’s long-heldclaim to be one of the forefathers ofturtle conservation, horrifying photo-graphs that have been widely distrib-uted show the legal “harvesting” of tur-tle nesting sites in Ostional, which is onthe Guanacaste Peninsula of CostaRica. Guanacaste is one of the mostimportant of the very few remainingsea turtle nesting beaches in the world.Natives in the photos are shown fillinghuge bags with thousands of turtleeggs as the mother turtles stand byhelplessly. The eggs are taken away forsale, allegedly as a benefit to the localeconomy. Most end up in China orother overseas black markets wherethe price is ten times higher.

The cruelty is obvious, as the eggremoval is done right in front of themother turtles who have struggled toproduce their progeny in the firstplace. Although sea turtles spendmost of their lives in the ocean, theymust come to land to lay their eggs.They arduously travel many miles fromfeeding grounds to reach their natalbeach. When they come ashore, oftennumerous times, they make nests anddeposit the eggs on the dry sand away

from waves. It is a strenuous task forthe female turtle to pull her heavybody up high enough on the beachwith only her front flippers, limbs whichare adapted for swimming, not walkingon dry land. She digs a pit in the sand,then lays her clutch of perhaps asmany as 100 eggs and covers themcarefully with sand. If left unmolested,she would then bury the pit in order todisguise the location against predators.

In spite of all this maternal labor andhardship, people who have been lyingin wait grab up the eggs withoutthought. To put it in a human context,it is akin to someone invading a hospi-tal nursery and snatching up all thebabies. All mothers and society at largewould surely feel grief over such a loss.

According to the Costa RicanNational Parks website, egg collectionis permitted for residents of just onecommunity and is strictly controlled bythe Costa Rican government. They saythat because the “harvesting” isrestricted to approximately 120 local

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PO Box 562, New Paltz, NY 12561 Fall 2010/Winter 2011 © 2010/2011 by Wildlife Watch, Inc. All rights reserved.

Continued on page 2

SEA TURTLE

WHOLESALE THEFT OF EGGS COULD LEADTO SEA TURTLE EXTINCTION

BY E.M. FAY

WILDLIFE WATCH NEEDS YOU!Wildlife Watch needs your help

more than ever to continue providingthis vital national service for helpinginjured and orphaned wildlife. Inaddition to our national hotline,Wildlife Watch lobbies for wildlifeprotection bills, does direct rescuelocally, and contributes to the localrehabbers for their care of the babieswe bring to them. Through our pub-lication, the Wildlife Watch

Binocular, Wildlife Watch empha-sizes the unique spirit of individualanimals and promotes wildlife watch-ing as a means of spiritually and eth-ically relating to other beings, and asan enhancement of our life enjoy-ment.

Will you become a part of our team?

Y E S

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families it has no effect on the totalnumber of turtle hatchlings. The gov-ernment claims this is part of a sustain-able plan that increases the total num-ber of hatchlings. They further claimthat the locals prevent uncontrolledpoaching of eggs from the refuge, atthe same time improving their owneconomic situation.

Part of the justification for this activ-ity from the website of the OstionalWildlife Refuge: “So many turtlescome onto the beach in a short timespan that most of the first nests aredestroyed by later turtles. Therefore,in 1987, a project was initiated to allowlocal people the right to collect and sella percentage of the eggs….. This prac-tice is designed to prevent poachingand to help the local community.” http://www.costarica-nationalparks.com/ostional-

wildliferefuge.html

While it’s true that global warming,pollution, tourism, development, andthe trapping of sea turtles in fishingnets have been decimating sea turtlepopulations for decades, it’s not truethat “harvesting” of eggs is harmless tothe species. In fact, it could possiblybe the most damaging attack on thesegentle creatures, and poses a very realdanger of species extinction.

Captain Paul Watson, founder ofthe Sea Shepherd ConservationSociety, stated: “Costa Rica has theundeserved reputation of being anecologically aware and concernednation. Great public relations, but it isall a fabricated lie.”

He goes on to say, “The fact remainsthat despite Costa Rica’s claims to thecontrary, the country is the most noto-rious shark-finning nation in Centraland South America. The use of pesti-cides on banana and coffee plantationskills hundreds of thousands of birds

Continued from page 1

SEA TURTLE annually. And as these pictures illus-trate very dramatically, Costa Ricansloot the eggs from the sea turtles con-tributing greatly to the diminishment ofthese valuable and beautiful creatures.

“Those defending the exploitation ofthe eggs argue that these are poorpeople just trying to feed their families.However, the sea turtles here are poormothers of a species trying desperate-ly to survive. In a decade, when theturtles are gone, the ‘poor’ will nolonger be able to plunder what is nolonger there, and the world will be farpoorer with the loss of the turtles.

“Poverty must not be an excuseor a justification for driving aspecies to extinction. What thesepeople are doing is wrong. I amsure that the government of CostaRica would not stand idly by andwatch the poor walk into banksand take what they want. Robbingbanks and robbing sea turtles oftheir eggs are both crimes, so whyis poverty the justification for onecrime but not the other? Althoughlegal under Costa Rican law, rob-

The Wildlife Watch Binocularis published quarterly by Wildlife

Watch Inc., a 501(c)3 Corp.P.O. Box 562, New Paltz, NY 12561

Phone: 845-256-1400, e-mail: wildwatch@verizon.net Website: www.wildwatch.org

Anne Muller - Editor; E.M. Fay - Assoc. Editor

We welcome letters/articles/photos for consideration.

Contributions are tax-deductible.

Positive Action We Can Take:Americans, or indeed anyone who cares about the sad fate of the sea turtles at the

hands of Costa Ricans, should write to the Costa Rican Ambassador Muni Figueres, inWashington, DC.

Tell her that you strongly oppose Costa Rica’s immoral sale of sea turtle eggs andwill never again visit Costa Rica or buy Costa Rican products if they do not put a stopto this cruel trade.

Surely, tourism dollars are more important to Costa Rica than the sale of turtle eggs!We should lobby the embassy and consulates to make the theft of sea turtle eggs acrime with strict penalties and rigorous enforcement.

Address and phone numbers:Embassy of Costa Rica in the U. S. 2114 S Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20008Phone: 202-234-2945, 202-234-2946, 202-234-8653; Fax: 202-265-4795E-mail: embassy@costarica-embassy.org; Muni Figueres, ambassador@costarica-embassy.orgMinister Counselor for Environmental and Cultural Affairs, Anna María Oduber, aoduber@costarica-embassy.org

bing of the turtles is a crimeagainst nature and humanity,with far more significantly nega-tive consequences than the rob-bing of a bank of some paper cur-rency.

“We can’t constantly point our fin-gers at global warming as the solecause of diminishment of bio-diversityin the world’s oceans. We humans arekilling our oceans in many diverse waysand over fishing is the primary cause ofdiminishment of bio-diversity. Theeggs these people are gathering willnot be eaten by them. These eggs willbe shipped to China to enhance China’s‘food culture.’ ‘Food culture’ is the newword coined to justify the consumptionof endangered species and implies thatany criticism is akin to racism. Thus,any accusation of dolphin, whale, ortuna consumption in Japan, or sharkfin or turtle egg consumption in China,is now conveniently dismissed as racistand implies non-tolerance of their ‘foodculture.’”

Visit the Sea Shepherd websitehttp://www.seashepherd.org.

VEGFAM helps people overseas by providing funds for self-supporting, sustain-able food projects and the provision of safe drinking water.

We fund ethically sound plant-food projects, which do not exploit animals or theenvironment: seeds and tools for vegetable growing, fruit and nut tree planting,irrigation and water wells. Also, emergency feeding in times of crisis.

VEGFAM funded projects are carried out by organisations who are committed tohelping their fellow human beings in practical and sustainable ways - helping peo-ple who are often out of reach of the major charities.

http://www.vegfamcharity.org.uk/

VEGFAM – NOT OXFAM

Feeding The Hungry Without Exploiting Animals

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As if any more evidence on this sub-ject were needed, the recent escapeand endangerment of a chimpanzee inKansas City, Missouri, once againdrives home the point that it is bothcruel and foolish to keep wild animalsas pets.

Seizing a rare chance at freedomfrom his “owner’s” house, a 300-lb.chimpanzee ran around the streets,inciting a bit of unnecessary panic inthe police and citizens alike. Actually,the primate was in more potential perilthan humans were, as the Police Chiefstated that “Police were ready withpatrol rifles in case the animal becamea danger to people.”

During his half hour of “liberty,” thechimpanzee broke a patrol car window(no mention was made if there wasany injury to him). Tranquilizer shotswere not effective, but his ownereventually caught him in a cage. Theprimate was reportedly taken toMonkey Island, a rescue facility andsanctuary in Greenwood, Missouri.

In what we at Wildlife Watch see as truly forward-looking and humanethinking, ShopRite storesare offering a free 56 oz.Tofurky to customers whopurchase $300 worth ofgroceries in the periodleading up to Thanksgiving.

Regarding this new poli-cy, Darrel Fina, store direc-tor of ShopRite of Kingston,N.Y., told the Binocular“ShopRite has long offeredfrozen lasagna in holidaydinner promotions as avegetarian option. Adding Tofurky is a way for us to also accommodateour vegan customers.”

For many years, supermarkets have run a similar promotion whereby meat-eating customers receive a free turkey or ham in time for the holidays. Butthis is the first we’ve heard of a major chain store including the preference ofvegetarians and vegans, as well. We applaud this intelligent innovation, andurge everyone to take advantage of the offer, and also to thank the managerin your local ShopRite for participating in it.

As our friend and fellow vegan Susan Gordon put it, “Finally, a major gro-cery chain is acknowledging vegetarians and vegans! So start saving yourregister receipts and enjoy a gentle holiday!”

We can but hope that this signals a new wave in enlightened merchandisingpolicies, and that other supermarket chains will join the humane bandwagon.

EYE ON THE NEWSCHIMPANZEES ARE N-O-T PETS

We certainly hope that this chim-panzee will be allowed to live freelyamongst other primates from now on.One can only imagine the loneliness hemust have felt, living with humans andbeing separated from his own kind.How would we feel, were we suddenlyheld captive in a strange environment,with only non-humans for company?

Story and photo: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/10/19/mis-

souri.chimpanzee/index.html?hpt=T2.

HOME GROWNZUCCHINI

RESCUES ADOG

A Montana woman used an unusu-al, and happily, non-lethal method ofdefending her dogs from a 200-pound black bear who turned up onher porch recently. According to aSheriff’s Lieutenant in Frenchtown,Montana, the homeowner found thebear menacing one of her dogsaround midnight. Trying to separatethem, she received a bite on the legfrom the bear, so she grabbed theonly “weapon” nearby on the porch:a large zucchini grown in her owngarden. She threw the heavy veg-etable at the bear, hitting him andfrightening him away.

Wildlife officials later tried to locatethe bear. We hope he came to nofurther harm, apart from the zucchi-ni-inflicted bruise.

Read the whole story at:http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2012976003_bearzuc-chini24m.html?prmid=obinsite

WIN A FREE TOFURKYSHOPRITE ENLIGHTENED HOLIDAY POLICY

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THROUGH MY LENS

I watched one of our snails climb vertically up a wideblade of grass. He wouldstretch himself and then,clinging desperately to hisprogress, he’d rebalance theheavy shell on his back with amighty heave forward. Idon’t have a record of whatspring day this was, becauseI was preoccupied with tryingto draw a sketch of him. I

failed—the little fella was just too fast for me. Every timeI had something like an outline, his position had alreadychanged, skewing perspective. The drawing turned out to

be a series of images, depicting motion itself. I was inawed admiration of this tiny creature’s athleticism. I knowof no human who could scale a sheer vertical face whilecarrying his entire worldly house on his back. The USPostal Service may or may not be slow: to call it “snailmail” is, to quote Charlotte’s Web, “a terrible case of injus-tice,” an insult to shelled gastropods everywhere.

By Karen Schumaker, reprinted from her excellentnature publication, the Newhaven News. NN is a pub-lication of Newhaven Private Wildlife Sanctuary,founded in 1992, and currently protecting 142.5 forestedacres for the non-human indigenous species. For infor-mation, contact Karen Schumaker, POB 217 Deary, ID83823.

The Speedy Snail

LETTERS TO WILDLIFE WATCHThe Wildlife Watch Hotline brings in calls from all over the Country.

Sometimes when it is impossible to find a rehabber, we offer advice, support,and, when possible, we follow-up to learn the outcome. Here are some situ-ations where just staying back and observing paid off. Sometimes that’s a hardone to impress on people, because the instinct of compassionate people is toimmediately go to the rescue of an infant animal.

Hi again.....God is good. Mommy showed upand the baby got up and walked to her and is inthe top of the yard and nursing! We arerelieved, ah.

Oh, our yard had baby cardinals recently andwe both had never seen so small a perfect repli-ca of the mommy and daddy.....too cute. andthe wildlife gets better around here.....we justgot three little baby robins this morning in a nestthat is in my wreath out front.....the is the sec-ond nest in the same wreath. This time she builtit with mud and sticks, really a great nest.....sowe have birds out front and deer in back.....lifeis good.

Thank you again....Helen & Tom

Hi Anne:Thank you for your call this evening. Attached

please find photos of the pigeon we discussed.Whatever you can do to find placement for thispigeon would be greatly appreciated as we areunable to keep him.

Before this afternoon’s heavy rains, he was inmuch better shape than when we found him (or,I should say, when he found us) on Friday, as youcan see in the photos which were taken this after-noon before the storm. He does not seem toknow how to survive in the wild at all and did notseek cover in the heavy rains and was soaked tothe bone as a result.

He is very pretty, does not look like a regulargrey pigeon - he seems to be a fancier variety.His wings and tail have interesting white mark-ings when his wings are open and he looks beau-tiful when he flies. I think he is a baby, judgingfrom his mottled feathers.

As I mentioned on the phone, he is a veryspecial bird - he prefers to be hand fed and helikes to “play” after feeding. He actively seeksthe company of people when they are aroundand doesn’t hesitate to jump on an available lapor shoulder.

As of this evening, he is living in a cardboardbox (with plenty of holes) on my terrace. I donot know how long we can safely keep him in thebox and we are leaving on vacation thisWednesday so we will need to find placementbefore then.

Please see the attached photos and feel free toforward them.

Thank you in advance for your help,Carrie

Based on a rehabber’s evaluation, the pigeonwas released to a safe park where Carrie can keepa watchful eye out for his well-being. So far, sogood.

Anne,Thanks so much for all of the information you

provided! I called Diane Nickerson/MercerCounty, NJ. She told me the signs to look for ifthe fawn was distressed (lying on its side, ratherthan curled up). We’ve been keeping an eye onit, and although I haven’t seen the doe in theyard, I did see a doe across the fence onWednesday. We’ve also noted that the fawnseems to be curled up or running from us, and itseems the doe is avoiding the daylight hours(and our dog). We’ll continue to watch the

fawn, more from a distance now, as it appears tobe out of danger. We’re all feeling pretty goodabout it now, and it’s great for the kids – thefawn is using a debris shelter we built last year.They’re so happy it’s being put to use!

Thanks again! Even with 6 fawns born previ-ously in our yard, what a learning experience thishas been. So glad it wasn’t the fawn’s motherthat was hit by the car.

And thanks for the links. I’ll be following up onthese in the next week.

Sarah P.

BY KAREN SCHUMAKER

Wildlife Watch Hotline877-WILDHELP

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R.O.C.K. - Rehabbers Offer Care and Kindness

As one of our more numerous wildneighbors, squirrels are often, sadly,one of the most frequent casualties ofthe speedy driving habits of us humans.Along with skunks and possums, deadsquirrels by the side of our increasinglybusy roadways are a common sight.Many, and perhaps most of thesedeaths could be avoided if people wouldmerely slow down a bit, and keep awatchful eye on the sides of the road foranyone about to cross. However, eventhe most cautious driver may occasion-ally have no chance to avoid a suddendarting out by an animal.

While driving around country roads inupstate New York, I have seen manynear-misses between squirrel and car,and have been thankful when my ownslower-than-average speed saved thelives of various animals. One day, as Isaw a squirrel in the path of a car com-ing in the opposite direction I tried toflag the driver to slow down, but wasunsuccessful, and the squirrel receiveda glancing blow. As he lay in the road,injured, I knew there were only secondsbefore another car would crush himcompletely, so I took a chance, put onmy emergency flashers, and got out tomove him to the grassy verge.

The squirrel was definitely injured,but had enough strength to thrashabout – although he could not walk orrun away. Hoping he could be saved, Idashed home – luckily I lived close by –and called the nearest wildlife rehabilita-tor that I knew: Ellen Kalish, of thewonderful wild bird sanctuary,Ravensbeard, in Saugerties.

Although Ellen is a renowned birdspecialist, with considerable experiencerehabilitating raptors, in particular, sheis widely knowledgeable, and sheagreed to keep our little friend to see ifshe could do anything for him.

Wildlife Rehabilitators are aware of the many perils fac-ing individual wild animals in their daily existence. Somecan be avoided by personal steps that we can take - oth-ers need to be dealt with through education or lobbyingefforts.

Wildlife rehabilitators are licensed by state gameagencies, yet they are given no other support, and

they are not allowed to charge for their “services.”Sadly, animals often come to the attention of rehabberswhen they are found by people who either don’t wantthem near their house or don’t know how to help them.When the DECs, DNRs or police are called, they normallyrecommend killing or letting the animals die; and mostveterinarians cannot take time from their busy schedules.

Ellen determined that the squirrel hadsome injury to his mouth, which made itdifficult for him to eat, and perhaps someother skeletal injuries, but he might recu-perate. After a couple of weeks of tendercare and feeding, Mr. Squirrel was suffi-ciently recovered to be released back intohis old neighborhood. And boy, was heready! He had been very unhappy aboutbeing in a cage, even though it was wellset up for his comfort.

With a photographer friend, Ellenbrought her recovered patient to a spotnear where he had been hit. Of course,we put the cage in a natural area as farfrom the roadway as possible, so hewould not rush back into traffic in apanic after being released. When weopened the door, he seemed confused at

Wildlife Watch fields hundreds of calls in the spring and summer. We passinformation to people who are in remote areas of the country without help orfacilities nearby or unattainable at the time they call. We connect them withrehabilitators who are nearby, and within a certain radius we help to rescueand transport animals to veterinarians or rehabbers. Please help this service to grow by contributing to Wildlife Watch.

Join Wildlife Watch

Wildlife Watch Binocular Assoc. Editor,Eileen Fay, said, "This so suits the

work that wildlife rehabilitators do: "

IIff II ccaann ssttoopp oonnee hheeaarrtt ffrroomm bbrreeaakkiinngg,,II sshhaallll nnoott lliivvee iinn vvaaiinn;;IIff II ccaann eeaassee oonnee lliiffee tthhee aacchhiinngg,,OOrr ccooooll oonnee ppaaiinn,,OOrr hheellpp oonnee ffaaiinnttiinngg rroobbiinnUUnnttoo hhiiss nneesstt aaggaaiinn,,II sshhaallll nnoott lliivvee iinn vvaaiinn..

Emily Dickinson

DON’T ASSUME “IT”IS “ROADKILL”

BY E.M. FAY

GO!Get ready, get set….

first, not realizing he could go. But aftera little coaxing, he finally got the mes-sage, clambered out and ran off into thebushes near a stream. We hoped thathe recognized his native area and foundhis way home fairly quickly.

Needless to say, we felt good aboutthe outcome, and could but hope thathe would not get himself into a pickle inthe future.

Anyone witnessing such an incidentas that above should realize that it isnot always hopeless when an animal ishit by a car. Be observant as you drive,and if you do see an animal injured,call your local rehabber immediately toreport it (a list is available atwww.wildwatch.org). If you can do sowithout endangering yourself, movehim or her out of the roadway.

As formidable a danger as our auto-mobiles are to wildlife, once in a while,if we are lucky, we may be able to savean injured individual. For their ownsakes, and the sake of their dependentfamilies, it is certainly worth a try.

Please support rehabilitators such asRavensbeard. www.ravensbeard.org

Wildlife Watch thanks Eileen Fay,our Assoc. Editor, Ellen Kalish ofRavensbeard, and Lynda Keyes pho-tographer!

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The editor of the Wildlife WatchBinocular has firsthand experiencewith the efficacy and superiority ofnon-lethal methods of mouse control.It does take diligence, however, but it’swell worth the challenge.

FIRST AND FOREMOST, get rid of allfood attractants. Keep sugar in well-sealed containers, do not leave emptyor half-full soda cans, crumbs frombreads and cakes , etc. around. Washdishes, don’t leave them in the sink,and keep foods refrigerated and notleft in pots and pans on the stove.We’ve all been guilty of that, but it’simperative to do this when you’re try-ing not to attract mice.

Getting PreppedBuy two types of plug-ins: electro-

magnetic and ultrasonic. One is todrive mice out from behind walls andabove ceilings, the other is to affectthe ones that are in the living space.Both types will be disturbing to the lit-tle guys so that they will WANT TOLEAVE.

Additionally, buy a bunch of livetraps (@ $3 to $4 at Lowe’s or any

local hardware store), find a cheapbrand of peanut butter (creamy I hearis better than chunky), and set themdown in the basement of the buildingnear openings. Plug up those open-ings with medium coarse steel wooland tape over the hole or crevice to besure to secure the filling. Do the sameon higher floors, and fill every littlehole and crack in closets and cabinets,along baseboards, etc. CHECK TRAPSDAILY and refresh the peanut butter.Often it’s the same mouse that youkeep seeing over and over. Two micecan look a lot alike because, well, theyall look alike.

Releasing the MiceWhen you release the mice, do so in

the same location, so that family mem-bers can reunite. Find a nice spot forthe mice, somewhere where there’ssome running water, hiding places,buildings not too nearby, and about amile from where you caught them.

It took about a month, but we final-ly won the battle, and it hasn’trecurred this year yet.

If you use poisons, the mice will

crawl into the walls and die a painfuldeath. In addition to perhaps having abad conscience, you will have to livewith the odor of the decomposing bod-ies for months or even a year. That inaddition to the possibility of poisoningother animals who may feed on the poi-soned mouse.

Our office is located in an old Tudorhouse, so we didn’t think too much of itwhen we heard some light scratchingsounds behind a bookcase. We’ve hadmice in the building before, so weweren’t particularly concerned, and abrief search didn’t turn up anything. Sowe went on about our day.

But the next morning, similar scratch-ing sounds were coming from behind abox tucked under an upholstered chair.Sadly, we discovered it wasn’t a free-roaming mouse after all. A baby flyingsquirrel was hiding under the chair…with his rear leg mangled in a spring-snap mousetrap. The poor little guy waspanicked and in pain, trying to escapebut dragging the trap behind him as hetried unsuccessfully to burrow fartherunder the chair.

Wearing leather gloves, we managedto lift “Peanut” into a cardboard box,and carried the box outside beforeattempting to pry open the trap and

RESCUING “PEANUT”STOP – THINK – BEFORE USING LETHAL METHODS

TO REMOVE MICEBY JEAN SMITH

As the photos of Peanut weren’t clear enough forpublication, we are using an Internet photo of whatthis little guy looked like.

vided some leaves and other nestingmaterials along with water and bits ofapple, and placed the box near a warmradiator while we started searchingonline for wildlife rehabilitators nearby.Fortunately, a network of rescuers camethrough quickly, and we were able todeliver Peanut to an experienced care-giver at the end of the day.

Needless to say, we’re lobbying forthe removal of all poisons and lethaltraps from our building, and we’re pass-ing along recommendations for morehumane alternatives. We’re also keep-ing local rescuers’ phone numbershandy … but hope we won’t need to usethem again!

Stefanie Juell contacted WildlifeWatch’s Hotline 877-WILDHELPand we were able to provide the namesof wildlife rehabbers in her area.Peanut was taken in by local rehabberLoraine Izzo Mignardi fromBronxville, NY.

NON-LETHAL MOUSE CONTROLBY ANNE MULLER

release him, in case he bolted. Once hewas free from the spring, we could seehow badly damaged his leg actuallywas, and we realized such a youngsquirrel was unlikely to survive if wereleased him … especially when hewouldn’t be able to climb trees in aneighborhood with at least two outdoorcats prowling about.

So we constructed a small cardboardhiding place in a corner of the box, pro-

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Whitefish Point Bird Observatory(WPBO) located in Paradise, Michiganranks among the most significant aviansites in North America. Due to the Point’sgeographic location and shape, it’s animportant migration corridor for theGreat Lakes Region. From the months ofMarch through June, and Augustthrough November, impressive numbersof migrants stop over in this area. Duringtheir annual migrations, thousands ofbirds are funneled to this narrow pointwhere land and water meet.

With their main focus on migrationthe Observatory has been monitoringand documenting the annual migra-tions of hundreds of species of birds forover 30 years. Recognized globally asan Important Bird Area (IBA), theObservatory’s mission is to documentthe distribution and abundance of birdsin the Great Lakes Region. The statusand movements of bird populations areassessed and the information utilizedto further bird migration research aswell as help to educate the publicabout bird conservation and environ-mental awareness.

The Observatory offers a variety ofeducation programs throughout thechanging seasons including bird walks,

Wildlife Watching is a growing trendwith presently 71 million participants.That’s 31% of the population. WildlifeWatchers spend 45.7 billion dollarswith 7.5 billion spent on food and lodg-ing! If Wildlife Watching were ONEbusiness, it would rank among the top50 businesses in the country. Whydon’t YOU become a WILDLIFEWATCHER? Start by visiting one of thebest websites we’ve found:

http://www.wildlifeviewingareas.com

LET'S GO WILDLIFE WATCHINGWHITEFISH POINT BIRD OBSERVATORY – BIRDING IN PARADISE

BY HAZEL FREEMAN

slide presentations, owl programs, birdID classes, and special workshops. TheWPBO celebrates the annual birdmigration each year with its SpringFling, held the last weekend of April.This is a great weekend event fornovice and experienced birders alike toimmerse themselves in bird walks, fieldtrips, workshops and a banquet whereyou’ll meet lots of other fellow birders.

For those who would like a morehands-on birding experience theObservatory offers the BirdingMichigan Field Trip series. Participantsget to experience some of Michigan’shottest birding spots at peak season.These small focused groups led byexperienced birders are a great way to

DOGS DECODED-A DVD TO KNOW

ABOUTDogs have

been domesti-cated for longerthan any otheranimal on theplanet, andhumans havedeveloped aunique relation-ship with thesefurry friends.We treat our

pets like a part of the family, andfeel that they can understand us ina way other animals can’t. Now,new research is revealing what doglovers have suspected all along:Dogs have an uncanny ability toread and respond to human emo-tions. Humans, in turn, respond todogs with the same hormoneresponsible for bonding mothers totheir babies. How did this incrediblerelationship between humans anddogs come to be? And how candogs, so closely related to fear-some wild wolves, behave so differ-ently?

This DVD features subtitles inEnglish.

Thank you to Sandy Baker forbringing this to our attention. Wewelcome your review for the nextissue of the Binocular.

Wildlife Viewing Areas

Wildlife Watchfriends, Merle andVicki Wilson of IAdesigned and builtthis lovely personalpet cemetery ontheir property. Wethought it wouldgive our animal-loving readers ideasfor their own.

thoroughly enjoy birding while improv-ing your birding skills.

The Observatory is located directlyacross the parking lot from the amaz-ing Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum,which houses, among other fascinatingdisplays, that of the EdmundFitzgerald.

Photo by Hazel Freeman at:Whitefish Point Bird Observatorywww.wpbo.org

------------------------Hazel Freeman is a freelance writer

from Ohio. With a life-long love ofnature and the out-of-doors her writingreflects her deep passion, respect, andconcern for the natural world in whichwe live.

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Wildlife WatchPO Box 562, New Paltz, NY 12561

NEED HELP FORINJURED OR

ORPHANED WILDLIFE?CALL THE WILDLIFEWATCH HOTLINE!1-877-WILDHELP (1-877-945-3435)

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Martha Sullivan rescued Oliviathe kangaroo (see Binocular article inSpring 2009 issue):

Martha wrote then:We visited the Center in mid-

January, 2009. Earlier in the Fall, wehad solicited donations and purchased“Olivia,” a kangaroo, from a pettingzoo owner in Upstate New York whowas closing down and auctioning off allhis animals to the highest bidder. Noscreening of prospective owners forsuitability, no trying to find the bestpossible homes for the animals – thisauction was only about maximizingprofits. Olivia was destined for a road-side zoo, for a lifetime of unnaturalconfinement and isolation. Her entiresix years of life had already been spentthat way. She deserved so much bet-ter.

After much research, Martha foundout about the KangarooConservation Center. She wrote:

If you’re a kangaroo and you’re notliving in the wilds of your nativeAustralia, hopefully you’re at leastlounging in the resort-like accommoda-tions of the Kangaroo ConservationCenter at Dawsonville, GA.www.kangaroocenter.com .

In a recent follow-up with Martha,we learned that Olivia passed awayright before Christmas last year.Martha wrote: It’s a sad story. Oliviapassed away right before Christmaslast year. She was at the kangaroosanctuary for just over a year. Theysaid that it’s not unusual with wild ani-mals who are first kept as pets, thenlater made ‘wild’ again. They did anautopsy but found nothing conclusive.They said that her 6 years of an unnat-ural diet (parrot food and cheese-peanut butter crackers) could accountfor a lot. The readjustment is just toohard. ‘Failure to thrive’ was the diag-nosis. We were heartsick. Weworked so hard to find a good place forher and we just wanted her to have ahappy life. I wanted to contact herformer owner (‘Grandpa Bob’) and tellhim she died, but I never did. I want-ed him to feel guilty. She was only7 years old.

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REMEMBERING OLIVIA

Olivia rolling over and over to show Martha and Dianehow happy she was that she was there and could justbe a kangaroo. It was her way of saying "Good-bye,my friends, thank you for getting me here." Here is Olivia being a free kangaroo in her last year.

Wildlife Watch would like to thank Martha Sullivan

for all that she did to help Olivia enjoy her final year.