Tales and Trails

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2010-05-24T11:44:00.001-07:00

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Update: Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation - Red Fox Kit

2010-04-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

If you read our story earlier in the month on Red Fox Kit, we introduced you to our newest member of our animal rescue nursery. Here is an updated photo of Red Fox Kit now at 5 weeks old...he has grown so much under the experienced care of our animal rehabilitator! He continues to grow by leaps and bounds and keeps our animal rehabilitator very busy with his inquisitiveness and boundless energy.

Red Fox Kit is still on formula because in the wild, the mother fox will nurse her pups until about 10 weeks old. However, just like a momma fox would do, he is being introduced to meat to get him familiar with what will be a main part of his diet. Did you know that mature Red Foxes not only eat meat like squirrels, mice, rabbits and some birds, but also eat eggs, snakes, frogs, fish, corn, berries, and nuts? They bury their food in caches and with their remarkable sense of smell, can relocate these hiding place when they need the food.

In the wild, Red Fox Kits are independent at the age of 7 months. At one year, they are considered adult and able to reproduce. Red Foxes are about 3' in length, and their big, bushy tail is about 13" and serves as a warm blanket insulating their body against the cold in winter, a counterbalance while running and jumping, and is also used to communicate with other foxes.

Notice how large Red Fox Kit's ears have grown. In a mature Red Fox, these ears constantly move to improve his hearing reception...they possess extremely acute hearing particularly in the low frequency range which is useful in detecting small mammals in undergrowth and deep snow to within a few centimeters.

Other sensory features are elliptical pupils that contract more fully providing an excellent opportunity to detect movement in the dark and long whiskers on their snout and wrists, called vibrissae, that serves as more tactile information to supplement their vision at night when they hunt. The Red Fox also have semiretractable claws which is a remarkable feature distinguishing them from other members of the Canid family. This feature helps keep the claw sharp by reducing their contact with the ground.

Check back in with us in a few weeks for updated information on Red Fox Kit!

Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation - Great-Horned Owlet

2010-04-25T20:24:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago, a baby Great-Horned Owl was brought into Wildlife Prairie State Park. Our licensed animal rehabilitator has been caring for the owlet with the intent to release him back into the wild. This photo is what baby Great-Horned Owlet looks right now...notice the beginning of "horns" (actually tufts of feathers) on his head! Even though this baby looks big, he is only approximately 5 weeks old...remember, mature Great-Horned Owls are 20" high and have a 4-5' wingspan!

Great-Horned owls begin pair formation and nesting in mid-January to mid-March. The young remain in the nest for about 6 weeks and then climb out on nearby branches. They begin taking short flights at 7 weeks and can fly well at 9-10 weeks. An interesting fact, both parents feed and tend to the young for several months more!

Our licensed rehabilitator hand-feeds Great-Horned Owlet on a regular schedule throughout the day. Cut up pieces of mice or rat are his favorite food! Mature Great-Horned owls eat primarily mammals such as rabbits, skunks, and rodents. However, they will eat a variety of birds including quail, ducks, and smaller owl species. To a lesser extent, amphibians, fish, and insects.

Great-Horned owls' call are given in a series of four to five deep, resonant hoots: hoo-hoo-hoo, hoo-hoo. Calls are heard most in the evening and predawn. They are mostly nocturnal, but may be seen during the day also.

Remember, many owlets are fledging (leaving the nest) at this time of the year, which does not necessarily mean they are abandoned! Please call WPSP at 676-0998 if you have any questions. Also, please consider a donation to our Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation...spring is a busy time of the year for our animal rehabilitator and caring for so many rescued friends is costly. We, as well as all the animals thank you for your support!

Animal Rescue & Rehabilitation - Red Fox Kit

2010-04-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

Every Spring, the Park begins another year of wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, and 2010 is no exception...an orphan red fox baby (called a kit) was brought in recently to the Park. His eyes and ears were still closed which indicated he was approximately 1 week old...weighing only a few ounces, this little guy fit right into the hand of our state and federal licensed animal rehabilitator as seen in the first photo. In the second photo, this is red fox kit now...almost 2 weeks later...look how he has grown! His eyes and ears are now open. His nose has grown longer for a more characteristic fox look, and his fur color is lightening up just a bit. He is still a little wobbly on his legs, but just like most mammal babies, he will get more steady as he practices his walking. He is being fed and cared for until he is old enough to be safely released back into the wild.

Notice his dark coloration...he does not look much like a red fox! Red fox kits are born dark in color to blend in with the ground (where the den is located) as protection from predators. As he matures, his coat will change and could range in color to from a deep orange-red to a light golden color. In Illinois, the red fox breeding season takes place in January through early February (approximately a 52-day gestation period). Litters are then born late March through April. The mother fox is called a vixen.

While the rescue of the red fox kit was done properly, in that the individual monitored the kit to see if the parents came back and contacted WPSP for advice, many well-meaning people rescue animals they believe are orphaned or abandoned. Most baby animals are not abandoned, even though you might not see their parents. That is because many animal parents leave the nest to forage for food for the babies and themselves. Other animal parents stay away from their babies as much as possible to avoid attracting attention by predators. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple call to WPSP...we can advise you on the best choice of action when it comes to animal rescue.

Each year, WPSP receives or rehabilitates many, many animals and care is given by our animal rehabilitator and support from our staff. While the Park provides room and board, food and other supplies are funded primarily by our rehabilitator. Please consider supporting these efforts by our dedicated staff as a friend of wildlife rescue! Please call our main phone number at 676-0998 and make your donation. We, as well as the animals, thank you!

Wildlife Is Meant to Be Wild - Helping Without Hurting

2010-04-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here! The grass has returned to its emerald green color, daffodils are blooming, and the buds on trees are falling away to unveil their leaves. Spring is also the time of year when wildlife reproduction is at its highest.

Every year, well-meaning individuals happen to come upon or find what they believe is to be an orphaned bunny, fawn, chick, duckling, turtle, or other wildlife young. There are also those of us who take a young animal out of the wild because they want their children or grandchildren to have a "learning" experience, or they want to share it with the neighborhood or classroom. Whatever the reasons are, in most situations, the animal should be left alone. The only exception should be if the animal is clearly in danger of being injured or killed; e.g., if your cat is about to pounce on a baby bird--grab the cat!

Nature has several ways of protecting its young. Many animals blend in with their surroundings and are well camouflaged as they hide from possible danger. Other animals, such as very young fawns, have no scent that could attract predators. For example, a mother deer, called a doe, will leave her fawn hidden in long grass, shrubs, etc. while she looks for food, and the fawn will remain perfectly still and quiet until mom returns. Someone may find this fawn and think that it is an orphan; out of concern, they will take it with them--actually doing more harm than good! Stress can also cause problems for animals, so if you notice a fawn hidden someplace, please resist the urge to call over other people for show and tell--just keep it your little secret and know that you have helped a wild animal survive.

We often get phone calls from people who have discovered a bunny or several bunnies that they think have been abandoned. Mother rabbits, also called does, may leave their young for long periods of time, only occasionally returning to nurse. As with the deer, the important thing to remember holds true of all wildlife and their young--unless it is known for sure that the mother is dead or injured, it is best to leave the babies alone.

Other calls we frequently receive are from people that have found a baby bird on the ground and do not know what to do. If the bird is able to move on its own and is fully feathered, it may be a fledgling that is trying to leave the nest. If it is very small, does not have full feathers, and is extremely helpless, then it might have fallen out of the nest or might have been pushed out by a nest mate. In this instance, if you can safely reach the nest without causing harm to yourself, carefully put the chick back into the nest and leave it. for birds such as robins, blue jays, etc., you can return the chick to the nest without worrying about your scent causing a problem. An interesting note, the Turkey Vulture is the only bird in North America with a strong sense of smell!

The wonderful thing about wildlife is that is wild! Yet, that does not stop us from wanting to get closer to it, or learn more about it, or even help it out a little--it is human nature. As much as it might hurt our feelings, remember that in most instances, wildlife is better off without our help. However, if you see an animal that really needs help, is in danger, or you are not sure of a situation, please do not hesitate to give the Park a call at 676-0998. Thanks for being a partner with us in the proper care of all wild things!

Return of the Turkey Vultures!

2010-04-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

April's warm temperatures mean the return of the Park's animals from their winter homes. The bison and elk will soon be back in their summer pasture up close to the visitor's Center; the goats, horses, and sheep will come back to the Pioneer area; and two of our birds will be moved back into their summer enclosure in the Aviary across from the eagles. These two birds are resident turkey vultures and yesterday was their big move. In the early morning, Marilyn and Pamela were caught looking out the window eagerly awaiting the Animal Department's truck to come and pick them up!

The staff carefully transported both of the girls to their Park enclosure. Once free, Marilyn and Pamela stretched their wings in the warm sun. Both soon quieted down and perched upon their their favorite spot, side by side.

To some people, turkey vultures may not be the most attractive bird, but the next time you are at the Park, take a good look at these beauties. Notice how big their wingspan is--6' wide--and the coloration of their feathers is a striking black, white, and gray. Their red-colored, bald heads are made for eating carrion (dead animals) and keep them from getting unwanted bacteria on their feathers. They are great recyclers in the ecosystem!

An interesting fact, turkey vultures lack a syrinx--the vocal organ of birds--so their only vocalizations are grunts or low hisses. But, their keen vision and excellent sense of smell (the only North American bird to have this) make them one of the most effective scavengers on earth.

Come out and visit our resident turkey vultures, Marilyn and Pamela, at the Park soon!

WHY DID THE CHICKENS CROSS THE ROAD?

2010-01-20T14:28:00.000-08:00

Well the first bird crossed the road from their winter barn because we noticed that she was too weak to stand up. She looked fine, didn't have any injuries, and when food was put in front of her, she ate. But, she couldn't stand up. We brought her to the animal kitchen quarantine room and kept her in a medium size wire crate. She was propped up with straw, her food pan was within her reach and we added pro-biotics to her water. For some reason she looked like a 'Roxie' to me so that's what we named her. At this point we thought we were keeping her comfortable until her time ran out.

Roxie was in this crate for about 7 days when we noticed her trying to stand - this was a good sign. Within another 3 days she was walking around a little so we took her out of the crate and gave her a larger cage (still in the quarantine room). We added a nest box cut out of a cardboard box, lined it with straw, put newspapers down and she's doing very well. She's also a very talkative little bird and reminds us about her daily treats of bread and lettuce.

The second bird crossed the road because the other chickens were picking on her, and had bloodied the top of her head and her comb. We removed her from the group to check her out, clean her up and prevent her from being picked on anymore. This is a prime example of the 'pecking order'.

We cleaned her off the best we could and put her in the cage next to Roxie's. She was quite curious about Roxie, (who couldn't have cared less), and would stand at the divider staring. We're not sure if this was out of curiosity, loneliness, jealousy or what, but she would just stand there. We gave her the same furniture Roxie has: a box with straw, newspapers on the floor, food and water. With all of the creature comforts a little chicken would need she, like Roxie, is doing very well. She also reminds us about the bread and lettuce treats.

The girls chat with each other and we're pretty sure they're talking about us, but we can't prove anything. After a couple of days we removed the divider so the girls could share an even larger area, but things seemed a little tense so we opted to keep them separated. They each have access to the entire quarantine room for a portion of the day, but then go back into their cages for the night. The only problem we have now is chicken #2 hasn't 'told' us her name. So, we thought we'd leave it up to our readers to come up with an appropriate name. Any suggestions?

The Bison & Elk Roundup, by Kellie Lester [Event Coordinator]

2009-12-23T07:14:00.000-08:00

What a fascinating experience I had at the Park's annual Bison and Elk Roundup on Tuesday, 12/1 and Friday, 12/4. This was my first year as a participant so I was excited, but not knowing what to expect I was also a little nervous.

Here is the premise: the bison and elk are all rounded up and herded through a series of enclosures, each a little smaller than the last. They are then herded further into a chute system. The last stop for them in the chute system is the squeeze cage. Don't panic - it sounds intense (and it is), but when you have an agitated animal that weighs upward of 2,000 pounds...trust me when I tell you that you want it in a squeeze cage.

The squeeze cage has metal panels on each side that need to be pushed inward toward the animal to keep them secured, and free of injury from thrashing around. Small trap doors can then be lowered for collecting samples, giving shots, etc. The tricky part comes when a massive bison comes barreling into the cage with plans to keep right on going! Panels in the front have cut outs for the neck area and also secure the animal's head. In front of that is a cage that is only opened once the head is secured between the front panels.

When calves are in the cage their gender is determined and they are also ear tagged, given microchips, tested for tb and brucellosis and any additional testing required by their new owners. In case you're wondering, there's no fancy technology involved in determining gender - the tail is lifted, and a quick look will tell us all we need to know! As you can imagine, this process just cannot be done without the squeeze cage!

When participating in this fascinating event, adrenalin really gets going when these incredibly powerful animals are essentially put in a headlock. They thrash and grumble and you are amazed by what they can do. Then you realize that the animal you're seeing is just a calf. You would think that the largest male would be the most powerful - and they are. However, even though they are incredibly large and strong, I was amazed at the rowdiness of the bison cows. When calves are corralled into the chute their momma will generally follow right behind. They are each contained in a separate metal bin (called a tub), but she can hear her little one thrashing around up ahead of her. By the time it is her turn for testing, she is pretty irritated. Once the adults have gone through the chute system they are released back to the summer pasture, and the calves are put in temporary holding yards.

On Friday, December 04, the Roundup was completed when all the bison and elk calves were once again sent through the chute area to quickly check the tuberculosis results. We are happy to report that all animals were negative for this disease. Once the necessary paperwork is completed the calves can go to their new homes.

This project is referred to as a 'round-up' but is nothing like what you would see in a cowboy movie. Each staff person is assigned their role, and this is not open to the public. We try to do this quietly and calmly, causing as little stress as possible to the animals -and humans. Many thanks go to Dr. Shipley from the University of Illinois and his veterinary students for their diligent help in obtaining, and recording this required medical information.

2009-11-25T13:42:00.000-08:00

Many people would like to be a part of something important, something valuable, something that leaves the earth a better place. Recently, a friend of Wildlife Prairie State Park generously left a planned estate gift of $100,000.00. Through our donor’s benevolence, we are able to further our mission in protecting and preserving the environment and the wildlife native to Illinois through our 2,000 acre zoological park.

Your contribution is already working to help the conservation efforts at Wildlife Prairie State Park. Would you like to make your gifts more meaningful while planning your financial goals as well? By naming Wildlife Prairie State Park as a beneficiary of your gift planning, you leave a legacy of conservation, education and recreation for future generations to enjoy as well as possibly gaining maximum tax rewards and maintaining financial security for you and your family. Talk to your advisor about Living Wills, Living Trusts, retirement accounts like IRAs, and securities such as appreciated stock or real estate. If you have already made Wildlife Prairie State Park a part of your planned philanthropy, please have your advisor contact us. We thank you for becoming an important partner in our goal to maintain the beauty of our natural world right here in Central Illinois.

For more information, email development or contact our office at 676-0998. We would be happy to assist you!

Please use the following designation when naming for planned gifts:
Friends of Wildlife Prairie Park, Hanna City, Illinois

2009-11-11T09:19:00.000-08:00

How fast can a racing pigeon travel? Between 65-70 miles per hours when they’re in a Mercury Tracer!

Several weeks ago Sterling Middle School contacted the park about a pigeon they had found near the school. They were concerned because the bird had an identification band on its leg. They called us thinking it might be one of our birds and we had them bring the bird out to the Park. (Our pigeons aren’t free-flighted). After checking the internet and making several long distance calls we learned that the bird was one of 500 that had been released for a special race.

Unfortunately only nine of the 500 birds had so far returned home, so we were determined to make sure number 10 got home. We kept her and fed her for a couple of weeks until we could make arrangements for her trip. On Friday 11-06 one of our volunteers drove to Chicago and completed our part of getting #10 to her rightful owner. Hopefully when she’s entered into another race weather conditions won’t be so bad that she gets lost. However, if she or a friend of hers ends up down here…we’re ready with the pigeon feed!

2009-11-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

Great Blue Heron Rescue: Our veterinarians from Wyoming Veterinarian Services never know what they might have to deal with down here. Aside from the specified requests, they’ve pretty much learned to expect the unexpected. Last month when veterinarian Dr. Derek McFarland came out to remove stitches from Benny bobcat’s leg he also helped us out with an emergency situation. A Great Blue Heron had gotten entangled in fishing line and couldn’t free itself. Several park staff and Dr. McFarland worked as a team to capture, examine, and release the bird.

Our Executive Director Jeff Rosecrans, and Animal Curator Nancy Ream approached the bird from opposite directions along the water line. (One of them slipped into the water but she shall remain unnamed!). Jeff was able to grab the bird and safely put it into the net Nancy was holding. Herons are beautiful birds but they also have sharp beaks and toes so caution was used. Once it was netted we placed it on the dock to be untangled and checked out. Director of Education, Bonnie Cannon gently held the heron while Dr. McFarland cut away the fishing line and thoroughly examined the bird for any injuries. Everything looked fine so we released it and watched it fly away.

The lake where the heron got tangled is a non-fishing lake, but evidently somebody didn’t pay attention to the No Fishing signs. This is a good reminder to everybody that enjoys fishing….please be careful with lines, hooks, bobbers, etc. that can get tangled in trees, underwater brush, and branches because it can have a devastating effect on wildlife. This heron was fortunate that it was discovered and rescued – it could have turned out differently had it not been spotted by a visitor at a place where people were able to help.”

2009-09-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

On September 19th Wildlife Prairie hosted our first annual off-road triathlon. The athletes enjoyed beautiful weather, a challenging course and a great meal. This event utilized a lake and trail system on a portion of the property that has been left alone for many years. We will start hosting off-road running races, mountain bike races, and triathlons from this area. The event could not have been such a success without the dedication of Laura Bertsch, Beverly Enslow, the Peoria Triathlon Club and PAMBA. Thanks again to all of the participants and volunteers!

For race results please go to itsracetime.com

The Triathlon consisted of a 500m Swim, 10k mountain bike trail and 5k trail run. The Biathlon included the 10k mountain bike trail and 5k trail run.

In 2010 this event could become an official Xterra Points Series race - the first Xterra in Illinois.

To view more photos from the race please visit us on Facebook

2009-09-18T06:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Was Moving Day for Hillary the Cougar.

What could have been a cat-astrophe actually worked out pretty well. Our goal was to move Hillary cougar over to the ‘new' cougar enclosure and we were successful! After veterinarian Derek McFarland tranquilized Hillary we were able to get paint paw prints, clay molds of front and back paws, and she was also updated on her shots. (Some of the paw prints will be sold at our fundraiser next year, which is Year of the Cougar!)

The enclosure she was moved to is where Tipper has been recuperating from a broken wrist since last May. A lot of work has been done in the kennel/den area, and we still need to complete some tasks in the yard, but that should hopefully be done in the next few days. Hillary didn't need any reversal medication, she started waking up before we even had her completely in the den but it all worked out. She was a little ‘cranky', to say the least and was growling a bit at Tipper so the girls will need some time to get reacquainted. They're separated, but have visual and ‘nose' contact. We'll keep everybody posted as to the date they're released to the yard.

2009-09-15T07:21:00.000-07:00

Jr. Girl Scouts earn "Hiker" Badge at WPSP

24 Jr. Girl Scouts hiked their way through Wildlife Prairie State Park to earn their 'Hiker' merit badge. Activities included tree, plant & animal tracks identification, nature grab bag guessing, building a shelter in the woods and more. It was a fun-filled day and the weather cooperated beautifully! Join us for the next Jr. Girl Scout Merit Badge Day on Saturday, Oct. 10th for 'Outdoor Creativity.'

Photo: The girls built a shelter in the woods.

2009-09-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Great Horned Owl Update 9/2/2009...

Caught-up Lefty, the rehab GHO, for its second physical. The catching-up was certainly more difficult than last time, but not near as difficult as I'd hoped. I was hoping to see more ferocity. At this point, I'm declaring him to be a her. She's almost 4 pounds now, which is almost double her time-of-admittance weight. Males usually top out at 3.5 pounds with females being approximately 1/3 larger overall. I was in hopes she would be ready for release this week, before my vacation, but she's still way too skinny and with very little breast muscle. She's eating anywhere between 150 and 350 grams (5.3 - 12.3 oz) of food each day. You have to feed them as much as possible when they're in rehab. Their bodies are burning the normal, stay-alive calories, plus the healing calories as well. We opened the second enclosure to give her a greater workout/flight area. Over the next couple of weeks, she'll continue to eat her fill and strengthen her muscles and later this month, or early next month she'll be flying in her own territory once again. Photo: Feeling the keel. When feeling the keel bone, the rehabber needs to place the bone between the fore and middle fingers and gently roll from side to side. Healthy would be indicated by a gentle dip to each side. A rise would indicate an obese bird. At Lefty's time-of-admittance, I could place each finger completely down into the sides of the keel. She was the most-hydrated, completely-emaciated bird I've ever seen. As it stands now, there remains a serious dip in the muscle and until that changes, she'll be flying with us.

Photo: Notice the extra leather gear. No body piercings today!

2009-09-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

Blessed Sacrament Vacation Bible School Makes a Generous Contribution;

Last week, our new Native Species Owl Enclosure kicked off its funding with a generous donation from Morton's Blessed Sacrament Vacation Bible School!
Each day the kids brought in a different kind of money. Day one was pennies, day two nickels and so on. Their goal of $300 was reached in half the time and they just kept giving! The final donation amassed a whopping $663.20. Way to go kids! What an awesome job.

Also, an extra-special thanks goes to Christy Metzger who agreed to eat a worm for achieving their goal. Because they doubled that, she had to eat two worms! Oh no! Oh yuck! Way to go Mrs. Metzger! Thanks to everyone for such a phenomenal donation.

Pictured above: Christy Metzger, Zoe Gass, Maddie Gass (all of Blessed Sacrament) and Bonnie Cannon, WPSP Education Director

2009-08-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

Great Horned Owl Update Day 3:

Checked the GHO first thing, doing very well this morning. Ate all six mice last night, which put him at nine for the day. He hunkered over, splayed out his wings and puffed up (if possible) even bigger than yesterday. Gave him four mice for the morning, placed strategically across the enclosure. Later in the morning, all his mice were gone when Nancy, our animal curator came by. We watched him for awhile. He has one quite distinguishing characteristic right now. His right ear tuft is mostly missing and so his left ear tuft appears just that much more prominent. Nancy named him Lefty. At the end of the day I placed five mice and a goose leg for his dinner and said goodnight. If he doesn't eat the goose (and hopefully some deer too) he'll eat us out of money in his hopefully-short hospital stay. As it turns out, he has no insurance. Post note: to those that were concerned, no harm would have come to the Lefty yesterday, even if he 'killed' me ;-)

2009-08-16T06:02:00.000-07:00

Update from Bonnie, Education Department:

Came in today to find the GHO in fine spirits. Fluffing to over twice his actual size, he was hissing, clacking his beak and charging the cage door. Which was obviously a good thing, but checking his hydration and re-checking his wing mobility just became a whole new ball game. It's like going from T-ball to tackle football with the pros all in 24 hours. I did receive a small body piercing close to an area for which some people actually pay. Hydration was fantastic and the wing moved nicely in the socket. Because he was doing so well, we moved him outside and left him 3 mice for the morning. Josh and Ed (the veterans) came by to see how their waif was doing. We were all surprised to see him fly to an upper perch and then literally crawl up the wood slats. As we watched, he got his talon stuck and then in short time he just collapsed, hanging on by a toe. In all the years we've had rehab birds in that enclosure, this is the first time this has ever happened. I retrieved my casting gloves (my catching-a-raptor gloves) and as I entered the enclosure the guys asked if they needed to come in to protect me, I said, "No, but if he kills me, take him out." They puffed out their chests and said, "Can do." The bird, incidentally, freed himself before I ever actually entered the enclosure.

2009-08-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Great Horned Owl vs. Black Rat Snake
From Bonnie, Education Department:

Today, a couple of our veterans where on the service road and found a great horned owl being strangled by a black rat snake. They were joined by Brenda and between them, somehow managed to pry the snake free and save the owl from the grip of death (that's what I'm calling the snake). No animal was harmed in this death defying process. Yeah!

It turns out the GHO is so young he still has his baby feathers on the back of his head. (As young as 3 but not as old as 4 months). Upon his physical, he weighed 998 grams (2.2 lbs), had no broken bones, but one seriously drooping wing and had way too many flat flies sucking his blood. His mouth was pink and though it wasn't exactly moist, it wasn't stringy either. Melissa and I dusted him to de-vampire-bug him and administered fluid therapy both subcutaneously and orally. His was literally skin and bones (& feathers). Fear of his weakened state dictated not giving more food than his tummy could handle. We left him with 3 mice for the night and laid him down in his cage. At last bed-check, he was still unable to stand. I assumed it was simply the exhaustion, but the morning would tell.

By his emaciated state, and learning that he was seen during the day last week, trying to unsuccessfully carry a snake, he must have been trying to hunt the slow movers. His parents left him on his own before he'd learned to hunt well enough to survive. Poor little guy, top of his food chain, trying to get a meal and ended up almost killed by his prey. Seems like there's a lesson there about kids on the street...

2009-07-02T12:42:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the Wildlife Prairie State Park Blog Site. We are working to develop an open forum of communication with our guests and potential guests. The addition of this blog to our web site is a step toward accomplishing that goal.

We will utilize this new tool to provide you with updates, special event announcements, educational information and more. So please visit often and we encourage you to provide us with feedback!