Around this time of year, the staff at the can get as many as 10,000 calls a month.
Last week, the center got a special delivery 鈥� a bear cub that had been caught in a wire fence and had clearly struggled for some time to get free. She was found by people passing by, who, according to Dr. Jen Riley, the center’s hospital director, freed her and brought her to the center’s doorstep.
Bears are common in the region, Riley said, and this time of year, “These guys are coming out of their winter dens and starting to walk around with mom.”
“This is a baby that was trying to follow its mother, presumably, and is now separated from mom. It’s extremely stressed and struggling as hard as it can to get out of this fence,” she told 蜜桃视频app.
So by the time the people who found it spotted the cub, it was in a fragile state and not very reactive.
“We would not have recommended that the general public go out and try to rescue one of these animals. It can be very dangerous,” Riley said.
Even less potentially dangerous animals, , should often be left where they are, Riley said.
“People call about concerns they have, they may not know the normal behavior of the animal, and they may intervene too soon,” she said.
People often have an impulse to help wild animals, and while that’s well-intentioned, Riley said, “If we take that animal inside, if we start feeding it, which we also never recommend, we may now have ruined the chances for that animal to go back to its parents.”
And in wildlife rehabilitation, getting the animal back into its natural setting is always the goal.
Even things like the sounds and sights that rescued animals are exposed to while getting veterinary care are carefully controlled. Vets and staff don’t talk in the presence of animals, and they often use camouflage when administering care.
Black bears are a special case, Riley said, given how they are regulated in Virginia. Rehabilitation can be very complex.
“Black bears in Virginia should all go directly to the Wildlife Center of Virginia through the Department of Wildlife Resources,” she said.
And in this case, that’s what happened. Riley and the staff at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center were able to stabilize the little cub before getting it safely transferred to the in Waynesboro.
Given that the little bear had a severe open leg wound, and was compromised by the stress of trying to escape the fence while trying to reunite with its mother, the initial prognosis was poor.
By Wednesday, Riley told 蜜桃视频app, “I’ve talked to the vets at the Wildlife Center of Virginia as recently as yesterday, and they did say that things were looking better at this point. She’s had days of IV fluid therapy, she’s been improving slowly, but it is still a guarded support prognosis at this point.”
Riley said one of the best things that people concerned about the welfare of wildlife can do is look up information on where to find a licensed rehabilitator and wildlife facilities in their area.
“Try to look those up before you need them, and then when you do need them, call and leave a voicemail,” she said.
Riley said many rehabilitators are volunteers or nonprofits and have very small staffs.
Even in urban settings, Riley said, you can find people with the expertise to help wild animals in need.
“In D.C., you have City Wildlife. They’re amazing, so they’re a great resource for people who are actually in the city. ”
A few simple rules Riley said people should follow when reaching out for help: “Always wait for a call back before trying to intervene. Never contain an animal before you’ve spoken to somebody. Never drive it directly to a facility without speaking to someone and never try to offer food or water while they are en route to a facility.”
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