AWARE’S TAILS FROM THE WILD FALL 2014
Unforgettable Tails of 2014 This year has been AWARE’s busiest year ever. As of this writing, we have treated more than 1,700 animals—from baby bats and birds no bigger than a quarter to larger animals like bobcats and foxes. As 2014 draws to a close, most of our babies have grown up and moved out on their own, and we find ourselves reflecting on all that we’ve accomplished this year and some of our more memorable and unusual patients. A few of our most unusual patients this year have been migratory birds not commonly seen in rehabilitation. One of these patients was a Virginia Rail, a small, long-legged marsh bird that is only seen in our area during its migration. Found stunned on the ground in a supermarket parking lot, this bird was most likely the victim of a window strike—a fate that sadly kills millions of birds annually in the United States. Fortunately, this bird quickly regained the strength needed to continue his journey. During the short time he was with us, it was fascinating to watch Story continued on page 4 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES CAN DONATE TO AWARE THROUGH CFC! AWARE has been chosen to participate in the 2014 Combined Federal Campaign and has been a trusted recipient of CFC funds for the past two years. If you are a federal employee and want to donate to AWARE through the CFC, please reference #47284 on your federal donation form. Thank you! Virginia Rail
Inside this Issue Director’s Reflections from the Wild
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Little Critter’s Corner
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Wing Beat
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Unforgettable Tails of 2014
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Auction Sponsors & Donors
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Meet the Ambassadors: Page 9 Marc & Cleo, Striped Skunks
Senior Writer and Editor: Melanie Edwards Furr, mefurr@bellsouth.net Photography: Melanie Furr, Linda Potter, Jim Wilson, and Alex Johnson III Layout: Darla Warnock
www.AWAREwildlife.org
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Director’s Reflections from the Wild As another year comes to a close at AWARE it is thrilling to take a look at how far we’ve come. In a way, this has been a year of firsts. We are excited to report our first ever rehabilitation of a Mississippi kite. Likewise, we have our first Osprey—another beautiful bird whose majestic appearance is so similar to our symbolic Bald Dr. Tarah Hadley Eagle. We are also very proud to report that this year AWARE took in the most animals ever in its history—over 1,700 animals and counting as of this publication. While this is a cause for celebration, it is also a reminder of how we could not do what we do were it not for the financial generosity of the public that supports us and our corporate sponsors. We are also thankful for those who supported our 3rd Annual Art for Armadillos Silent Auction to benefit wildlife rehabilitation and made it our most successful event ever. Your support suggests that the public takes pride in the work that AWARE
does and regards it as their community center for wildlife rehabilitation and education. In 2015, you can look forward to more community events hosted by AWARE. We invite your support and hope to see you there! By Tarah Hadley Left: Attendees enjoy refreshments at the 3rd Annual Art for Armadillos Silent Auction
Right: Auction guests learn about wildlife from ambassador Barred Owls Star Gazer and Tappy
Little Critter’s Corner C X B R S R A D P X Z G F F C
D O F O E J O S O R R B M S I
K D T V B P L L J A A E N T L
Q C A T O C L D Y C E H D R X
B E U S O I A S H C B G U I R
B E S D D N Q T N O K C K P N
J U Q A D U T G N O C D E E J
M B M M I O Z A I N A J J D U
L R D R F E O U I Y L Y X S E
A X R N Q O F W Q L B E X K T
R E H S A R H T N W O R B U S
L P O K N U M P I H C P H N X
R E D F O X O M Y X T S L K N
E W W O S B A R R E D O W L U
E Z T X S B F Z Z O R Y Q G M
Georgia Native Wildlife Word Search ARMADILLO BARRED OWL BEAVER BLACK BEAR BOBCAT BROWN THRASHER CHIPMUNK COTTONTAIL GRAY SQUIRREL OPOSSUM OSPREY RACCOON RED FOX STRIPED SKUNK Learn more about these animals at http://georgiawildlife.com/SpeciesInfo
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Wing Beat Enjoying Georgia’s Birds Sandhill Cranes The Sandhill Crane is one of fifteen species in the crane family. This species is identified by its gray color, dark red patch on the forehead, and black bill. It is one of the tallest birds in North America standing nearly four feet above the ground, so it’s very visible. It can be confused with the Great Blue Heron, another large, longlegged bird, but the heron is not related to the cranes and has a white head with a black stripe over the eye. The Great Blue Heron can be seen all over Georgia throughout the year at lakes, rivers and ponds (they love Koi in a pond). Sandhill Cranes migrate through Georgia in the spring on their way to their nesting grounds, mostly in Canada, and in the fall on their way back south to their wintering areas on the southwest prairies and south Florida. However, they are conspicuous during those times because they fly in large V formations high over the Atlanta area (for the ones headed to S. Florida) and make loud gurgling sounds that are very distinct and can be heard for miles. Once you know or have heard their calls, you instantly know to look upward to see these magnificent birds flying very high in sky. They can fly as high as 13,000 feet, so you might want to use a pair of binoculars to better identify them. They fly with outstretched necks and legs so they are easily distinguished from geese and herons that fly with their necks and legs tucked near their bodies. Sometimes these cranes will decide to spend the night near Atlanta. They like open areas with shallow water, which allow them to spot predators and feed on invertebrates that live in the water and mud. They are
omnivorous, however, and also feed on grains, berries, aquatic plants, snails, lizards, frogs and snakes. Sandhill Cranes are famous for their spring mating dance in which two birds will leap high off the ground with wings flapping and loud calling. Their antics will definitely get your attention. They are also well known for their gathering points on the Platte River in Nebraska. As many as a half a million cranes may gather there at one time during their spring migration (February through April)--one of the largest migratory flocks in the world! Birders travel from all over the world to see this spectacular event. Next time you hear funny noises high in the sky, check for Sandhill Cranes. Photos and article by Jim Wilson
Left: Great Blue Heron
Above: Sandhill Crane
The Perfect Gift for the Holidays Looking for that perfect holiday gift for the animal lover in your life? A sponsorship of one of the many animals in AWARE’s Adopt a Rehab Animal program would make the perfect gift. Proceeds benefit AWARE’s efforts to rehabilitate wildlife and to educate the public about peaceful coexistence. Adopters receive a certificate of adoption along with a picture of their adopted animal. Visit our website to adopt an animal today!
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Unforgettable Tails of 2014 (continued from page 1)
him quickly run about his enclosure and gobble up the invertebrates offered to him in soft dirt. Another unusual bird was a juvenile Mississippi Kite that was found on the ground, weak and dehydrated and missing some tail feathers. As with many of our patients, we can only guess what happened to this bird, but being in no condition to continue his migration to his tropical wintering grounds, he will spend the winter with us until he has molted into his adult plumage and gained the strength to prepare him for spring migration. Perhaps the most impressive migratory bird that came into rehabilitation this year is the Osprey currently in our care. Like the kite, he was found weak and dehydrated on the ground. This large raptor feeds exclusively on fish, diving into water feet-first to catch prey. Apparently, he doesn’t find the bowl of fish which we have provided him to be a sufficient challenge, and so far we’ve had to coax him to eat by handfeeding him. Like the kite, he will spend the winter with us to regain the strength necessary to migrate to his summer breeding grounds. We’ve had our fair share of unforgettable mammals this year, too. Among these memorable patients were two baby groundhog orphans that arrived at AWARE after they were found next to their dead mother along the side of a road. This pair stole the hearts of our staff and volunteers. Sickly and weak when they arrived, they soon regained the strength and hearty appetites of growing youngLeft: Mississippi Kite Right: Osprey Below: neurological Red-Tailed Hawk sters. As with many of the irresistible animals in our care, the most difficult thing to do was to refrain from coddling them and limit their contact with humans so that they could be successfully returned to the wild. An orphaned red fox kit that came to us after he was kidnapped and kept as a family pet was not so lucky. Try as we might, we could not reverse the imprinting that had occurred, and sadly, this fox can never be returned to the wild. As we so often try to impress upon the public, wild animals are best suited to a life in the wild; trying to keep them as pets is an injustice to them. Luckily, this fox, affectionately named “Todd” for the fox in the movie The Fox and the Hound, found a permanent home in a wildlife sanctuary. For the few weeks we raised this playful and curious kit, he absolutely melted our hearts! These unique cases stand out among the hundreds of other squirrels, opossums, chipmunks, raccoons, coyotes, and other wildlife that arrived at our door—each deserving a second chance at life in the wild. A few other memorable cases came to us as the result of human negligence. When we received a call from a concerned individual about turtles stranded in mud at a pond that had been drained for construction of the new Braves stadium, our staff and volunteers rushed to the rescue. Wading knee-deep in thick mud, the AWARE crew was able to rescue dozens of turtles that otherwise would have perished. The turtles were returned to the same watershed in which they were found as soon as they were given a clean bill of health. One of the most heartbreaking cases this year was a raccoon whose foot had gotten stuck in the neck of a shattered glass bottle. This poor animal was seen walking around with a grossly deformed foot for weeks before she was successfully trapped and transported to us for care. Sadly, her foot was too severely injured to be saved, and our director Dr. Tarah Hadley was forced to amputate. We wouldn’t have thought a threelegged raccoon would fare well in the wild, but since this gal had survived for weeks with her horribly painful and debilitating injury, we thought she deserved a chance. Happily, weeks after her release back to her home territory, she has been seen climbing trees and getting around well. Another heartbreaking case is a Red-tailed Hawk still recovering at AWARE after being found on the ground with severe neurological trauma. Most likely a victim of secondary poisoning from eating a rodent killed with rodenticide, she couldn’t stand or hold her head up when she arrived. Even after weeks of treatment, she has not recovered well enough to be returned to the wild; she navigates Story continued on page 5
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Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014 Unforgettable Tails of 2014 (continued from page 4)
poorly and cocks her head in an unnatural way. Still, her health is vastly improved, and we hope to find placement for her in a wildlife center as an educational ambassador. A beautiful hawk that has captured the hearts of our staff and volunteers, she provides a stirring reminder of the dangers of using poison for pest control. Sadly, each year untold numbers of non-targeted wildlife like this hawk die horrible deaths after eating poisoned rodents. While many animals that we care for are victims of accidents and natural causes, those that come to us as a result of human carelessness and irresponsibility are the most upsetting cases. They are the reason why our mission to educate the public about wildlife conservation are equally important to our efforts to rehabilitate injured, sick, and orphaned animals. We couldn’t provide care for any of these animals or do the education work that we do without the generosity and commitment of our donors and hard-working volunteers. We thank you for your support, and we look forward to continuing to serve our community and all its wild inhabitants. By Melanie Furr
Thank You 2014 AWARE Art Auction Sponsors & Donors! Auction Sponsors Alliance Theatre at Woodruff Apples in Stereo lead singer Robert Schneider Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Auction Horizon Beer Growler Botanical Gardens Center for Puppetry Arts Chai Pani Children’s Museum of Atlanta Dulce Vegan Empire State South Fernbank Museum GA Aquarium Gwinett Braves Haven Restaurant and Bar High Museum Jeni’s Ice Cream Kavarna Kimi’s Bistro Krispy Kreme Atlanta-Ponce de Leon location
Lego Land Matador Cantina The Mercantile Mojo’s Pizza Petmeister’s Petsitting Pike Nurseries Shakespere Taven UPS Store Conyers-Smyrna Crossing Zoo Atlanta
Art Donors Hugh Acheson Patricia Adams AimeeLaura Donnya Ajdari Tasmia Alam Elisha Bailey Kendra Baird Sean Barry Gabriela Baumgartner
Edward Bello Marjorie Bowers Michele Brewer Mike Brown Jordan Budnik Spirit & Edmond Bush Julie Campbell Robyn Canady Caylin Caruso
Sergey Cherep Jo Ann Chism Kish Choudhary Brenda Cobb Joel Conison Sherry Cook Carolyn Cordell Katie Cotter-Reilly Art Donors continued page 6
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Thank You 2014 AWARE Art Auction Sponsors & Donors! Doug Crane Emory Cullen Gary D. Curtis Anthony Dallman-Jones Berry Davis Merissa Davis Miguel Dominguez Tanya Doskova Christopher Dougherty Jill Dubin Athea Eberhardt Marilyn Eckert Amit Eichenbaum Suzie Eifrid C. Epps Katelinn Esslinger Tiffany Everett Erin Feichtner Mark Ferguson Suzanna DiMarco Ferguson Ann Finley Sarah Flinn Collette Fortin Holly Sue Foss Tom Francis Sandra Fraser Shelley Greenhalgh Amy Gresens Leigh Griffin Prudence Hardi Emmye Harris Winthrope Hiers Julia Hill Jenna Hirt Tracy Hoexter Marirosa Hofman Lorri Honeycutt Jimmy Hopkins Gina Houlditch Amanda Hunter Tim Hunter Bella Imbesi Sienna Imbesi Kevin J Sally Jamara Jane Jaskevich Ron Jenkins Jewelry Artisans Aida Kissler
Kathryn Laibson Fayola Langston Trich leCroy Angie Lewis Lynn Lommer Rebecca Lowery Ilicia Martin Thea Mayhew Linda L. McCulloch Tom McRae Brian K. Miller Jerry Miller Lee Miller Natacha Monnalisa Christie Moody Melissa Moore Lisa Mote Shijun Munns Nathan Nardi Tammy O’Connor Angie O’Neal Claudia Orth Mariella Owens Nicholas Parnell Haseena Peera Phil Prentice T Robinson Helen Rogers Larry Rogers David Russell Marie Rust Lore Ruttan Michelle Ryman Liz Schley Peggy E. Schmid Dr. Mimi Shepard Rob Simmons Michelle McDowell Smith Tara Smith Honey Staufer Hazel J. Studstill John Suade Donna Thome Emily Tucker Mark & Lee-Etta Van de Bogart Mike & Sherrie Venghaus Judy Clement Wall Kathy Walton Darla Warnock
David B. Well Angela Welti Sarah White Caitlin Whitehead Zhiyong Ye Leonard Yeager Oz, southern sea otter (Georgia Aquarium resident) Nyuni, African black-footed penguin (Georgia Aquarium resident) Kelly the Elephant (Zoo Atlanta resident)
Lady Owlbert Einstein, Barred Owl (AWARE Ambassador) Windy Sue Whoo, Barn Owl (AWARE Ambassador) Savannah, bobcat (AWARE Ambassador) Stella Luna, flying squirrel (AWARE Ambassador) Cessna, flying squirrel (AWARE Ambassador) Stevie Hawking, RedShouldered Hawk (AWARE Ambassador) Star Gazer, Barred Owl (AWARE Ambassador) Tappy, Barred Owl (AWARE Ambassador) Marc Antony, striped skunk (AWARE Ambassador) Cleopatra, striped skunk (AWARE Ambassador) Mary Shelli Frankenstein, box turtle (AWARE Ambassador) Legs, corn snake (AWARE Ambassador) Koko, Red-tailed Hawk (AWARE Ambassador) Ellis D. Owl, Eastern Screech Owl (AWARE Ambassador) Beowulf, Virginia opossum (AWARE Ambassador)
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Thank You 2014 AWARE Art Auction Sponsors & Donors! Special thanks to artist Vanessa Lowry who for the second year in a row generously donated her time and talent to create a beautiful depiction of Armie the Armadillo– official mascot of AWARE’s Art for Armadillos Wildlife Auction.
Auction photos courtesy of Alex Johnson, ajiiiphotography.com
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Thank You 2014 AWARE Art Auction Sponsors & Donors!
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Meet the Ambassadors: Striped Skunks
Cleopatra & Marc Antony Cleopatra came to AWARE as a tiny orphan. Because AWARE had no other skunks in rehabilitation at that time, Cleo grew up without other skunks to bond with or a proper skunk “role model.” While natural instincts enable many animals to learn essential survival skills, Cleo never caught on. Miss Priss does know how to stomp her feet and point her backside to volunteers when she is not in the mood to be approached, however! She can be a bit of a spitfire, especially before she’s had her breakfast! Usually, she’s curious and sweet and an excellent companion for Marc AntoAbove: Cleopatra ny, the other non-releasable skunk in AWARE’s care. Marc Antony was found as a baby and raised with humans. While the people who raised Marc Antony may not have been aware of the regulations prohibiting the possession of native wildlife in Georgia (without special permits), the veterinarian who neutered him should have been. Nonetheless, he was fully grown when he was finally surrendered to AWARE, no longer wanted as a pet. Fully acclimated to humans, Marc is a friendly and curious skunk, but like his pal Cleo, he is not a “morning person.” Curiously, neither of our striped skunks wears a stripe. Cleo is mostly black, while Marc is mostly white. Regardless of their markings, wild skunks provide an important environmental service. They not only eat vegetation like fruits and berries, assisting with the spread of seeds and the cleanup of rotting fruits, but they also eat rodents, insects, and other critters humans consider pests. At AWARE, we love the little stinkers! Left: Marc Antony If you would like to contribute to Marc’s or Cleo’s annual care by a symbolic adoption, visit our website and fill out the Adopt-an-Ambassador form. Our non-releasable educational ambassadors are AWARE’s greatest asset in our conservation efforts, inspiring thousands of people each year to protect Georgia’s native wildlife. Adoption fees cover the cost of food, medical care, and enclosure maintenance on an annual basis and provide the following benefits: sponsor recognition at our center, in our newsletter, and on our Facebook page and website. You will also have the opportunity to meet and take a picture with your chosen ambassador as well as receive a behind-the-scenes tour of AWARE.
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Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014
Preserving Georgia’s Wildlife through Rehabilitation and Education 4158 Klondike Road, Lithonia, GA 30038 (678) 418-1111 www.AWAREwildlife.org
Tours given Saturdays and Sundays at 1 P.M. Donations gladly accepted
—————————————— Book an educational program and meet our ambassador animals up close!
AWARE’s Wish List
Home Depot and Wal-Mart gift cards Towels and linens (no holes or loose threads) Sticky notes, fine-tipped permanent markers Applesauce, mixed fruit baby food Pecan halves or miscellaneous whole nuts Unscented HE laundry detergent and bleach Purina Dog Chow Complete, Friskies Grillers Blend Cat Chow, or Friskies Classic Pate
AWARE is a volunteer-based organization working to preserve and restore wildlife and its habitat through education and wildlife rehabilitation. We believe that peaceful coexistence of humans and wildlife is essential for our mutual survival. AWARE will rescue and rehabilitate more than 1,700 animals in 2014, and most of them will return to the wild. In addition, our licensed rehabilitators answer thousands of inquiries each year from people with wildlife concerns, providing AWARE with opportunities to help people better understand, appreciate, and coexist with wildlife. Our educational outreach programs, which feature our non-releasable ambassador animals, include school programs, festivals, fairs, nature centers, community events, scout meetings, and anywhere there is an audience interested in wildlife. Our non-releasable ambassador animals (bobcat, opossum, flying squirrel, snake, turtle, skunks, crows, owls, and hawks) provide a face to our lessons on how to peacefully coexist with wild animals. AWARE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that relies on private contributions of time and money. AWARE receives no government assistance.
Your donations make our work possible.
Happy Holidays from AWARE!