Release!

On Monday night I got to go on my first release! (sorry, no photos this time) Another intern, Christina, and I, drove out to Hollywood Hills with two skunks to release them back from where they were found. Luckily I didn’t have to help with the “capture” part of the release. Christina and Jo went down to the enclosure where basically all our bigger skunks are (commonly referred to as “Skunk Works”), and they had to proceed to corner and grab the four largest skunks they saw. I’ve heard that when the skunks realize what is happening, and that the humans in their midst are not there to deliver food, they immediately run and hide. Sometimes they get so stressed that some will jump on the giant hamster wheels in their enclosure and start running, trying to get away. Jo and Christina had to throw blankets over the selected skunks and then grab them up and put them in boxes, all while avoiding getting bitten or sprayed. Apparently the process went relatively smoothly, and we ended up with four skunks, boxed and ready to go. (Christina and I only took two of the four, the other two went with a volunteer). Jo located a potential address in the Hollywood Hills area for a good release point, and Christina and I set off after work (skunks are most active at dusk and evening, so having a release at this time of day would be the least stressful for them). We try our best to release the animals back in the areas we find them, since A) they'll be comfortable and familiar with the area and B) we avoid accidentally releasing one animal into another’s territory.

It took Christina and I over an hour to eventually release the skunks, since the first locations we tried seemed very unfriendly to skunks. The houses were too close together and didn’t contain enough yard/woody spaces for the skunks to seek cover. We had to choose a location that was close to a residential area, since skunks have become reliant on people and survive mostly on garbage (sad, but a guess a negative result of our encroachment on natural spaces). However, we wanted to be sure there was enough natural cover for the skunks to hide in, just in case their human neighbors didn’t approve of them and tried to trap them, or to prevent them from having to cross too many streets and risk getting hit by cars. I felt bad for the skunks, since we were driving all over the Hills, back and forth and up and down, and I worry that we may have made them a bit carsick. At the beginning of the car trip we could hear them moving around their boxes, sniffing curiously and trying to determine their location and what was happening. Suddenly we didn’t hear any noises anymore and for a few minutes we worried they had died of shock or something, since there was absolutely no reaction from them. But later when we checked on them, we found them alive and well, albeit a bit weirded out and pissed off :P

We eventually found what we believed to be an ideal skunk habitat – what appeared to be an abandoned water treatment facility that had an old reservoir behind it, that had become over grown with marshy vegetation (we hoped the skunks would be able to revert back to being natural, wild skunks and find a lot of great food sources from the marsh) – that had a high fence around it, and was next door to a bunch of houses. We found a gap in the fence that was at the top of an old water chute that was now filled with leaves. When we opened the boxes and the skunks ran out of the boxes, they actually comically slid down the chute for a while, before they finally caught themselves.

I had been looking forward to finally experiencing a release, and I have to say that it was almost exactly I had been expecting. It was slightly emotional, a bit nostalgic and sad, but also exciting and happy. It was incredible to be able to know these skunks were back where they belonged and that we had in essence, saved their lives. But it was also sad since we had cared for these skunks for so long and it was likely we’d never encounter them again (but again, I suppose that’s the ideal goal). I haven’t been at the center long enough to be experience the release of an animal that I consciously remember helping to raise/care for, so I can only imagine that it feels even more nostalgic in that situation. But that was why I wanted to go into this field – to walk away knowing that I made a significant difference in an animals life (even if they don’t acknowledge it, ha ha) – and to get to experience that feeling of satisfaction that they’re back where they belong.

The release was also slightly stressful, which I hadn’t anticipated – finding the right environment that met all our criteria, without being too potentially dangerous. Obviously we wouldn’t be able to control where the skunks ended up wandering, but we felt it was our job to try and place them in an area that was as devoid of danger as possible (i.e major road ways, too much human traffic, etc). It made me laugh to imagine what the people living in the area would think, that we were putting skunks into their backyards, but hopefully they’re animal-loving people and won’t mind too much.

Yesterday I got to assist in a veterinary procedure! One of the young Western-Scrub Jays (google image below. Personally I think they’re one of the prettiest birds, and strongly reminds me of the MockingJay from Hunger Games….)

had received a mysterious neck wound. It was the second neck injury in two weeks and we still can’t determine exactly what is happening to him. I am under the impression that the other jays living with him are picking on him, since he is the smallest Jay in the group and already looks a little bedraggled. The first neck wound was most superficial, so we were able to just put antibiotic cream on it and let him go. This time he actually required sutures. Dr. Tom, the resident vet at CWC, asked me to assist him with the procedure, which was relatively simple, but still fascinating to observe. We put the bird to sleep and then inserted a tube that would help him breath – my job was to press on the bag every 6 seconds that would help breathe for him by filling his lungs).  It was a bit hard to focus on doing that job, since I was so intrigued by watching Dr. Tom suture up the wound. Originally I believed the whole operation was a complete success, since there were no complications and the bird appeared to be fine after waking up. However, I learned later that the sutures had come out and would have to be redone, and today I found out that the second surgery went well and he's hopefully on the road to recovery. Personally I think we need to find the bird some new friends….

That's all for now!
Peace, love and wildlife running free