Yearling Sea Lion Rescue 11-15-09

This female yearling sea lion looked like a baby she was so small. She's actually about one and a half years old and should weigh about 90 lbs. We observed her for 2 days and realized she hadn't made any effort to go out and hunt for food because she was in exactly the same place both days. It seemed she had just given up. Food sources have been hard to find for all the younger sea lions this year because of the warmer water surface temperatures. The fish move out to deeper, colder water and the small sea lions can't go that far. Upon assessment, she was very underweight (43 lbs.), dehydrated, lethargic and had a bloated stomach. We made the decision to make a rescue attempt, even though she was in a very tough place to get into and out of. After more than an hour of climbing over rocks, the rescue was complete. She was transferred to the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro for medical assistance and rehabilitation. Her first week was pretty tough, but she is now eating on her own and gaining weight. If all continues to go well, she will be returning to the ocean soon with a second chance at life! Go Whitney!

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Rescued Fox 11-09

We received this depressed, semi-lethargic 1-year-old fox yesterday from the Culver City area. The person who found him informed us that he had not been moving around very well for about 5 days, but there were no observable wounds to explain his behavior. CWC Veterinarian Dr. Duane Tom found nothing significantly wrong with him and x-rays returned normal. However, this little foxes blood work showed moderate anemia (low blood count) and since his clotting count was prolonged, it is probable that the fox is a victim of secondary poisoning (he ate something that had eaten poison)! The fox is being treated with vitamin K (initially with an injection and now in food for 2-4 weeks) which will help with clotting. At the end of treatment, Dr. Tom will check how quickly his blood clots on it’s own and determine whether more treatment is needed. Check back for further updates!

UPDATE: Our fox is doing so well, she has been moved into our outside bobcat/coyote/fox enclosure. She is eating well and gets very excited when her food arrives. She growls and then barks, so her caregiver will leave and she can eat=)

Marissa Bojiuc- Wildlife Hero

On Friday, October 2, 2009, we received a call at the Wildlife Center about an injured pelican in Marina Del Rey. It was from one of our Youth Rescue Blog followers, Marissa Bojiuc! She was playing volleyball and spotted it with a broken wing. Because of her quick action, this pelican will receive the medical attention it needs and hopefully, be returned back into the wild. On behalf of all of us at the California Wildlife Center, we thank you Marissa. You are setting a great example for our youth of today and showing everyone that if you care, you can make a difference. We salute you!

Western Gray Squirrel Enters Rehab at CWC

This graceful tree-dweller grows up to a length of 24 inches, including the long bushy tail. Tree squirrels do not have cheek pouches like ground squirrels, but have the same squirrel toe pattern - four toes on the front feet and five larger toes on the hind feet. The coat is overall gray above and white on the underside. The tail has white tips to the hairs.

The gray squirrel eats mostly acorns, but feeds on other nuts and seeds and in the spring, new leaf buds. The squirrels live in tree cavities or in a nest of twigs, bark and leaves built far out on the branch of a large tree. They can be seen looking for food in trees or burying nuts in the ground during the day. It does not hibernate in the winter as do some ground squirrels. Most of the squirrels we see here are fox squirrels. They originated on the East coast and were imported here. Gray squirrels are native to our area, but have been driven out for the most part by the more aggressive fox squirrels.

This little guy was brought to us from the Pt. Dume area of Malibu. He was very dehydrated and weak. He receives feedings every 4 hours and is doing well with them. We'll keep you posted on his progress!

A Better Mouse Trap

Linda Johnson would like to remind us all that "when we poison the environment, it flows through the food chain of which we are a part." She's talking about when people put out poison to get rid of pests, such as rats and mice. What are pests to some people are food to lots of wildlife and we need to remember that. CWC receives many animals that have secondary poisoning because they have eaten rats or mice that have been poisoned. These include owls, hawks, coyotes, bobcats, foxes, etc. This poisoning makes them very sick and sometimes they die from it.

The sticky glue trap is another method you might want to think twice about. Linda states, "It not only targets rodents, but non-target animals such as frogs, birds, lizards, etc." The traps are baited with seeds, so a bird or lizard could go over to investigate and be caught as well. Once something is stuck on the traps, it's virtually impossible to remove them and they die a very slow death.

Linda suggests an alternative to both of these methods. "Keep food and trash in tightly lidded containers. If you have to eradicate pests, use Hav-a-Hart traps, which are the catch and release method." Let's help keep our wildlife safe and healthy!

Thank you Linda for this lifesaving information.

Mia and Jordan Brookenthal - Youth Wildlife Heroes

Mia (6years old) and Jordan (4 years old) Brookenthal found a way to help our native wildlife, "even though we are too small to help carry the animals or feed them or capture them for rescue." They raised over $1000 with their recent mail campaign so CWC can keep rescuing and helping the animals. Last spring they also collected donations of much needed supplies on our wish list. Mia and Jordan are such good examples for everyone. They set a goal and with hard work, they accomplished it. You girls are Wildlife Heroes!

Jessica Ross - Youth Wildlife Hero

Jessica is 13 years old and an avid painter. She has been helping out at CWC since she was 9 years old. Her expertise is in Art and for the last two years, she has painted art pieces for our Silent Auction at The Wild Brunch. Thank you Jessica for setting an example for other kids and finding ways to help wildlife by generously donating your artwork. Oscar winning actress, Mira Sorvino is the proud owner of both pieces! Jessica is a true hero for Wildlife!

Amazing Rescue! August 27, 2009

This Great Blue Heron found himself in a real mess. He was entangled in fishing line and got stuck in a tree hanging upside down over a lake. At first glance, this might seem like an impossible rescue. The owners of this home called CWC and asked for our help. Cindy Reyes, Director of Marine Mammal Stranding, and Administrator Tim Weis responded in a big way. After assessing the situation, the Fire Dept. was called and agreed to lend their assistance. A very brave fireman shimmied up the tree and sawed off the branch the bird was on. Cindy, Tim and a neighbor sped to the rescue in a paddle boat, netted the bird and the rest is history. He was kept over night for evaluation at CWC and then transported down to the International Bird Rescue and Research Center in San Pedro. Hopefully, he will fully recover and be released back into the wild!

First photo courtesy of Cindy Reyes, second photo courtesty of Gayle Uyehara.

A big thank you to all who attended our Wild Brunch on Sunday, August 16th at Gull's Way estate in Malibu. It was a huge success! The event featured V-Taste of Malibu cuisine by top-rated chefs and restaurateurs; unique shopping buys in our Live and Silent auctions; a children's area with kid's buffet, face-painting and crafts; David Groves' amazing magic for all ages; live music by our wild DJ and electroBrazilian jazz duo Electra Blu and the release of a red-shoulder hawk that was rehabilitated by CWC! The donations received will help fund all the awesome work we do to give wildlife a second chance. These amazing photos are courtesy of Gayle Uyehara!

Harbor Seal Pup Rescue

On June 20, 2009 the Marine Mammal Rescue Team had quite a busy day. This harbor seal pup was stranded on E. Sea Level Drive...he was thin and felt quite warm. Just like people, seals and sea lions can get a fever too. This little guy had a very high fever, so two of our rescue team members gave him a hose bath to cool him down before being transported to the Care Center in San Pedro. We saw him this week and he is doing so well, he will be released soon...

Snowy Egret Rescued

This juvenile Snowy Egret was brought to the California Wildlife Center on 6/20 with a right humeral fracture. He had two surgeries and got a very pretty pink wrap to aid in rehabilitation of the wing. The second photo shows him three weeks later, getting a little physical therapy in the hospital. Love the hairdo!

Sea lion rescue on April 26, 2009

This tiny, little sea lion was rescued from Leo Carillo beach. He has his flipper up in the air to try and warm his body up. Since his flipper is dark in color, it retains heat from the sun. This is called thermo-regulating. We found him to be dehydrated, cold and very skinny. He is almost a year old and should weigh about 60-80 lbs. When weighed at the rehab facility, he only weighed 22 lbs. He is doing well and hopefully, will be returned to the wild in a few months.

Nestling Barn Owl Rescued on May 3, 2009

This nestling Barn Owl, either fell out or was kicked out of its nest in a palm tree. A very odd nesting site, as they prefer barns and haystacks. It came to us from La Puente and was very dehydrated. It will eat now if force fed the first bite of mouse and then will eat the rest on its own.

The owl will be transferred to the Ojai Raptor Center in a few days because their rehab progresses much better if they are paired with another Barn Owl about the same age. They specialize in raptors, so it will be in very good hands.

New CWC April Patients

The Easter eggs that hatched!

These little Easter ducklings were brought in to the Center, and are being taken care of until they grow big enough to be returned to the wild. Bet you can't tell how many there are!
These are Mallards, whose numbers are decreasing, although you wouldn't know it from looking at this picture! When they grow up the males will have gorgeous glossy green heads and necks, while the females will be brown and keep the very smart stripe you see on each side of these ducklings heads. Mallards mate for life, and pairs form in the fall, well before breeding season in Spring. The female makes a shallow nest of leaves or grass, and lays 8 - 10 eggs. Once they hatch, the ducklings are ready to go out of the nest after just one day, and the Mom will lead her ducklings straight to the nearest water where they are the most safe. Sometimes this can be a swimming pool. I know because I have a Mom and 10 ducklings on mine right now!

A Giant Easter Surprise!

Our marine mammal rescue team got a call on Easter Sunday about a sea lion stranded on the beach in Pirates Cove. We went to check it out. We found an adult male sea lion approximately 8-10 feet in length and anywhere from 400 - 475 lbs. A true Giant! He was assessed for injuries and none were found. He had just come out of the water for a nice nap on a very beautiful day. Sea lions and seals come up on the beach to rest and warm up. If you ever encounter one, please do not disturb it or approach it. They will bite to defend themselves and they can move very quickly on land. It is perfectly normal for them to be out of the water. The best thing to do is call our Marine Mammal Hotline at 310-458-WILD. We will come out and assess the animal to make sure it is not injured, sick, or abandoned. If it needs to be rescued, we will rescue it. It will then be transported to the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro for care and eventually, released back into the wild!

This nestling great horned owl was brought to our Center from Saugus. It apparently had fallen out of the nest. Great horned owls show a marked preference for nesting in the crowns of large pine trees, sometimes taking over abandoned nests that were built by crows, squirrels, or hawks. Since the owls do little or nothing to improve the nests, it's quite common for the nest to disintegrate, especially as the young put on weight and begin to move around. He appears to be about one month old and is eating very well, which will speed his recuperation time and ready him for his eventual return to the wilds of Saugus. Stay tuned for a future release date!

Dinner every 5 minutes!

These tiny orphan humming birds were found in Calabasas on Monday March 9th. Here they are being fed a special formula, which they will need every 30 minutes for the next week or two until they are a little larger. Please take special care at this time of year, and wait to trim those trees, tiny nests with little guys like these may be in them.

Elephant seal rescue

This Northern Elephant seal pup was rescued by our Marine Mammal rescue team on March 3, 2009. He was born in January of this year at Piedras Blancas beach in Cambria, CA. Elephant seal pups are nursed for about 29 days and then their mothers leave them to learn to swim and hunt on their own. They weigh about 230 lbs. when they venture into the ocean. The currents take them south and this time of year, they start showing up stranded on our beaches. This little guy only weighed 69 lbs. He was rescued due to malnutrition and dehydration. He was transferred to the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro where he will go to fish school to learn how to hunt for food. When he's ready, he will be released back into the wild. If you see any injured or sick seals or sea lions at the beach, please do not approach them. They will bite out of self defense. Call our Marine Mammal hotline at 310-458-WILD. Great job Team Rockstars!

Our Visit With Homer

Homer is a mule deer fawn that was confiscated by the Department of Fish and Game from a man who was keeping him in his backyard as a pet. In California, that is against the law. Young fawns imprint from humans very easily, so he would never be able to survive in the wild on his own. He was brought to the Center for care until a sanctuary could be found for him. This past weekend, my daughters, Kristyn and Jessica and I went to visit him. The sanctuary is in Dulzura, CA. It is run by a very nice woman named Jill. When Homer saw us, he came right over and started sniffing our pants and licking us. You can tell from the photo that he really missed Jessica. He has seven other deer to play with now and made friends with the Alpha female, Hannah, so all the other deer are very nice to him. He also loves Jill's four Great Pyrenees and has already escaped from his pen once through a very small hole in the fence to go play with them!

CWC Patients - Past and Present

Rescued February 4, 2009 : Baby Bunny

This cute baby desert cottontail rabbit, was brought to us along with his sister. The sister was fine, so she was sent back home, which was off of Chesebro Road, Agoura. The baby rabbit was approximately one month old, according to his weight, which was 96g. Unfortunately he had a broken leg (tibia and fibular.) He has a temporary splint on his leg that is held on with the green bandage, until Dr Tom, our vet, can operate on his leg on the 6th. This will not be easy as his leg is so small.

He is still able to hop around and is eating well with a diet of baby rabbit pellets, a few pieces of fruit and vegetables, along with timothy hay and water. We are hoping that the surgery will be sucessful, so that he will later be able to be released from the same area in which he and his sister were found.

UPDATE Sadly this baby didn't make it. Sometimes despite all best efforts fragile creatures like these sometimes cannot be saved. You can help avoid accidents by being careful, and remembering that our environment is their home too. This little guy's picture will stay on our blog to inspire people to help other injured wildlife.