We asked you to get up early and support BMW on #GivingTuesday, and WOW did you ever come through. You raised $15,272, including $4,000 in matching funds from long-time members Gene and Marilyn Cripe, and $1,000 in matching funds from Facebook and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Your generosity is overwhelming and we are very grateful. 2017 has been our busiest year ever, with nearly 1,000 admissions. Your support allows us to provide exceptional medical care to wildlife in need and education programs about the importance of our wildlife. Now, through #GivingTuesday, the official beginning of the season of giving, you are helping us prepare for 2018. Together, I am confident, we will meet the challenges of another busy year. Thank you very much!
The Week In Review
There were nine admissions this past week including a Great Blue Heron that died on its way to Pendleton. We performed a necropsy and have sent tissue samples to a veterinary lab to determine the cause of death. The bird was thought to have eaten a poisoned gopher. If so, it would be an indication that the rodenticide was not used according to the manufacturer’s directions. Herons sometimes catch rodents in much the same way that they catch fish.
Red-tailed Hawk 17-669
Typically, when a bird is shot with lead ammunition, metal fragments can be seen on a radiograph, even if the projectile passes through the bird. Lead is a relatively soft metal that deforms or fragments when it hits a solid object like bone. Such is not the case with non lead ammunition like steel pellets. If steel pellets lodge in a bird, they are visible on a radiograph, but if they pass through the bird, they do not leave behind any tell tale metal fragments.
There are other clues indicating a bird may have been shot. Entrance and exit wounds tend to be distinctive. Entrance wounds are usually small and round. Exit wounds are larger and often have a less well defined shape. Such was the case with this hawk.
Fractures caused by a projectile tend to shatter the bone at the point of impact, as with this hawk. When cases such as this are admitted, the evidence is collected and presented to a veterinarian. If the vet concludes that the bird has likely been shot, the findings are reported to the authorities.
The outcome seemed poor for a surgical repair of the leg, so we opted for a conservative approach and applied a splint.
Golden Eagle 17-670
If only the birds could talk and tell us how they were injured. This eagle was found tangled in a fence by a rope that was also tied to a toe on his left foot. We are trying to determine if at least part of the toe can be saved. His hip was dislocated and his entire leg is swollen as a result of the struggle to free himself. We are also treating him for ingested lead toxicity. His blood lead level measured 15.6 micrograms/deciliter.
Plant Sale Benefits Blue Mountain Wildlife
Doug Sandvick and Holly Bowers of Washington River Protection Solutions Environmental, on the Hanford Reservation, organized the most amazing plant sale and raised $1,069 for Blue Mountain Wildlife! In addition to helping the birds, Doug said he is enjoying lots of beautiful plants in his co-workers offices. Thank you Doug and Holly!
