tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18078925785676354972024-02-07T13:42:51.168-08:00Northeast Llama RescueWe rescue llamas and wildlife in New York. Our other blog at http://nywildliferescue.blogspot.com/ is the more active one. Please always check there for updates as well.New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-81250372057374196132012-09-18T07:05:00.001-07:002012-09-18T07:05:52.371-07:00NYWRC helps on Animal Intervention episode, airs Oct 9th<p><a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/animal-intervention/videos/search-for-sanctuaries/?videoDetect=t%252Cf" target="_blank"><img style="float: left;" src="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/exposure/content/video/photo/search-for-sanctuaries_6784_0_0_125x70.jpg" alt="" hspace="5" vspace="5" width="125" height="70" /></a>NY Wildlife Rescue was called upon by the producers of the NatGeo show, <strong>Animal Intervention</strong>, to help with a case in upstate NY where a private zoo could no longer keep the animals. We were able to help by taking several bobcats and giving them a safe place to reside.</p><p>The episode will air on October 9th, 9pm. Do check your local listings just in case, of course.</p><p><a href="http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/animal-intervention/videos/search-for-sanctuaries/?videoDetect=t%252Cf" target="_blank">Click to view the preview on the<strong> Animal Intervention</strong> website</a></p>Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09195805306477661204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-38255364183031120612011-03-14T10:14:00.001-07:002011-03-14T10:14:41.063-07:00Nice Article from The Daily Star<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Thanks to Big Chuck D'Imperio, from <a href='http://thedailystar.com/bigchuck/x2002721734/Schoharie-savior-is-areas-own-Dr-Dolittle' target='_blank'>TheDailyStar.com</a> for this wonderful article on Wes and NYWRC/NELR!<br/><br/><a href='http://thedailystar.com/bigchuck/x2002721734/Schoharie-savior-is-areas-own-Dr-Dolittle' target='_blank'>http://thedailystar.com/bigchuck/x2002721734/Schoharie-savior-is-areas-own-Dr-Dolittle</a><br/><br/><br/><br/></div>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-49129822680134554862011-02-18T13:43:00.000-08:002011-02-18T16:29:01.351-08:00Thanks Cornell University<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERGGvL4Y8sZcprZH7T2PNSfnvw1ReGstjIUgeWI8g7gKcM5b9Fmb9W0hM4TSr6EJusCQKpwGNSRC08LEHG_tAHTSX2jhUxZJ6_JXpTY4h87ZkiXJR-JLqzR3Bw7fmjhVbI3M77ft5Wu8/s1600/CornellVetStudents-4.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhERGGvL4Y8sZcprZH7T2PNSfnvw1ReGstjIUgeWI8g7gKcM5b9Fmb9W0hM4TSr6EJusCQKpwGNSRC08LEHG_tAHTSX2jhUxZJ6_JXpTY4h87ZkiXJR-JLqzR3Bw7fmjhVbI3M77ft5Wu8/s200/CornellVetStudents-4.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575147163309718482" border="0" /></a><br />During this rescue of the NY 100, there have been so many people that have helped, donated and given everything that they could to help these poor llamas. I hope to get our donations page updated tonight. I will put the "State of Donation Origin" after the donors names, if the donation didn't come from NY. Gigi Davidson,DVM, North Carolina Vet College helped us get the vaccinations that we would need to give all of the new llamas their first round of shots. Destron Microchips donatated the chips and readers to permanently ID all of the llamas in Montana. Mary Smith, DVM, and over 25 of her vet students from Cornell University provided the labor. I am rarely speechless, yesterday was another one of those days.<br />Yesterday started out like any other day at our facility. Nice spring morning, a lot of very happy llamas waiting to see me when I stumbled into the barn around 530half asleep as usual. I got everyone up, eating and started to formulate a game plan for the huge surge of labor that I was expecting on the farm. By 10 am our webmaster and dear friend Gayle Nastasi rolled in. She had one of the toughest jobs yesterday, she had to photograph and record every llamas' microchip so that she could come up with a database, not just for our records but for the virtual adoption fundraiser that Josh and Brent are doing with the Beekman Boys friends and fans. Next came volunteers Viv and Bob Fulton, Ive known the Fultons forever. They have been packing with llamas forever and were quick to email me to let me know that they wanted to adopt five of the guys when they were ready. Turns out that the Fultons are going to adopt 6 llamas since they found a llama that they had parted ways with years ago. I am sure that Moody Blue will be the first of many llamas that we figure out where they originally came from. We have a long list of people looking for "lost" llamas, there was only one llama that we found a microchip in that wasn't our chip....we are figuring that out. There were some llamas with metal ear tags, we are figuring those out. Gayle will have the llamas head shot photos up online soon so people can start looking for llamas that they might have known. We also had 6 guys with (actually 12) surprises, 6 of the "geldings" were actually intact studs so the gang from Cornell took care of that problem as well before they left to go back to Ithaca.<br /> Shortly after my friends and volunteers arrived, the students from Cornell started rolling in one car at a time. I was kind of surprised that Cornell didnt send a van but the cars kept coming one after the other until around 25 vet students and their teacher, Mary Smith, DVM arrived. I took them on a tour of the farm and showed them "everything that we do at the zoo" so to speak. Then it was time for a game plan. With this many people we had to divide up tasks. Some students worked the chute that the llamas were going through. Some students prepared the syringes with the wormer, the rabies or the C.D. and T vacinations. As we started putting llamas through the chute, we quickly realized that giving 3 shots, feelin' for testicles, takin an ID photo and reading a microchip wasnt going to go as quick as we had hoped for. Some of the students broke off and put 5-7 llamas in a horse stall. Then in groups of 2-3 vets they gave shots, body scored the animal and wrote any immediate medical issues that Dr. Smith needed to see on a plastic ribbion around the llamas neck. Once all vet work was done, they were put through the chute where the microchip was read, the photo was taken, the neckband was removed and they got to go outside and hang out in the beautiful spring sun with their buddies.<br />About halfway through the herd, we stopped and had lunch. Hubie's Pizzeria in town donated ten pizzas to the cause. I really appreciate Chris and Jenn Hubbard's help. Whenever they know I am working with a large group of students at the farm that need to be fed, they always take great care of us....Viv made some great cookies. Gail made some cupcakes.....most of the students were finished eating and back to the barn before I had my second piece of pizza.<br />Everyone was a bit slower after lunch but we finally started to get into the groove and got into the routine. Of course the llamas that were last to be done were the ones that were not our most willing participants. The day concluded with a special surprise for the 6 male llamas that snuck on the trailer to NY from Montana with everything that they must have been hiding a month ago.....We have 100% neutered males (or geldings) now. It was a long day but a great day. In a month the CD and T and the rabies should be repeated. We are also coming up with a game-plan for getting the guys sheared this spring. I think that we will shear 50 llamas one weekend, the other 50 llamas the next weekend. I am taking adoption applications now for the guys, even though they will not be adopted out until the weather breaks this spring. The llamas need to get sheared and get looking better. The adoption applications are available to print on our website, then mail them in. For people that can not afford the small adoption fee, we can talk and some of the adoption fees will be offset by virtual adoptions from our Beekman Boys friends.<br /><br />Just Added: <a href="http://redmaplefarm.net/MLAS/" target="_blank">Meet the Llamas Here</a><br /><br />Pictures from Dr. Smith<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67pviuzIkXUlr4GnId4synnnjkGYKHXGXcnn8DDFdMxLGSWN845HW-TxRCRGB3_7XjAC-EydDKe3ojo7CbPCh2ppMe5dLfBcS-VJ8UqoCi9u-FX1k7XyQrVvnhhuziJgOhj0qBBq5Oyw/s1600/Gail+F+hugs+B%2526W+llama.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg67pviuzIkXUlr4GnId4synnnjkGYKHXGXcnn8DDFdMxLGSWN845HW-TxRCRGB3_7XjAC-EydDKe3ojo7CbPCh2ppMe5dLfBcS-VJ8UqoCi9u-FX1k7XyQrVvnhhuziJgOhj0qBBq5Oyw/s320/Gail+F+hugs+B%2526W+llama.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575190546472595122" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhTArQ5i_XZ4RD1B8QZBdCGwV4NygDpjirK-k6XjwMQm2xOHi_nQjXpqCZylmkfLNOqRfFPzsBXkxXLvKPdjeYSYCZV0yVMXO_Kq8qX9Hgjv63SmRLaZFhOtK2wMYzSHhPhOO-NWuTxM/s1600/Students+at+RMF.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhTArQ5i_XZ4RD1B8QZBdCGwV4NygDpjirK-k6XjwMQm2xOHi_nQjXpqCZylmkfLNOqRfFPzsBXkxXLvKPdjeYSYCZV0yVMXO_Kq8qX9Hgjv63SmRLaZFhOtK2wMYzSHhPhOO-NWuTxM/s320/Students+at+RMF.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575190918122369698" /></a>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-29182499663052415782011-02-11T15:03:00.001-08:002011-02-11T15:03:18.017-08:00Visit From Paul Taylor<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Friend and photographer Paul Taylor stopped by the farm. We'd like to share a couple of his images with you. Thank you, Paul!<br/><br/><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTQ5RtFQhuX4BOL6ct1fyv4j6O4bGKTQPNW5_gRU7mCMPAK-nCjSCFIMrtgD2JlTco6Xo3_ZvdLlMDiDAtxJ1rL1-6QRErCdE1aXCUDoRPdh-q2AEKjZnNHXAeOTIhXqFfa8Jv1OJn92E/?imgmax=400' style='max-width: 400px;'/><br/><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT-2XZqkMf4aCizZ2MjMdRDvujFDiVodnt-rRovJafLVZ0FH6CgCRTXXlH4VgnYFUDehPVcPoUsXTY-2b9PlFyf1jVEqNIH1PaelQRKUGdJSwk1aNxLeZygkqKA5qKSxx9RbWdqpnP_ZY/?imgmax=400' style='max-width: 400px;'/><br/><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3r0n5KMXopP6S2ymNpa2truWxB9Z4uMh4qAgWeVXStdyYIHF0Ym3Z3xdQOudmF8SoYqarCtsSBVMv6NPQhyphenhyphenzvEuYcDpE1U60zr9fXAhZ1vyB6WCbcGnn9PxBDgMZgggjfzdwq2QVvU4M/?imgmax=400' style='max-width: 400px;'/></div>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-31561245533174973552011-02-09T10:31:00.000-08:002011-02-09T12:11:08.165-08:00Llama 99<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>I usually like Wednesdays, the work week is half over and the coaster is going down the tracks. I also like Bactrian Camels a lot, hump day always makes me think of them. Today started out like any other day, (watch out when I start a blog like this you know it isn't going to be good). I got up at 5:30 am (as usual) and let the Border Collies out. The Border Collies wake up about 15 minutes before me and run from the bed to the door knowing that there is "stuff to do" outside. I got up and made coffee. Got some wood piled into the outside wood furnace; it is so cold. I am really ready for spring at this point, enough of winter. Then I let the dog boarders out into the kennels and head for the barn. <br/><br/> By the time I get outside, I can always hear the roosters crowing and the horses shuffling around their stalls. It isn't light yet but all of the animals know that I am coming and we all look forward to getting the day started. I like doing morning chores, it is just the critters and I in the a.m. Animals love to wake up and I have the best reason to get out of bed every morning. I usually get up before the alarm clock lets me know that I need to be out of bed. This morning wasn't much different than it has been for the last 3 weeks. First, I take hay out back and let the horses out. Then I put the llama grain and hay out in the front courtyard. Then I open the door so the llamas can go outside (weather pending).<br/><br/>The llamas love going outside but we lock them inside at night. I don't want them sleeping outside when it is this cold; I want them burning calories to live, not stay warm. I always stand by the door as all 98 llamas go bouncing by. Now since they know that there is grain out there waiting, the llamas have a "take no prisoner" approach to being the first 40 outside. When I first grained the NY 100 a week after they arrived from Montana, they walked through the grain. The llamas really didn't even know what it was. They are now getting free choice hay and water 24 hours a day and grain once a day. They also get free choice Stillwater Llama Minerals, which they love. By this weekend, I want to start graining them twice a day. With llamas starved this bad, you must take things slow. They didn't starve over night and getting them built back up will take time also. <br/><br/> The last thing that I do before getting my coffee is physical therapy with the llama that was too weak to walk upon arrival almost 3 weeks ago. I will always try to save a llama if they have "the look" in their eyes that they want to live. Unfortunately, with most llamas, once they go down into a kush....they almost never get back up for long. I had made it my personal mission to save this guy and get him back up on his feet. I felt that he had survived way too much to die in NY when he was home free on llama easy street. This morning, "Llama 99" as I've been calling him didn't look at me with his same "Wes we can do this" look in his eyes. I had built him a llama bouncy bounce with a sling and elastic straps, and with his new jacket (donated by Useful Llama Supplies). He was the best dressed llama in the barn. This morning he had the "Wes, when are you going to let me die?" look in his eyes. I told him that it was cold, told him that he was in a bad mood because the blood wasn't circulating yet and went through the stretches and production that I have done for almost the last 3 weeks before I could enjoy a cup of coffee for ten minutes before I have to get showered and dressed for school. I thought that he was just having a crappy morning, it happens to all of us.<br/> <br/> At 11:15 today I ran home to meet with another great reporter from the Greenville News. NY Ag and Markets had just stopped at the farm, I'll catch up with them when they have an appointment. Cornell University is sending out 20+ vets on Feb 17th to help me give the llamas their vaccinations and parasite medications. We are also going to read microchips and take photos for the Beekman Boys Fundraiser on that day. As the reporter and I went into the barn, I realized that Llama Number 99 wasn't doing well in the chute. I immediately knew he died shortly after I left him this a.m. after physical therapy. I knew that he was saying good bye this a.m. and had given up the fight and will to live. I was angry that he had tried so hard and given up. I have only had one other llama get up after being down that long, maybe I should have euthanized him instead of giving him almost three weeks to try to get up. At least he died knowing that he was in a great place with lots of food, surrounded by the llamas he had known for years in Montana. He died knowing that his friends and their story would live on. I am selfish, I wanted him to live so I could say I saved him....sometimes you just have to let things go you can't control. I have to go now, I cant write anymore and as I told the reporter that was with me.....few people have ever seen me cry. WES</div>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-75364494631303929472011-02-07T09:13:00.001-08:002011-02-07T09:18:50.152-08:00News Coverage on NY-100<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>The <b>Cobleskill Times Journal</b>, our primary local newspaper, did a wonderful front page write-up on the NY-100.<br/><br/>You can view it here:<br/><a target='_blank' href='http://www.timesjournalonline.com/details.asp?id=48595'>http://www.timesjournalonline.com/details.asp?id=48595</a><br/><br/><br/>Check out the <b>Watershed Post's</b> great blog article by Julia Reischel<br/><a href='http://www.watershedpost.com/2011/101-llamas' target='_blank'>http://www.watershedpost.com/2011/101-llamas</a><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><div align='center'><img style='max-width: 400px;' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzX-P9AcLRPVLKDqLV7pw8RWESgvvKoQRMOG8Nps3jBxnKqQ8Q8q4heEro75Zq6pJyXThvKRBEP3cmOuoQqugRIXEHbu-4ZrPiY0QOx4iboK6Di1PbmhCqvbqAbNugokVU8h2ivvTiTe8/?imgmax=400'/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/></div><br/></div>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-39248944516657962512011-02-05T06:59:00.001-08:002011-02-05T06:59:54.499-08:00Article in Daily Gazette online<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><a href='http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2011/feb/05/0205_llamarescue/'>Need a herd of rescued llamas?</a><br/><br/>Click the link above to view the online version of the article written by Jim Mcguire, reporter for the Schenectady Daily Gazette. Jim and his photographer Marc Schultz visited NELR yesterday to talk to Wes about the "New York 100".<br/><br/>For frequent updates and photos, join us on Facebook at <a href='http://facebook.dj/nywildlife/' target='_blank'>http://facebook.dj/nywildlife/</a><br/><br/><br/><blockquote/></div>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-64960874284136869712011-02-03T17:39:00.001-08:002011-02-03T17:39:47.036-08:00CBS 6 Take a Break segment online<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>If you missed seeing us on TV this evening, you can catch the entire segment on the Channel 6 website:<br/><br/><a href='http://www.cbs6albany.com/articles/animals-1282528-llamas-rescue.html'>http://www.cbs6albany.com/articles/animals-1282528-llamas-rescue.html</a><br/><br/>While viewing, be sure to also click on the Web Extra video, to the right of the main story, to see the interview with Brent Ridge from the <a href='http://beekman1802.com' target='_blank'>Fabulous Beekman Boys</a>.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/></div>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-47315956381426853432011-02-02T07:22:00.001-08:002011-02-02T07:22:28.343-08:00NELR's "NY-100" on Channel 6 CBS Albany<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><b><br/>From Jerry Gretzinger:</b> [The Northeast Llama Rescue "Take a Break"] story is going to run [this, 2/3/11] Thursday at 5:30 and 6:30 on CBS 6 and 10pm on the CW15. This is of course for the Albany Capital District and all areas served by those television stations. A link to the story online will be posted when it's available for viewing there.<br/><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC66EUJoAaEcTTpdbi8ZOLZwns88IWYyz7v7Hg0gQIBtrU4_Zu-uVqZaACTmO6jBV1NcM1B9Yr12pf6XekZVUiXwe8Fl3Yo13PBDwr3Fc050B4bYF3k-07WfV3fZtvcHakHbmcrd8jAWc/?imgmax=400' style='max-width: 400px;'/></div>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-79615403724588510282011-01-21T21:10:00.001-08:002011-01-21T21:10:11.231-08:00The Montana Llamas are here<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>The 53-foot double decker livestock trailer arrived today from Montana, carrying 100 rescued llamas who will be fostering at Northeast Llama Rescue. Here are some YouTube videos for you to enjoy<br /><br />The trailer arrives:<br /><a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G__CcHO7vT8'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G__CcHO7vT8</a><br /><br />The huge trailer wasn't going to make it up the hill, so we took the small stock trailer down to meet it at Laraway Oil. It took nine or ten trips to get all one hundred llamas up the mountainside to Northeast Llama Rescue.<br /><br />Here, Wes moves llamas from the large trailer onto the small one.<br /><a href='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWa6v2Aca94'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWa6v2Aca94</a><br /><br /><img width='292' height='328' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqTY2XO43tywiyFzaPVFJeljLgDJEf6rDWXDJi77gtzC4tcNCEcsx-iup5Y-EqaPp4I-fFrSPqN2BZUc5a34NWV8fb8JjLJoTh4q-hnOAptk_5Kbtdqg1ebwH6PhOlfSbbhj0Y8UD30Zo/?imgmax=800' style='max-width: 800px;'/><br /><img width='290' height='360' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik0L_rHq2V5rWUZavgP8RlOSLAzZ9Q97VbMUi9qWahmQ2vva4xIFBWPvtcWYvPc0U7RmW4JrC4ilV4V_neFBTDMq200zd9OLxYjMWiR6iyKsabKQaJo9KbmPWBBuOPstwRiqlDNRJ6W1A/?imgmax=800' style='max-width: 800px;'/></div>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-20045133965370626432011-01-20T08:14:00.001-08:002011-01-20T08:14:14.470-08:00Article and Pictures of the Montana 100 Llamas<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Please view the great article on the Albany Times Union website on the 100 llamas that will be arriving this weekend from Montana:<br/><br/>Farm takes 100 llamas - Times Union <a href='http://bit.ly/g3057u' class='moz-txt-link-freetext'>http://bit.ly/g3057u</a><br/><br/>Thank you, Paul Grondahl for a great write up! The article has several nice photos of the llamas being loaded into the trailer at the sanctuary as well.<br/><br/>Also, please view our dear friend Ellen's web page on the rescue here:<br/><br/><a href='http://www.fortlucasfarm.com/rescue/index.html'>http://www.fortlucasfarm.com/rescue/index.html</a><br/><br/>And her great photos of the animals in Montana here:<br/><br/><a href='http://www.fortlucasfarm.com/rescue/nelr_pictures.html'>http://www.fortlucasfarm.com/rescue/nelr_pictures.html</a><br/><br/>Thanks to all of our friends for their support. The needs of these hundred llamas will be huge. Please consider donating via the Paypal button on this blog. In addition, "spread the love" by passing the news to your animal-loving friends.<br/><br/><div align='center'><a href='http://www.fortlucasfarm.com/rescue/nelr_pictures.html'><img src='http://www.fortlucasfarm.com/rescue/images/montanallamas01.jpg' style='max-width: 800px;'/></a><br/><i><small>One of Ellen's site's photos of the NELR 100 heading</small></i><br/><i><small>for the trailer to be loaded for their journey.</small></i><br/></div><br/><br/></div>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-19933404631285548682011-01-19T09:29:00.000-08:002011-01-19T09:32:31.693-08:00Montana Llama Crisis<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Important: </span><a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" href="http://nywildliferescue.blogspot.com/">Please see our other blog at<br />http://nywildliferescue.blogspot.com/ </a><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><br />for more updates on this situation! <br />You may wish to bookmark and follow that blog,<br />as it is the more active one.</span></span> <br /></div><br /><br />Hi Folks, We've been really busy since I blogged 10 days ago. Yesterday, 100 llamas were loaded on a huge semi trailer by Zeigler Transport in Montana. 10 days of nonstop work with the Camelid Rescue Coalition got 100 gelded llamas headed to us. There are still 200-250 llamas left in Montana. It cost over $9000- just for the transport of these 100 to NY. Donations have never been so important. I really hope that the other 200-250 can find a home before the rescue group that is in Montana leaves on Jan 31st.... I know one thing, we dont want any more than 100. This is one of the largest animal rescues in the USA since Hurricane Katrina. It is a huge undertaking by all involved. Thanks to all who already donated. Thanks to my BOD that have worked day and night to ccordinate all of this. I really want to thank Bruce, Eric and Judder. These 3 guys are the core of our volunteers and have helped me do almost everything over the last week around the farm to get ready for their arrival. Ellen has been vital to the coordination. Gayle has been vital to keeping the website and paperwork straight...to the dozens of donors, your donations have given us the faith thgat we can do one of the largest animal rescues in the USA and still pay the bills.....I will try to blog daily again or as I find out new news and/or get photos. Weve had two bats come in this week. besides for the little brown bats, things have been slow but it won't be for long. One person can make a difference, many people can make a bigger difference.:) WES<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPN_9lXbj09sic2Oc2epulNwPCrNZV5vpDwoL1mGOBUjBgpdfqTI59df-x-6nSSFo4H02C-ppxEwBuqS0JzOo5LG9hGmUyjYZCDz4S4XvjRx61FEexaFeGqtF6yPUHOGc4tFEMMn7SQc/s1600/llamatrailer.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPN_9lXbj09sic2Oc2epulNwPCrNZV5vpDwoL1mGOBUjBgpdfqTI59df-x-6nSSFo4H02C-ppxEwBuqS0JzOo5LG9hGmUyjYZCDz4S4XvjRx61FEexaFeGqtF6yPUHOGc4tFEMMn7SQc/s320/llamatrailer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563606117615952306" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Trailer that is bringing the 100 llamas to NELR/NYWRC</span></span><br /></div>Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09195805306477661204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-5204345405138826092011-01-07T06:52:00.001-08:002011-01-07T07:03:36.680-08:00Emergency Transport for 50 Llamas<p style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;"><b>IMPORTANT ALERT!</b></span></p><div style="text-align: center;">A Montana sanctuary is closing its doors. Approximately 600 animals are affected.<br /></div><p align="center">We at Northeast Llama Rescue have agreed to take 50 of these animals.<br /><br /><strong>Funds are desperately needed for transportation!<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:red;">Please Donate Now!</span></strong><br /> <form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post" target="_blank"><br /><br /> <div align="center"><br /> <input value="_xclick" name="cmd" type="hidden"/><br /> <input value="northeastllamarescue@gmail.com" name="business" type="hidden"/><br /> <input value="Northeast Llama Rescue" name="item_name" type="hidden"/><br /> <input value="0" name="no_shipping" type="hidden"/><br /> <input type="hidden" name="cn" value="Add a note to NYWRC/NELR"><br /> <input value="USD" name="currency_code" type="hidden"/><br /> <input value="0" name="tax" type="hidden"/><br /> <input value="US" name="lc" type="hidden"/><br /> <input value="PP-DonationsBF" name="bn" type="hidden"/><br /> <input border="0" alt="Make payments with PayPal - it's fast, free and secure!" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donate_LG.gif" name="submit" type="image"/><br /> <img border="0" alt="" width="1" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" height="1"/><br /> </div><br /> </form> </p>Gaylehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09195805306477661204noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-77540057461353791592010-03-11T07:13:00.001-08:002010-03-11T15:36:47.272-08:00Been There, Done That<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50zmfjstvEQ9sXW1FLBAiVLuQqBIAQLv_HoBwRteCOCwoWQJcUewhzjBtmjt27Talg7Uhnwlk9ckDxVUCtPmvzZOA6CZdebBlVYP4f8fLbncNEIOHC8L-p4l3Ayz7EoDE8HGxZogJ2tA/s1600-h/bobcat++2.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdzkEeIzvWtwk77oo0B4XgW0AhLfhCxyef3RHQ_Tg7nS5j1EIVlln5lX7k0Ornf3zqK35w5bM-w0V9b4WhnaShI3LCYu7EyJgVuerzjsP8xJj3BsP8WE34Qhp5JboYwSVjxxdg_zPjgE/s1600-h/Bobcat.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdzkEeIzvWtwk77oo0B4XgW0AhLfhCxyef3RHQ_Tg7nS5j1EIVlln5lX7k0Ornf3zqK35w5bM-w0V9b4WhnaShI3LCYu7EyJgVuerzjsP8xJj3BsP8WE34Qhp5JboYwSVjxxdg_zPjgE/s400/Bobcat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447523393957870610" border="0" /></a><br />After a week of nasty weather, 3 snow days from school, lots of shoveling with over 4 feet of snow....what do I say? Spring is coming, my friends are boiling maple sap right now to make syrup. 36 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. The snow is slowly melting (TG), I've seen robins in the yard for weeks, saw my first vulture returning this past weekend and I even heard a red-winged blackbird this a.m. while doing chores. I am excited about changing the clocks this weekend, spring is in the air.<br /><br />Things have been slow at NY Wildlife Rescue Center lately but will pick up shortly as "orphan season" begins. January was everything that I thought it would be. I kept busy doing little projects and showing many interns from SUNY Cobleskill's Wildlife Program what we do here.<br /><br />February was unproductive. My wife and kids went with their grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins to Disney World in Orlando. I stayed home to try to get some wood cut and hold down the fort. The weather was lousy, I wish I had gone with them now. The highlight of my winter break from school was going to General Electric (with Gayle and Kelly) to do a program for their Wildlife Committee. The Whitney Club have supported us with checks and volunteer labor for years, they are good friends and we love doing our programs for them. The ride home during the blizzard was interesting but we made it, my truck really needs new tires.<br /><br />March is a great month, spring is in the air. I did a Wildlife Program for the West Fulton Rod and Gun Club last week. I love speaking to hunting clubs, we have the same mission. I am all about conservation and preservation of wildlife. A good Rod and Gun Club will have the same mission statement. It was a good program and I believe that when it comes time to build the Raptor Flight their members will be there to help us. I appreciate their donation also.<br /><br />This past Saturday, I did a Wildlife Program for the Golden Age Club of Middleburgh. I had a lot of fun and their lunch was great. I am surprised at how many people in the town where I grew up, live and teach don't know what we do up on the hill. I've made it my mission this spring (before things get busy again with orphaned wildlife) to get the word out locally about what we do. I will gladly speak and bring some of our licensed educational animals to any group that would like a program. I just try to keep my programs within a reasonable driving distance.<br /><br />Last night I received a phone call from Cornell University's Wildlife Center. I expected that it was a call to see how Oscar the Bobcat was doing. Oscar is healing up nice but still favors the one hind leg a bit. I am still hoping that he is releasable. If he isn't, I would love to find a zoo with a native wildlife section that has a great enclosure for him but that is not a decision for today. The vet that called explained that Dr. Randell of Somers Animal Hospital has been working on another male bobcat that was hit by a car in Croton Falls NY, Westchester County. Deja Vu. I think that I've done this before. Cornell was wondering if I could help house and continue rehab on this Bobcat. The Wildlife Hospital at Cornell University offered to provide support care. I quickly agreed.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50zmfjstvEQ9sXW1FLBAiVLuQqBIAQLv_HoBwRteCOCwoWQJcUewhzjBtmjt27Talg7Uhnwlk9ckDxVUCtPmvzZOA6CZdebBlVYP4f8fLbncNEIOHC8L-p4l3Ayz7EoDE8HGxZogJ2tA/s1600-h/bobcat++2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh50zmfjstvEQ9sXW1FLBAiVLuQqBIAQLv_HoBwRteCOCwoWQJcUewhzjBtmjt27Talg7Uhnwlk9ckDxVUCtPmvzZOA6CZdebBlVYP4f8fLbncNEIOHC8L-p4l3Ayz7EoDE8HGxZogJ2tA/s400/bobcat++2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447523570546038130" border="0" /></a><br />Somers Animal Hospital did a great job on this cat. Check out their website, <a href="http://www.somersanimalhospital.com/">www.somersanimalhospital.com</a> and be sure to drop them an email thanking them for what they did to stabilize the bobcat. Many vet clinics do not want to deal with wildlife, this vet clinic went above and beyond. I am impressed: check out the bear surgery photos on their site...awesome. I agreed to help and said that I would start to figure out transportation to our facility. I instantly emailed Kim and Karen, two wildlife rehabbers that I greatly respect in the Rhinebeck area to ask if they would help with this cat. Kim and Karen were the wildlife rehabbers that caught and brought Oscar to me last year. They agreed to pick the cat up at Somers Animal Hospital and meet Roger to transport the rest of the way up to me. Roger is a new wildlife rehabilitator. He is also the man that saw Oscar laying along the road last year and stopped to see if he could be saved. He took such an interest in Oscars recovery that he visited, sent checks and took his test to become a rehabber himself this past fall at the Wildlife Rehabilitators Conference in Lake George.<br /><br />Roger agreed to meet Karen, transfer this cat into his car and drive another hour to meet me at a convenience store by the Rip Van Winkle Bridge. We did that last night. I really appreciate the help from Kim, Karen and Roger. I appreciate that Kayla, one of our High School volunteers, came along with me for the ride. No one can do Wildlife Rehabilitation without a network of friends and help. They know that I would transport the other direction towards them if needed. It is easier to have 3 people drive an hour each way than force one person to make a 6 hour round trip. I still need to get a transportation chain linked between our facility to Cornell. I know that if we could shuttle raptors and wildlife easier between the Wildlife Health Center at Cornell and NY Wildlife Rescue Center that they could fix and I could rehabilitate many more animals that really don't have a place to go to heal for several months.<br /><br />This new Bobcat, that I've been calling "Deja Vu" (I don't name wildlife), was pretty out of it last night. He has head trauma, a dislocated leg, and nerve damage in another leg. I don't think that Deja Vu is as messed up as Oscar was with his fractures. I got the bobcat settled in last night when we got home, he hasn't eaten in two days since the accident. Bobcats don't like commercial cat food if given a choice. I feed all of our bobcats the same defrosted dead rats that I feed the raptors. I gave him a couple last night and I didn't see the rats this morning but it was kind of hard to tell if they were in his cage or stomach with him attacking the sides of the cage. Tonight we will try some defrosted mice....yum. I like mice, they are easy to sneak his meds into.<br /><br />I am excited to have the honor to save another Bobcat. I know that it is going to be expensive and time consuming but I like a challenge. I needed something to keep me busy until Orphan Season starts in another month. Now since I have something to write about, I will try to get blogging again. I will also try to get a photo of "Deja Vu" up on the blog asap, Roger took a couple last night. This bobcat is bigger than Oscar. Oscar was 17 pounds the day he was hit by a car, this bobcat is almost 24 pounds. I will also try to find out the details of the accident.<br /><br />Be back soon, Thanks for your continued support.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">--WES<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">PS: thanks to Karen LeCain for donating the pictures of "Deja Vu".</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><br /></span>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-44789465909608406662010-03-05T07:13:00.001-08:002010-03-05T07:13:27.394-08:003rd Annual Easter Bunny Photo Shoot<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><style type='text/css'> </style> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'>Come join us for our 3rd annual</font></font><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='6' style='font-size: 26pt;'> </font></font> </p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'> <font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='6' style='font-size: 26pt;'>Fund Raising Event:</font></font></p><p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='6' style='font-size: 26pt;'>Easter Bunny Photo Shoot<br/></font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><br/></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'><i>Have your photo taken with a live bunny or lamb!</i></font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><br/></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'>Where & When:</font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'><b>Saturday March 20</b></font></font><sup><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'><b>th</b></font></font></sup><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'> 10a.m. to 2p.m</font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'>@ Agway, Rt. 7, Cobleskill</font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'><b>Sunday March 21</b></font></font><sup><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'><b>th</b></font></font></sup><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'> 10a.m. to 2p.m.</font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'>@ Middleburgh Hardware, Main St, Midd</font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><br/></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'>Why:</font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='5' style='font-size: 20pt;'>To help raise funds and awareness for the New York Wildlife Rescue Center, a local non-profit animal rescue located right here in Middleburgh.</font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='4'>***Please join us for a day of fun and have your photo taken with a bunny or lamb and learn something new about our local wildlife. Live Birds of Prey will also be on location for viewing and question/answer sessions. The New York Wildlife Rescue Center is a registered non profit that relies on private funding to support all of its releasable and non-releasable wildlife. </font></font> </p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><br/></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='6' style='font-size: 26pt;'>For more information please call:</font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><font face='Bookman Old Style, serif'><font size='6' style='font-size: 26pt;'>518-827-7760</font></font></p> <p align='CENTER' style='margin-bottom: 0in;'><br/></p> <br/><br/><div class='zemanta-pixie'><img src='http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=f0074479-4ded-8a36-ae29-35f4a6a9bbcb' alt='' class='zemanta-pixie-img'/></div></div>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-67238102670771747102010-01-14T07:27:00.001-08:002010-01-14T14:06:07.753-08:00Help NYWRC Help The AnimalsPlease vote for (name entered as:) *NY Wildlife Rehab Center* (address:) Llama Rd. Middleburgh, NY to win a grant from the Berkshire Bank's giveaway:<br /><br /><br /><a target="_blank" href="http://www.berkshirebank.com/about_us/in_the_community/berkshire-bank-foundation/help-us-give-away-20000">http://www.berkshirebank.com/about_us/in_the_community/berkshire-bank-foundation/help-us-give-away-20000</a>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-77148005743443243842010-01-11T09:55:00.001-08:002010-01-11T09:55:47.890-08:00Happy New Year<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Since my last blog, a lot has happened, seems like I havnt blogged since last year. I am blogging with a little Daschund Puppy sleeping on my lap, long story but she is here and needed a home... I found the Pitbull pup a home and they love her and it appears to be working out. After school on Dec 23rd, I took all of the supplies that my students brought in over to the Animal Shelter of the Schoharie Valley. Volunteers/staff helped me carry the stuff in, the kids actually got a TYN this year, Im glad that they appear to be getting their PR in order. Our County needs them and we all need to work together. I got an email today for 25 horses that need a home, 17 llamas that need a home, another 2 older horses looking for a home. Locally, people are calling me all the time to beg for help, ask me to take their animals or report people that are neglecting their animals. I wish I could help everyone and every animal but our county doesnt have an animal control officer and it seems that many law enforcement agencies are slow to get involved with animal abuse cases. They are tough to document and prosecute but shouldnt be avoided. The weather is bad, if you cant afford to feed your livestock, give them to someone that will. Cheaper in the long run than getting an attorney to try to stay out of jail. Sad yet true.....I so wish that I could do more legally. Financially this time of year is always tough for everyone. We are a not for profit looking for donations like every other animal rescue group. I never take on more animals than I know we can care for on our budget. I know that I can afford to feed the livestock that is here for the winter, I make sure the hay money is set aside before the snow flies. Just before xmas, someone nominated me as a Times Journal Star. This is an honor that our local paper does every year. It is to recognize people that have made a difference in our County for the previous year. To the people that nominated me, thank you. I am flattered and honored by the local recognition.<br/> Xmas was everything that I thought it would be. Our kids and pets are lucky. The time with family was nice, something that we should do more often. New Years Eve was spent at home with friends and family, 2009 has disappeared and I have high hopes for 2010. Reflections on 2009 are very positive for Northeast Llama Rescue, New York Wildlife Rescue at Red Maple Farm. Every year we have all to do to keep up with the growth and need for what we are doing. We are one of the only animal rescue facilities that do what we do. Im not talking about numbers of animals helped, we helped well over 500 animals this year find new homes or get back into the wild. A feat that I am very proud of considering our limited budget. Every donation that we get goes directly into expanding our facilities to help more animals. We are basically in a state of nonstop construction to keep expanding our facilities to handle the increased numbers of animals coming in every year. 2009 was a great year. We built (and dedicated at our Open House in July) a 100 foot of Raptor Facility that is second to few. There are 8 different aviaries to handle just about all of the species in the Northeast that come in with injuries that need to be treated. There is a wide assortment of hawks, owls and falcons using this space already. It is available to any licensed rehabber. 2009 was also the year that Oscar the bobcat found his way to me. Oscar came to me because others knew I was his only hope. I may have brokered the deal but Cornell Universities Wildlife Center kept him alive, with some help from God. We built a beautiful shed and a new enclosure for Oscar to heal in. We were overwhelmed with Raccoons this year, there are very few places left that are licensed or even want to deal with them. We built a new shed just for doing them that can be sanitized and locked. I am thinking that it should hold around 50 coons as youngsters, around 20 skunks....I am really not the type of guy that likes to think about the past. I like to think about the future, 2010 will be a great year. I am determined to get the flight built off the Raptor Aviaries so we can actually fly the Raptors to get them ready for release back into the wild. This will happen with your support. Once that is done, we need to do something different with our deer soft release area. I would like to get it fenced in with 8 foot deer fencing but we will worry about that design when we get there. Im sure there will always be a project here, all I need is time and money. Till next time.....<br/><br/><div class='zemanta-pixie'><img src='http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=1d121edd-094e-87b4-b492-6503d7658c87' alt='' class='zemanta-pixie-img'/></div></div>Gayzehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11845614357402180322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-45213423780962284672009-12-15T20:56:00.001-08:002009-12-15T20:56:45.334-08:00'Tis the Season'Tis the Season to be Jolly and thankful for everything we all have ... friends, family, all types of critters, wildlife rescue facilities.... You get the drift. After my last post, I had to take a little break from my blogs. I never get sick of the animals, most of the folks I meet are cool people that do what they can to help an animal, send New York Wildlife Rescue Center a donation or help us out by volunteering up here. Just a quick reminder, there are some great products for sale in our store section of our website. For those of you that like to send out the support in the form of a check, you still have about two weeks to get the checks in for this tax year deduction.<br /><br /> I've spent the last few weeks catching up on reports, license renewals, rehab logs, etc. My individual Wildlife Rehabilitation Log for the DEC is 40 pages of wild birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. My RVS intake forms for the 40 raccoons, 10 skunks and a dozen bats are over 30 pages. This year alone, my log alone has over 200 wildlife entries. Add my wife's squirrels, and what our BOD and Associated Rehabbers in our network have done, I would not be surprised at all if the total for our group is well over 500 wild animals saved this year. It is NOT a contest to see how many animals I can save. I just do what I can do and we try to do things first class not half-assed, one animal at a time. Add in our domestic pet rescues, livestock and exotic animal rescues ... wow, no wonder I'm so tired lately. Being a perfectionist, I was complaining to a friend the other day about how much more I could do and was thinking out loud about how many more animals I could save. I often wonder if I am making a difference in the world ... maybe not, but as my friend pointed out, I make a big difference to the animals and kids I help. I do know that we wouldn't have a website and a lot of paperwork wouldn't have gotten done without the help of my very good friend Gayle Nastasi, visit her website from our links, it is great and she is very talented. I am lucky to have her as a friend and on our BOD.<br /><br /> When I was trying to figure out what to write about tonight, I figured I would start with my standard apology for not blogging. I don't want to do a reflection on the year (yet), but looking back over the last year ... we have accomplished more than many of the animal rescue facilities that have large budgets, with taxpayer support and paid staff members. I am very proud of what we have done. If I can keep up with fundraising, facility construction, rehabbing the animals, public relations, paperwork, my job teaching, my family and my wife ... we are going to build a facility here that will be second to none and will long outlive me.<br /><br /> In November I attended a NYS Falconers Banquet. It was a fun time, I bid on some great items in the secret auction. Unfortunately I didn't win any of it but hey, all it takes is a dollar and a dream. Also in November, I went to the NY Wildlife Rehabilitation Council's Conference in Lake George. It was a great conference, lots of great friends, food and drink (it is my vacation also). I went to as many of the classes as I could that were on Raptors. As always, I really learned a lot and it was well worth attending. Networking is half the battle of being a good rehabber. I got to see and meet a lot of great Wildlife Rehabbers at the conferences and I learn a lot over a few drinks. I really want to encourage EVERYONE to take the test and become a wildlife rehabilitator. Remember that becoming a rehabber is one of the most rewarding things you can do. You can put as much time into it as you can afford (mentally and financially) and say no when you are in over your head. The demand is huge for new rehabbers, I believe that there are only a couple of dozen licensed RVS Rehabbers that can legally do raccoons, skunks and bats in the entire STATE of NY. My wife is like most rehabbers, she found her niche, she only does squirrels. Some rehabbers only do rabbits (only have to be fed twice a day). Some only do baby birds, every 20 minutes ... yikes.... The key to being a good rehabber is having a good mentor. If you are interested in doing this crazy thing of saving wild animals, you MUST get a good mentor. A good teacher is better than any book and you will burn out if you don't get taught right and stay on the cutting edge in new techniques for giving animals (that often want to die) some life. I've had one of the best mentors; Kelly Martin has done this for over 20 years. She is President of NY Wildlife Rehab Council and she is one of the best rehabbers that I have ever met. You can go to DEC's website, order the study materials, enroll to take the test but it is almost impossible to figure out what license you need for what animals. It is impossible to keep track of renewals, applications and logs. I am the most organized person that I ever met and I often say "I need another license for that?" or "When is that form due?" or "No wonder why no one does this...." :) A good mentor is very important to show you how to do it right and keep your sanity in the process.<br /><br /> I have done my required hours working with Kelly, I have the hundreds of hours needed and have received my US Fish and Wildlife Federal Migratory Bird Rehabilitation Permit now. Kelly is a great teacher, she lets me learn some things on my own and then smiles when I figure it out, she often puts on her glasses when I now know I am going to see something new, she gives me a kick in the ass when I need it or am in need of a pep talk. I am waiting to receive my own Federal Special Purpose Migratory Bird Educational License. I will be learning how to rehab animals better for the rest of my life, it will be nice to be done collecting licenses.<br /><br /> Kelly lost a very special Raptor this week that anyone that has ever seen our educational shows knows well. Hooter the Great Horned Owl was one of Kelly's first educational raptors, added to her federal license in 1985. Hooter would go anywhere, would sit on your fist forever and was always the bird that never got off his stand, rarely gave us a hard time ... just the dream bird that will be missed greatly by all. I'm sorry for your loss Kelly.<br /><br />Enough for tonight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1uBEtS2qipzd1IIvBeVm929BvYA85uKD6MtHlpIWBBDb2YNHvPH7V-bXxXCRZcPy8HO3cWqmg28oJ_Glv51RbunAHKRCHysgYn-1Mm1-d0m9H47CDUYQ7KVK_C3aVlDZSfBEH2oFpcY/s1600-h/Kelly-Hooter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_1uBEtS2qipzd1IIvBeVm929BvYA85uKD6MtHlpIWBBDb2YNHvPH7V-bXxXCRZcPy8HO3cWqmg28oJ_Glv51RbunAHKRCHysgYn-1Mm1-d0m9H47CDUYQ7KVK_C3aVlDZSfBEH2oFpcY/s320/Kelly-Hooter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415693012382735218" border="0" /></a>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-43463873361631196672009-10-10T07:24:00.001-07:002009-10-10T07:24:37.968-07:00Busy, Busy, BusyDon't call, don't write.... I'm not dead (yet), just really busy. Wildlife Authority at the Power Authority went well. I also took some wildlife to the Schoharie County Youth Conference on Monday. It went really well and the kids were great. Last weekend was the first weekend that I was home in months. I love traveling around and doing our shows but it is always nice to be home and get some work done. Winter is coming and some friends helped me get some projects finished up. I have to get firewood cut before it snows.<br /><br />Oscar the bobcat went into his new enclosure. We poured concrete, built a building and specially designed a cage for him to be over-wintered in. If he is ever going to go back into the wild he needs lots of exercise but he couldn't have the high trees and dangerous heights that a lot of our other enclosures have because he could break his plate out of his hip if he got having too much fun. The entire enclosure including the concrete and building was around $2500 that I really didn't plan on spending but he is worth it. His cage is neat because it has a squeeze cage built into it for safely catching him. We always do things first class not half-assed around NY Wildlife Rescue Center.<br /><br />Last weekend was also cool because we got the last of the releasable animals back into the wild before it got too late in the season. Derick and I released 2 skunks, 2 opposums, 2 squirrels and a red fox. These were all critters that needed every advantage of being in captivity but didn't need to be overwintered. We actually flew 2 redtails on a line, using a trick a falconer taught me. We really need to get this flight built so that we can get birds properly conditioned and exercised for release. We have about half of the money that I estimate for materials but I really don't want to start it if I don't think that we can afford to finish it before the snow flies.<br /><br />This week could be described as "lets ditch our dog week". The week started off with a phone call about a sheep that has been home alone for months. The sheep is happily running around the pasture with my sheep now. I still have 4 kittens that are looking for homes and really wish that someone would adopt them. In the past two days I have adopted out a pitbull, a german wirehair pointer, two labs, a siamese cat, a beagle, and hopefully a little shitzu. I have done my good deed; now stop calling me to find a home for your dog, I am running out of friends to adopt them.<br /><br />Yesterday, one of the rescued llamas from this spring blessed us with a little female cria. I miss the baby llamas so much, we don't breed any animals anymore so when we get little ones, it is always fun ... even if they are offspring of previously unwanted animals who were destined to a life of misery. They were lucky to be born at NY Wildlife Rescue center, I guess.<br /><br />Till next time, adopt a kitten.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Wes</span></span>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-77546837853864476432009-09-22T07:51:00.001-07:002009-09-22T07:51:15.663-07:00Animal ControlSchoharie County needs an animal control officer. Here in 'Scary Co. we have Dog Wardens for individual townships (There are 16 towns in our county). I think that we need a county wide animal control officer. I know a good part time candidate for that job.... :) The last two nights I have been called out until all hours of the night helping the NY State Police and the Schoharie County Sheriff's Department on animal calls. I do dozens of calls a year for the law enforcement of our county. I receive no compensation at all. I don't even get invited to a Christmas Party. We need a County Wide Animal Control Officer. It could be a part time position. The ACO could coordinate communication between the different dog wardens, assist in natural disaster animal relocation, answer wildlife calls; the job description could be long. Most other counties have an ACO. Most are paid salary, receive a truck, benefits, etc. I would be interested in the position for mileage, stipend and getting it started for the good of the animals and people in this county. Email the Supervisors and Bill Cherry and express the need for creation of a paid ACO (on a part time basis) in Schoharie County.<br /><br />The Coyote that I rescued Monday night was taken to Dan Sullivan, Grand Gorge Animal Hospital last night after school for an x-ray. We were both optimistic that it could be saved. It had feeling in its rear legs but x-rays revealed a different story. Vertebrae damage in the lower spine made it probable that this young coyote would never walk again. Neither Doctor Sullivan nor I saw any reason for it to endure the process of recovery toward such a bleak quality of life and the pup was humanely euthanized while still unconscious for the x-ray process. I try not to focus on the negatives, I need to stay focused on the positives. I did everything that I could to help this coyote. Dr. Sullivan also donated his time and services. I really appreciate his help and I was very impressed with his practice.<br /><br />I got home, kind of depressed and helped the guys work on Oscar the bobcat's new enclosure. Made the mistake of taking my boots off before 9pm and the phone rang. Schoharie Co. Sheriffs Dispatcher said a Trooper needed help with two horses in Carlisle that had been running around loose all day. I reluctantly agreed, for the animals and for the safety of people driving in the area, got dressed, got halters, grain, hooked on the trailer and met up with the Trooper to go to where they had been temporarily corralled. With a little bit of coaxing and calm soft talk, I got them on my trailer without hurting them (or me) and we were off for home. By the time I got them settled in for the night, it was pushing 1am.<br /><br />I am beat today at work; we have an Open House tonight at school so I wont even get home until about 9pm. I think that someone will miss these horses. They have good weight, manes and tails were brushed. The sooner the better that I find their owners because I really don't want two more horses ... we have 9 already at our facility. I will let you know how this story ends.<br /><br />Kittens: they are so cute, everyone needs one. We have several that desperately need homes. PLEASE help me out with this one. One litter was bottle fed and are super friendly. The other litter was born to the long haired Siamese that I rescued from under a church (she is available for adoption also). If you know of anyone that wants a kitten, please let them know. I will also most likely have a couple of really nice dogs that I will need to find homes for shortly as well. Gotta get back to work, my class is coming in.<br /><br /> FYI- New York Power Authority, Blenheim-Wildlife Festival this weekend. Hope to see you there.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">WES</span></span>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-87698744232385022502009-09-21T12:53:00.001-07:002009-09-21T12:53:33.871-07:00Coyote RescueThe last day of summer, how depressing (like we had a summer). Wooly Caterpillars are saying long cold winter (when isn't it). :) In the last week, we have met some great people and gotten some new animals in. Last week we had a call on a wild turkey that got hit near Howe Caverns. That didn't end well but it didn't go to waste; the foxes left little to tell what they had done. I met some great folks when I picked up the turkey, they have alpacas and they visited this weekend to meet the three alpacas that I have available for adoption. In the process, I am hoping that we might be able to get the building materials we need to get the raptor flight started before the snow flies. Connections and destiny ... time will tell.<br /><br />I have another "raccoon friend" I am hoping will help us get a pond in for rehabbing beaver and geese/ ducks that come in. Again ... time will tell.<br /><br />Some great students from the SUNY Cobleskill Wildlife Program found a goldfinch with a wing mutation on a hike. The bird is unreleasable and must have been fed by parents, a luxury that will end soon with their migration. Good deed done, and I have a student that may want to do an internship with me in the process.<br /><br />Saturday, I took the donkeys, alpacas, some other critters looking for homes, with some Raptors, to the Irish Festival at the Ballston Spa /Saratoga Co. Fairgrounds. It was a great day; the birds were a big hit and we got a chance to educate a lot of people about wildlife. It really doesn't get any better than that. Our donation jar did well and the people were very interested in what we do. Our educational events are vital to what we do and I hope we can book more events next year.<br /><br />Yesterday, I had a great group of students come in for a tour of NY Wildlife Rescue Facility. They are a 4H group from Delhi, asked great questions, were respectful and want to help out in the future. I really like kids and animals; I love educating kids about wildlife conservation. 4H is such a valuable club for young people to be involved in. Anything that doesn't involve being stuck inside the house on a computer should be promoted. Their generation will see some horrible things environmentally; they will be the generation to, hopefully, go green.<br /><br />I also have spent a lot of time the last week on paperwork. I hate it, but it is a necessity to keep good records for the various agencies that license me. Doing reports at the end of the year is easy when you have kept good records all year.<br /><br />Last night, I actually took off my boots at 8:30 pm. The phone rang about 5 minites later. I recognized the number on caller ID, "New York Wildlife Rescue Center, this is Wes".... "This is Trooper (such and such) of the NY State Police, do you rescue coyotes?" Ten minutes later I was wrestling around in a ditch with it. I appreciate that he called me rather than just shooting it on the spot. I know a lot of people would rather it had been killed but I am a rehabber, not God. I don't rescue animals that I like and leave others to die.<br /><br />The only thing that I could think of as I was grabbing it with my catch pole was that a dart would have been nice. That was the reason I took the chemical capture class at Tufts this summer. One of these days I am going to get a call for something bigger than me. I also thought about Oscar the bobcat; I bet that he felt the exact same way. Eyes in spotlights, blue and red lights, the sounds and smell of man ... and being helpless to move. I took the coyote to Cobleskill Vet Clinic where we knocked her out, did an exam and administered steroids. She is trying to get on her haunches but has a lower spine inflammation. I am trying to get her back in for an x-ray so I can figure out if we can really save her or if it would be more humane to put her down. I have never rescued a coyote before, a lot of people would like to see the vermin dead but you want to hear something interesting. I noticed that her feces looked funny, I looked through them and she had been feeding entirely on apples ... things that make you go hmmmmmmm. I am not God, I will spend a couple of hundred dollars to see what is wrong and give her a chance. If she is showing signs of pain or the damage is too great ... she will go to sleep. I will keep you posted.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">--Wes</span></span>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-76231032998276051242009-09-01T05:57:00.001-07:002009-09-01T05:57:39.070-07:00Fall is hereI like spring, it means that new baby orphans will be coming in, the land comes back alive ... but fall has come. The trees know it, the animals know it. Since I have gotten back from Tufts from the Chemical Capture Class, I have known that fall is coming. The Chemical Capture Class was great, I hope to be darting animals soon to save them.<br /><br /> For the last few days, I have been dreading today. It was release day. My day started early with preparations to catch, cage, transport and release skunks and coons. I try not to get emotionally attached to the wildlife I rehab. My first coons came in May 9th ... skunks came shortly after. Watch the slideshow that Gayle will hopefully attach to this blog and link to the website.<br /><br />Release day is always tough for me. I know that they are ready, they have been enriched, and can figure out any food item that I slip in. Every year we get "better" , we never claim to know anything here but we are quick learners and once we make a mistake (which all rehabbers do) we learn. That is why I mentor. That is why I'm lucky to have Kelly as one of the best mentors in the world. Never a day passes that I don't scratch my head, say "never saw that before" ... and learn.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVds9R7HY-k&feature=channel" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Please Click Here to Visit our Musical Slideshow</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> to share our special day with us.</span><br /></a></div><br /> I really don't know what to say about today, I moved the Kestrels into their soft release enclosure. The 'Possums moved out into theirs.<br /><br />The darn cage that Oscar the Bobcat was in is 1/2 an inch too large to slide into the aluminum zoo cage that I use to transport him to Cornell. I have to take him there tomorrow and it wasn't pleasant getting him into a cage with a catch pole now.<br /><br />I really think that if you watch the slideshow and listen to the music that Gayle put to it from today, you will get what I do ... very few people get what I do. 5 months of my life has revolved around these animals; baby coons and stinkers; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week--no breaks. It all boiled down to today. Did I get them prepared for life in the wild and things that could eat them in the woods? I think so. If you watch the slideshow, you will see one eyed (black eyed) Susie as I called her, This is the coon that Dr. Diane saved for me. We both spent a lot of time and money on her; she was the only coon that kept coming back to me for reassurance--all of the others plunged into the wild. I am comfortable with the release, I am happy for them al. Once I drive away, they are on their own. It was the way that it is suppose to be, they are not pets. They are wild animals, for better or for worse.<br /><br /> I got home, depressed, in a bad mood which everyone at the farm got. Started getting things ready for Cornell trip tomorrow with Oscar the Bobcat because I start school on Wednesday.<br /><br />Got a phone call about an owl in someone's yard, she called nonstop until we answered the phone ... she knows I don't check the answering machine more than once a day. I went, found a great old Great Horned Owl that was sitting under her picnic table. I had caught it before the kids could even get out of the house. What an old warrior; he had reserved himself to hunting a Porcupine and a couple of weeks ago had caught one. I pulled several quills out of a horribly infected foot. Glad I'm going to Cornell tomorrow--if anyone can save this foot....they can. Also had to set a livetrap for a red fox with mange: met a great guy who doesn't want to see his fox from his farm die a horrible death. I will try to catch it. I will and I will fix it.<br /><br /> I have several people a week say that what I do is amazing, I do not get funding; it is all by donation and my blood, sweat and tears. Forward everyone you know our blog, website and slideshow of our release today. I am the luckiest guy in the world that I get to do this every day.<br /><br />My kids will look back at these releases as they get older and releaze how cool they were versus "Why can't I get out of the truck?".<br /><br />I look forward to getting back in my classroom, I miss the kids from school. I need to see some kids (as if I haven't seen them all summer).<br /><br />Plan on attending the Scottish Festival this weekend at the Altamont Fairgrounds. The Committee has supported what I do for years. I will be doing two shows daily.<br /><br />Gotta hit the hay.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Wes</span></span>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-56459001408125313572009-08-13T05:50:00.001-07:002009-08-13T05:50:56.946-07:00Small milestonesWell, I should have more to say ... here we go. <br /><br />Tomorrow the Workforce Solutions Kids will be done working at NY Wildlife Rescue Facility . It will finish the summer. I haven't gotten the dreaded "Welcome Back" to school letter from my boss that officially ends my summer but I do want to state for the record that I love all of you kids... I don't like the word kid, you're not ... what you have done here is amazing. Andy (the college supervisor here this summer) is amazing. Although we didn't get everything done that I wanted to do this summer, it was more than productive. Tomorrow after our BBQ, I'm sure that I will have more to say.<br /><br /> I actually had two weird wildlife experiences happen to me since I last blogged. I always blog how people shouldn't be quick to pounce on wildlife. I was mowing up at the picnic area and something ran in front of the lawn mower. I thought to myself, "I cant even mow without saving something ... read your blog ... leave it alone". I watched it for awhile until it disappeared in to the brush, then I saw it again in a completely different part of the area. I stopped the lawn mower, as I was chasing the chick around. I heard peep, peep, peep from all over the area. Then I saw the big hen fly in and I hid behind a brush patch as I heard cluck, cluck, cluck and all the chicks I had scattered when pulling into the picnic area come running out to get reunited with the hen and walk off into the woods.... I need to practice what I preach.<br /><br /> The next cool wildlife experience I had was while I was delivering llamas to a new home, a great home (as always) I might add. I was standing in the driveway chatting with a great animal communicator and her husband said "ohhhh look at the bobcat"... Didn't have to tell me twice, I jumped up on the wall and saw the most gorgeous cat walking down the backside of the wall about 20 foot away. The bobcat didn't seem to care, we caught a connection and it walked on down the wall out of sight ... very cool. Not as cool as the home the llamas got but pretty close.<br /><br /> On July 8th, you remember the story about the small bat that came in that I thought was dead, revived and have been feeding nonstop ever since? He was about the size of my thumb nail, he is 4 times that size now. I like him a lot. We reached a small milestone tonight. He normally grabs ahold of the syringe full of formula but tonight I tricked him. I put a small mealworm in front of him instead. He ate it ... I was shocked. Did it again, ate half of another before he realized what was going on ... had a fit and begged for his formula by vibrating and showing his new little fangs. They grow up so fast.<br /><br /> I am not a hero but very few people realize what I do. I have spent 5 weeks of my life on a baby bat and it is working. Andy and I agreed that it takes about 20 kids to do what I do everyday while Im teaching. <br /><br />I got a baby pigeon in tonight that has issues, I have tube fed lots of them; this little guy needs your prayers; wings are fine but I think that it has two broken legs ... may be his last night. JAMES HERRIOT, one of my favorite authors said that all creatures, great and small, the Lord God loves them all ... or something close, it is late. Everyone should email John Katz, one of my other favorite authors. Tell him to get down to Middleburgh and see what I do, I need his help writing a book. That will be a big milestone but I am ready.<br /><br />I will start blogging again daily, just need to get my head above water again,<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Wes</span></span>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-21686115430088712702009-08-05T10:42:00.001-07:002009-08-05T10:42:42.266-07:00Where has the summer gone?I know that I am bad, I haven't gone this long without blogging in a while. I try to blog everyday but it has just been too hard lately. We have had several school groups come in for workshops. I actually even did a program at Delhi Elementary School last week which was amazing. The teacher is amazing. The kids knew more about Raptors and wildlife than most of the older audiences that I work with. Education is one of the most important things that I can do to get our message out there. I deal with dozens of phone calls a week with folks that want to help animals that really don't need it. It is so hard to convince people that it is better to leave the baby rabbits in the nest than to pick them up and bring them in the house....<br /><br /> "Orphan Season" has slowed down a lot, finally. We are no longer getting several animals a day that we are working on. The past week has been interesting. Seems like every animal that has come in has been covered in maggots. I know that everything has a purpose but I really am getting sick of maggots. I have had 2 coons, a fawn, a porcupine and a baby robin come in this past week all covered.... All had their individual reasons and issues, all had unhappy endings. It is a combination of wounds, bad weather and hungry flies. It is really gross.<br /><br /> Our Workforce Solutions kids continue to do a great job. They are only here officially for another week. I don't think that we are going to finish the lower pasture but we are going to try. There is just so much wood, debris and stone down there. I've been working on that pasture for 10 years. I really don't know how the old-timers did it with nothing but an axe.<br /><br />I will try to be more upbeat and interesting next time.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Wes</span></span>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807892578567635497.post-45838398916484238842009-07-21T05:32:00.000-07:002009-07-21T05:33:25.450-07:00I'm SpeechlessFor those of you that attended our Open House this past Saturday, July 18th, you probably wished that I was speechless. It was a perfect day, my High School volunteers, my 20 somethings and my "older" volunteers helped me get everything together and it was a great day. I would have never been ready without your help. I am so flattered that over 200 people thought that what we are doing was cool enough to come to the dedication of the Phase One half of the Raptor Center. We have worked so hard to have one of the best facilities in the Northeast, it is very important to do what we are doing and do it first class.<br /><br /> I have been flattered by all of you, your donations, validating what we do. I had an older lady from Middleburgh attend the Open House. She emailed me and said that she never understood until she heard me talk at the Open House. ... I do love what I do, there is such a HUGE demand for wildlife rehabbers. If you are considering it, do it but do it right. Get a mentor and do an apprenticeship.<br /><br /> I will let Gayle put links up for photos and videos of the event. I'm not going to rehash the whole thing but I do want to say thanks to my Board Of Directors, you are great. Our Volunteers and our donors are what keep us expanding. As I said during the dedication we are helping a lot of kids and animals here at this facility. Most people didn't even realize as they walked around the grounds that we had 7 animals come in DURING the Open House. We had a broadwing hawk, a painted turtle, robins, a cedar waxwing and 2 kittens come in. Our BOD members quickly got them into the nursery for assessment and treatment; the public never knew.<br /><br /> I am speechless, and very tired. I will get blogging again, going on 2am, I need to look over 370 emails and get some zzzzzzzz.<br /><br />Till tomorrow,<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Wes</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">Pictures and Video!<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.gazehound.com/ny-wildlife-rescue-centers-open-house/" target="_blank">Some photos from our special day are included at this link.</a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here is a music video one of our volunteers, Jess, put together, starring the animals of NY Wildlife Rescue, Northeast Llama Rescue, and Red Maple Farm. Enjoy!</span><br /><br /></div><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kzczS26sv8Y&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kzczS26sv8Y&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x3a3a3a&color2=0x999999" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>New York Wildlife Rescue Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446218235578501472noreply@blogger.com0