- Don Lichterman
- May 1, 2020
- 11 min read
The SAN Rescue Network, Wildlife Aid TV, Official PETA TV, Flying Fur Animal Rescue, Animals Asia, ASPCA, Hope For PAWS, Beagle Freedom Project...
Wildlife Aid TV Live!
Two BABY BIRDS fall out of their nest during phone call!
Lucy Kells, our former head vet nurse, had quite the surprise on a recent phone call with Simon! Whilst discussing Lucy's new life with husband Sean in Portugal, two young bluets fell out of their nest and landed right in front of her! Grabbing her phone to film, Lucy and Sean set about trying to return the two youngsters to their nest...
This video is all you need to see today!
As you know, Dehli fell ill after the loss of her brother Rhadja at the end of 2019. This huge change in her life resulted in a lot of stress, which was not only expressed mentally but also physically.
She fell nauseous and became, also due to her advanced age, weaker. Our team at the FELIDA Big Cat Centre, therefore, brought her to another ‘special care enclosure’, where she could be monitored more closely and was further away from the strong and confident lions who suddenly, without Rhadja, were quite intimidating to her. Thanks to intensive and specialised care over the last few months, Dehli was able to make an impressive recovery!
This strong old lady was even doing so well lately, that we decided to bring her back to her former enclosure so she has more space again to roam around. However, we made some very important adaptions so she is no longer surrounded by lions Masoud, Terez and Bobby, and only has Lenci as a neighbour opposite of her. We also made her some new platforms and hiding places which she greatly enjoys! Her old, yet new enclosure is not finished yet and we are still doing reconstructions to a second part that she can access once this has been completed. But to see Dehli so happy already makes our day!
Meet our leopards at Lionsrock
Tulani and Mike were both rescued and socialised at our LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary. Tulani was hand raised at a safari park and Mike was captured from the wild.
#ThreeBearsRescue - Quarantine week one.
Alice, Bân and James are through their first week in quarantine at the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre. Sarah and our bear care team are getting to know their personalities and earning their trust. Quarantine is one of the most vital stages in a rescued bear's rehabilitation and we've got over 20 years experience in how to provide the best care possible. None of this would be possible however without your support. We'll continue to keep you updated with their progress, their lives so far have been no fairy tale and their behaviour indicates a traumatic life up until now. With your help we will do our very best to give them the happily ever after they so deserve.
To support Alice, Bân and James and all of our work for animals in Asia, please make a regular donation today: www.animalsasia.org/threebearsrescue
Bears love hanging out
There's nothing a rescued bear likes more than playing with hanging enrichment in their enclosure. Thanks to the brilliant support of Italian ethical fashion brand Miomojo these bears are having a great time hanging out with each other! We're incredibly grateful for the support of Miomojo and their customers, and we absolutely love their cruelty free bags and accessories.
Arinita Sandilya: Leopard Sighted 40 Miles from Taj Mahal Amidst Covid Lockdown; WSOS & Forest Dept. Rescue & Release Leopard in the Wild
While the world has come to a complete standstill due to the Coronavirus outbreak, nature seems to be reclaiming her territory. All around the world, there have been reported incidents of wild animals venturing into cities as pollution levels have decreased, public spaces are lying deserted and human encounters have reduced. This has in turn given animals an opportunity to venture beyond their usual territory.
In India, there have been reports of a Malabar civet roaming the streets in Kozhikode, Kerala, a massive Nilgai (Blue-bull) wandering outside Noida’s GIP Mall, a spotted deer running across a deserted lane in Dehradun, Uttarakhand and even a Leopard making a rare appearance in the heart of Chandigarh city.
A similar incident took place in Govardhan town located in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh earlier this week. A full grown leopard was seen walking on the street, right in the middle of town! It’s not everyday that one spots a leopard in their neighbourhood and the local residents were rightfully worried for their safety when faced by one in such close proximity.
By nature, most wild animals are shy, and their primary instinct is to avoid contact with humans. Leopards are even more elusive when it comes to confrontations with humans. It was understandable for the big cat to be stressed out and scared as well, after its presence sent out a wave of panic and it rushed to seek refuge inside a culvert nearby.
Taking quick action, the locals alerted the Forest Department who reached out to the Wildlife SOS team operating out of the Agra base, requesting the deployment of a rapid response unit at the location to avert a human-wildlife conflict situation. Equipping themselves with safety nets, a trap cage and Personal protective equipment (PPE), an eight-member team from Wildlife SOS led by Dr. Yaduraj Khadpekar, Assistant Director – Veterinary and Research immediately set out for Govardhan town. In the meantime, Shri K Praveen Rao, Addl. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Uttar Pradesh Forest Department and Raghunath Mishra, Division Forest Officer Mathura arrived on site to access the situation.
The leopard was inside a culvert which made the rescue quite challenging. [Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/Mradul Pathak]
Dr. Yaduraj Khadpekar, Assistant Director – Veterinary and Research explained that operations like this can be quite nerve-racking as the team has to exercise caution while approaching such a large and powerful feline. We decided to follow a more careful approach by using food bait to lure it into a trap cage. After cordoning off the area, the team set up safety nets and placed two trap cages provided by Etawah Lion Safari and Wildlife SOS, on both ends of the narrow culvert.
According to Baiju Raj MV, Director – Conservation Projects, Wildlife SOS, the rescue operation was quite a challenge as it was difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the leopard while also ensuring that it wouldn’t get further agitated. Moreover, the rescuers had to ensure that they were taking appropriate health and safety measures against COVID-19, throughout the operation.
The Leopard was finally rescued after a 10 hour long operation by Wildlife SOS & the UP Forest Department. [Photo (c) Wildlife SOS/Mradul Pathak]
After a nearly ten hour long wait, the leopard finally emerged from its temporary refuge, walking straight into one of the cages. Following an order issued by Shri Sunil Pandey, IFS – PCCF (Wildlife) and Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttar Pradesh Forest Department, the leopard was transferred to Saharanpur where it was released in the Shivalik forest range.
Talking about the rescue operation, Shri K Praveen Rao, Addl. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of the UPFD expressed his relief to see that the leopard was safe and able to return to its natural habitat. He applauded our team for their timely response and for assisting the Forest Department in the rescue. He further stated that there have been increased wildlife sightings due to the lockdown as usually leopard sightings in these areas is rare.
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder & CEO Wildlife SOS explained that the depletion of the leopards natural prey base and habitat due to encroachment and deforestation forces them to seek out easily available prey such as poultry and livestock in human settlements. This often leads to human-leopard conflicts which have violent and brutal consequences for both humans and wildlife.
Over the years, we have assisted the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department with several rescue operations and are grateful for their support. Wildlife SOS is continuing to work round the clock to provide essential service and protect the community and wildlife in distress, amidst the nationwide lockdown.
Smriti Suri: Saving Lives During Covid-19: Wildlife SOS’ Heroes
As the Covid-19 pandemic is overtaking countries, in its wake governments are taking the strictest measures to ensure loss of life is as minimal as possible. To avoid the novel disease that is transmitted through human contact and has no known cure, movement has been restricted with police forces deployed to ensure strict measures. The Government of India has also issued a nationwide lockdown, shutting down borders between states, local public transportation systems including metro, buses, autos and cabs, and all passenger carrying trains of the Indian Railways. In turbulent times however, humanity shines through and heroes emerge; our rescuers continue to be out in the streets every day, providing assistance to wild animals and communities. There is no resting when it comes to conservation and our rescuers embody that spirit. They are dedicated and willing to put their lives at risk to continue to rescue monkeys, birds, snakes and other reptiles in pan India in the midst of the Coronavirus lockdown!
The NGO’s 24 hour animal rescue hotlines continue in the midst of a nationwide lockdown. From injured monkeys to a wide variety of snakes finding themselves in people’s homes to a wounded Coppersmith Barbet, our heroes are working round the clock to provide essential services and protect communities and wildlife in distress.
A 5 feet long Royal snake was found trapped in the IG office! The organisation’s 24-hour helplines continue to operate and have responded to an average of over 80 calls in Agra, Delhi and Vadodara since the lockdown was enforced. In Agra, amongst the many rescues were a Coppersmith Barbet that was found injured in Khandari Colony, a Wolf snake that was found stuck between a door in Sikandara and another snake was found inside a house in Runakta. One cobra was rescued from a storage room in a house in Shamshabad, while one Rat snake was rescued from a doctor’s house in Dayalbagh. A 5 feet long Royal snake was found trapped in the IG office in Baluganj a couple of days ago, and despite it being midnight, rescuers reached the location with requisite equipment within minutes!
A Coppersmith Barbet was rescued by Wildlife SOS.
In Delhi, our teams have rescued 4 Wolf snakes from Najafgarh, Pitam Nagar, Tilak Nagar and Sarita Vihar, monkeys from almost every area of the city, a Black kite from Tyagaraj Marg, and a couple of injured peacocks from Greater Kailash. Apart from this, the team has also come to the rescue of a venomous 4-foot-long cobra that found itself stuck in a scooter by a temple priest along with a civet cat, rat snake and a wolf snake in various parts of the city. Our rescue team in Gujarat has also been extremely busy rescuing birds, reptiles, monkeys and crocodiles in the time of the lockdown! The rescuers provided aid to 10 Cobra snakes, 5 Rat snakes, 2 vipers and 2 Banded Kukri snakes since the lockdown started. Apart from that, the team has also assisted over many bird rescues including pigeons, kites, sparrows, parrots and Koyal. The team has also rescued and rehabilitated crocodiles, monkeys, cats and squirrels in the past two weeks.
The rescuers have been stepping out every day and travelling long distances between locations within the cities. Schedules around the centres have been drastically changed to accommodate the finite resources at hand, while essential staff like rescuers and keepers continues duty on the ground, without resting. Keeping with health and safety guidelines, all rescue staff have access to gloves, face masks, alcohol based hand sanitizers and other necessary equipment to stay safe.
Wildlife SOS rescuers are continuing on their mission of saving every life in need, despite the nationwide shutdown.
These are trying times and it is best to stay indoors and stay safe by following guidelines set by the government. While we are trying our best to ensure no rescue calls goes unanswered, please remember it’s essential to remain sensitive to the plight of people and animals during this crisis. You can support Wildlife SOS’ rescue efforts by donating face masks, hand sanitizers, fruits and vegetables, grains etc. through their 24 hour helplines (Delhi NCT: +91-9871963535, Agra: +91-9917109666 & Vadodara: +91-9825011117).
During Spring and early summer it’s pretty common to find orphaned baby birds, squirrels, and rabbits.
Thankfully, there are rescuers who are professionals and know exactly what to do to help these animals. However, Spring has arrived just as a pandemic is sweeping the world. This means people need to maintain their distance from each other and are not to go outside unless it’s for essential duties. This makes it difficult for rescuers to do their job well and rescue as many orphaned baby animals as possible.
St. Louis Public Radio reports that Wild Bird Rehabilitation cares for more than 2,000 songbirds each year during this time and eventually releases them back to the wild. However, normally there are dozens of volunteers to help care for the birds. Due to the pandemic, they’ve had to cut down to their core group of five staff members. “Volunteers are still helping from afar, answering phones and caring for some baby birds in their homes,” but native bird species must remain at the facility.
Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center is dealing with the same issues. Volunteers usually make up 95 percent of their workforce and now that they are trying to save animals in midst of the pandemic. Volunteers cannot work as they used to, in any organizations, because they’d be endangering their own health and others.
It’s important to keep in mind that many times people think they’ve found orphaned wildlife, but really the nest or babies might have just been left alone in a safe spot for a few hours at a time by their mothers. Please read the Humane Society’s guide to understanding if a wild animal actually does need your help. There are signs to look out for and this is not a good time to overwhelm animal rescues and organizations with misinformation.
The Arrow Fund has an amazing update on a beautiful little dog, and we are so excited to see him on the mend!
Last year we learned about Hemingway, a puppy brought into a shelter in a lifeless, lethargic condition by owners who had no idea what to do with him and decided to surrender him when he most needed help. He was due to be euthanized because he was so unwell and it would cost so much to treat him.
The Arrow Fund, being the wonderful people that they are, stepped in to literally save Hemingway’s life despite already being stretched to capacity. Even knowing Hemingway might not make it because of the awful Parvo he was suffering from, they couldn’t bear to abandon him.
And look what all that loving care and attention, along with vital medical treatment, has done for this beautiful dog!
Hemingway is recovering well. He is still being monitored carefully because of his Parvo and not yet ready for adoption, but look what a difference all that care has made! He’s made himself quite at home with his foster family and is thriving!
Hemingway insists on cleanliness, jumping in the shower in his foster home whenever he can! Or maybe it is more the case that he is truly an affectionate little boy that follows his foster mom literally everywhere, not wanting to leave her side.
Volunteer with the Animal Rescue Team
One of the most commonly asked questions for our Animal Rescue Team is, “How can I volunteer?” Our team has—and relies on—a strong network of volunteers to help us make a real difference for animals in rescue and disaster relief work. We truly depend on them to help us get this important, lifesaving work done.
One of the most common mistakes prospective volunteers make is waiting until a natural or man-made disaster strikes to begin the application process and to begin proper training and preparation for becoming an Animal Rescue Team volunteer. Unfortunately, by then, it’s too late. If you want to volunteer, it’s important to apply before a disaster. If you get everything done early, you, like our many other volunteers, will be ready to deploy when animals need our help.
I can’t speak enough to the impact people feel from saving animals in need. If you want to make a difference, this is a way to do it. I encourage you to start your application today. With hurricane season on the horizon, our team will be ready to deploy at a moment’s notice - The Humane Society of the United States
