AIWC REHABILITATION STORIES

Little Salamander in the Big City

It’s hard being small in the big city. A little tiger salamander, similar to the one in the photo, (Ambystoma tigrinum) had successfully survived at least a couple of years in Calgary’s Northeast, but his life nearly ended in the jaws of a cat that had been left outside. The puncture wounds were substantial and it was obvious that the salamander required immediate attention. Fortunately, the veterinary clinic to which he was brought knew to phone AIWC for professional care. This unique visitor recovered incredibly quickly at the rehabilitation center and was soon released into a safer area where he could enjoy the rest of his life without the dangers of urban life.

Sapphire Beauty

With the feathers of both his wings and his tail singed from a run-in with a mystery electrical source, a sorry looking bluebird made its way to AIWC in October 2005. His situation was not immediately life-threatening, but his inability to fly, especially when merciless winter was approaching, meant that starvation or predation were equally realistic fates. Thanks to AIWC, though, this sapphire beauty was offered a third option: life. The bluebird stayed throughout the winter and spring so that he could molt and regrow perfect new feathers. Since molting and regrowing feathers takes time, it was ten and a half months later, in early August 2006, that he was finally ready to be on his way. He was taken to a spot where other bluebirds were spotted preparing for the fall migration and was gently placed in an area with a clear vantage point. Looking around only once, he wasted no time in taking flight and, as though to show off his powerful "new" wings before bidding his caregivers farewell, he made a great arc above the fields and trees before disappearing into the afternoon sky.

Lab Work Saves Lives

She could not fly, but she could run. Seeing that this common merganser (Mergus merganser) was in trouble, a couple of kind-hearted people rounded up this bird on their Dewinton acreage and brought her to a South Calgary veterinary hospital. The merganser was not injured, but it is important to remember that not all wildlife troubles are externally visible. This time, the key to saving this bird was lab work. On-site fecal floats and microscopic analysis revealed that the merganser was suffering from a massive parasitic load (mostly roundworms). Following the appropriate treatment, the bird began to perk up and subsequent lab work consistently showed that the infection had been successfully eradicated. After about one month in the care of AIWC, the merganser was ready to be released and she was taken to a river where she burst forth from her carrier and swiftly swam back to the comfort of the Canadian wilderness.

Poor Porcupine!

His left eye, tounge, jaw, skull and back were punctured, his eyes were swollen shut, his ear was torn, he was dehydrated with a low body temperature, his radius and ulna were fractured and all four of his incisors were broken. Poor, poor porcupine had had a run-in with a dog at Nosehill Park and had suffered greatly for the encounter. Alone in the wilderness, he was as good as dead...until a hero walked into his life. A gentleman out for a late night walk found the broken body of the porcupine and carried the pricky beast to his own home THREE KILOMETERS AWAY. There, he cleaned up the wounds and, in the early morning, called AIWC for help.

At first, it was questionable whether the shy porcupine would even survive but, thankfully, his fighting spirit gave him the strength to pull through. Other than his sorrowful cries, he sat patiently as caregivers flushed out his wounds and cleared his nasal passages several times a day. As his teeth grew back, he switched from a fruits & vegetable slurry to solid food. Then, when his bones had healed and his wounds were looking better, he was moved to the mammal pen to further strengthen his muscles. Finally, when the porcupine had made a full recovery, it was time for him to return to nature. A protected area in Water Valley, known to have exceptional porcupine habitat far from meddlesome dogs, was chosen as his release spot and, in the dark of night (the release time was determined based on the fact that porcupines are mainly nocturnal), he ambled out of his carrier and into the f orest where he will, hopefully, spend the rest of his life as uneventfully as possible.

For more about the porcupine's dramatic tale, click on the link below and read the August/September 2006 issue of 'Creatures All' Magazine which is available free at locations throughout Calgary, Canmore, Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks, High River, Langdon, Strathmore and Chestemere.