Wildlife stranded from severe weather are turning up in storm debris

The Minnesota Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is seeing an uptick in the number of injured or stranded animals being dropped off during the aftermath of severe weather, especially for baby squirrels and migratory songbirds. 

There was a significant increase in patient admissions, with 53 birds admitted into the nursery compared to the usual average of eight, according to Tami Vogel, executive director. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the center saw an uptick of 108 baby squirrels from its average of 46 as a result of being knocked from tree branches. There were also a number of bunnies flooded out of burrows. 

During the storm, many staff and volunteers experienced personal storm damage but continued to assist with animal rehabilitation efforts, Vogel said. Power outages also caused the center to lose its surgical lamp while performing a procedure on a mallard. Staff is currently trying to fundraise $10,000 to replace the light. 

“The storm really had some devastating effects, not just on animals, but people too,” she said. “What I find so amazing is not just the people, but the clients who are bringing us animals and are volunteers too. Even with all of their own storm cleanup they have to do. Losing their food in their freezer and having no glass in their windows, they still make the time to stop and help animals, and that to me, that’s just awe-inspiring.”

Helping orphaned, injured animals

While the center is dealing with the influx of migratory birds and squirrels, they’re urging the public to use gloves and gentle methods for transporting them with a temporary box or a pet carrier. They also said to leave healthy wildlife alone. If there are any questions about any specific cases, give the center a call. 

“The good news for people who are finding the birds and the squirrels is that they are easy to contain and don’t pose much of a health threat,” Vogel said. “Which is great, but we still recommend just putting on a pair of gardening gloves if you have them and using an old pillow case or dish towel or t-shirt, something that doesn’t have any loose threads or unraveling that they can get caught up in, just drop it over them and gently scoop them up.”

Vogel said generally it’s important to leave wildlife alone, but there are instances where it’s fine to intervene when it appears the animal may be injured or orphaned. Vogel said there’s a misconception that if a human touches a baby animal that the mother will not return to its offspring because of the scent. 

“It came about before scientists, really biologists, knew a lot about how programmed animals are to rear their young, their goal is to survive and multiply,” she said. “I do think that parents continue to tell their kids that because it’s easy to explain to kids to leave wildlife alone, which we always encourage.”

What to do if you find a stranded animal 

It’s important to conduct a health check by doing a skin turgor test to see if it’s dehydrated. Vogel said it’s also known as the skin tent test if it’s done on a species that’s not threatening to humans:

• Gently pinch and pull up the loose skin over the animal’s shoulder blades with your thumb and forefinger together

• Release the skin and see how quickly it returns to its original position

Vogel said if it doesn’t return to its normal shape, then the animal should be transported immediately to its nearest wildlife rehabilitation center for help.

If a bunny is flushed out of its burrow during heavy rains, Vogel said it’s fine to return it to its home once conditions dry out. 

“The good news is the water usually dissipates pretty quickly, but if you have a bunny burrow that has flooded you can always remove the bunnies, keep them warm and dry until the water dissipates and then put them back into the nest,” she said. “Mom should continue to care for them, and she won’t care about your scent. Her goal is to raise those little bunnies, so she won’t care about the human scent.”

For squirrels, the mother does generally return for its baby. Vogel said it’s common for squirrels to fall out of nests during storms.

“What we find with big storms, especially one that happens at night, is the tree limb comes down, or the tree actually falls and it’s a very traumatic event,” Vogel said. “Usually, one of the litter is severely injured or has been killed as a result of the crash, and we find that mom doesn’t always come back in that circumstance. If you can leave them there for an hour or two in the morning without any activity, that gives mom a chance to come back for them, but if she doesn’t come back, we’re here for you.”

If you have any concerns or questions about an animal 

The Minnesota Wildlife Rehabilitation Center is open this weekend and during the holiday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Volunteers dedicated to answering phones will return messages and call back within the hour. 

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