Devoted to Wildlife:
The May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center —A Year in Review By Tamara S. Randolph
The Patients One might first like to know how animals end up as patients at the Center and where they come from. “The reasons people bring them to us are endless,” explains Fischesser. Some patients are orphaned babies, while many have been struck by vehicles, attacked by outdoor cats, and even entangled in barbed wire or trapped between the metal bars of bird feed holders. In 2022, the majority of patients
came from Watauga and Avery counties, while others were transported from Buncombe, Mitchell, Burke, Caldwell, Wilkes, McDowell, Ashe and Catawba counties. n A total of 1,222 wildlife patients were admitted to the Center in 2022, representing 117 unique species. n Of the animals taken in, nearly 60% were birds, while 36.8% were mammals, 3.2% were reptiles, and less than 1% were amphibians. n The Top 13 Patients by Species (and the number admitted): Virginia Opossum (167); Eastern Cottontail (101); Mourning Dove (56); Eastern Grey Squirrel (50); Eastern Screech Owl (50); White-tailed Deer (48); American Robin (35); Northern Cardinal (32); Eastern Box Turtle (32); Red-tailed Hawk (29), Eastern Bluebird (29), House Finch (29) and Carolina Wren (29). n The highest in-house patient total on any given day was 175 patients! n While many animals have a relatively short stay at the Center (a hummingbird was treated and released within minutes), one patient—a red-tailed hawk that had been hit by a truck— stayed 456 days before being released in October of 2022. n The smallest patient was a tiny ringneck snake, weighing 0.7 grams. n The largest patient was a young whitetailed deer, likely hit by a car, weighing more than 60 pounds. n 2022 saw five new species admitted: Wood Frog, Eastern Kingsnake, Wilson’s Snipe, Lesser Scaup, and Sanderling. Of course, the ultimate goal is to return as many animals as possible to their wild habitat once they have been treated and rehabilitated. According to Dr. McNamara, “During 2022, the MWRC received 1,222 wildlife patients and, thanks to the efforts of the clinic’s students, staff, and volunteers, we were able to rehabilitate and release 598 animals back to the wild.”
Student Involvement Wildlife Biology and Pre-Veterinary Medicine students comprise a large portion of the rehabilitative operations at the center. Over the course of their training at Lees-McRae, they learn and then implement all aspects of wildlife rehabilitation, eventually becoming mentors to younger students. In 2022, 41 students completed the summer clinical program, which was a record for the college. During the program, these students became more proficient in wildlife medicine, baby care, patient evaluation, husbandry, and wildlife education. Students also delivered 71 formal public programs to schools, at festivals, and in other settings, such as the Banner Elk Park, and they participated in conferences and symposiums, including the Wildlife Rehabilitators of North Carolina’s annual symposium, and the North Carolina Wildlife Medicine Symposium. A total of 29 students graduated from Lees-McRae in 2022 with a major in Wildlife Biology and a specialization in Wildlife Rehabilitation. This spring, beginning on Saturday, May 20, you and your family can meet some of these Lees-McRae students and the Centers’ wildlife ambassadors when they kick off a new season of presentations at the amphitheater in Banner Elk’s Tate-Evans Park. Presentations will take place every Friday and Saturday at 1 p.m. and are open to the public (no dogs near wildlife presentations, please). Your participation is a great way to support the important work of the MWRC and to show your devotion to our local wildlife. If you find an injured or orphaned wild animal this spring, call the MWRC at 828-898-2568. Follow them on Facebook at BlueRidgeWildlifeInstitute, and donate online at https://www.lmc.edu/giving/.
(*All statistics are from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022. Photos by Dr. Amber McNamara and Lees-McRae students, l to r: fledgling Eastern screech owls, red squirrel being syringe-fed formula, juvenile Ruby-throated hummingbird, young Virginia opossum receiving acupuncture treatment, white-tailed deer fawn being fed by Breyanna Mathis) CAROLINA MOUNTAIN LIFE Spring 2023 —
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BLUE RIDGE EXPLORERS
Last summer, I sat in the audience with a group of children and their families and listened to one of the many public presentations that Lees-McRae students from the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (MWRC) delivered at the town park in Banner Elk, NC. The two speakers that day brought along a couple of wildlife ambassadors—a great-horned owl and an Eastern indigo snake—both of whom were there to help educate us humans about their respective species. “Ultimately, these wild ambassadors have a very important job,” says Nina Fischesser, Director of the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at Lees-McRae College. “They inspire people to want to protect the very homes and ecosystems that these animals live in, and support the important work that we do to heal the ones who need a second chance.” As one of the only wildlife rehabilitation centers located on a college campus, the primary mission of the MWRC is “to both care for injured animals and educate the next generation of rehabilitators.” I asked Director Fischesser and Dr. Amber McNamara, Assistant Professor and Veterinarian, to shed some light on what happens behind the scenes at the May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. Who are your patients? How many animals are treated each year? How do students participate in the care of these animals? Here we share their answers to these questions, along with some additional statistics from the Center’s 2022 Impact Report*.