SWCC Summer 2014 Newsletter

Oh Heavenly Bear

Take a Walk on the Wild Side Become a member of SWCC WILD FAMILY

SWCC welcomes a new member to our family Babies, Babies, Babies

The story behind our desert babies

Events at SWCC

Summer, 2014

Eco-Chic Dinner with Wolves, Summer Camp and more

Welcome Home Heavenly

By: Kris Wheaton

Southwest Wildlife Conserva4on Center recently welcomed a new member to our family – a bear named Heavenly.

A young black bear appeared on the ski slopes at the Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe, California, this past March. He was weak and bleeding from a shoulder injury.

Authori(es darted the bear and he was taken down the mountain to a local veterinary office for medical care.

X-­‐rays showed no broken bones and the cub was given an#bio#cs for the wounds in his shoulder.

‘Heavenly’ in his temporary home

The cub, now called “Heavenly,” was transported to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC), where he received the specialized care to recover and prepare for a return to the wild. At the beginning of May, a.er many weeks of care, a fat and healthy Heavenly bear was released 25 miles south of Lake Tahoe.

The Heavenly Valley ski patrol transported the young bear off the mountain

The bear was a yearling, maybe 14 months old, and weighed only 49 pounds. A bear his age should weigh twice that much and s/ll be hiberna/ng.

Since he was probably an orphaned cub, the li5le bear may not have had the skills to feed himself or to make an adequate den to get through the winter.

The story of Heavenly bear captured hearts locally and na)onally. Everyone was roo)ng for his success as a wild bear.

Unfortunately, within a week of his release he was back in the area, not far from the ski resort, and approaching people in a neighborhood, looking for food.

Although he never appeared aggressive or threatening, it was apparent that Heavenly had come to expect food from people, and, as such, could pose a danger to humans in the future.

Heavenly would not be given another chance at freedom. That le. two op1ons for the cub: euthanize him or find him a permanent home at a wildlife sanctuary or zoo.

A temporary space for Heavenly has been constructed so that he can be introduced to our three young black bears, Griz, Tahoe and Igasho. Now, we need to expand the bear enclosure, and need to raise the funds to get that done!

There’s a lot of work to do! It’s going to be a challenge, but this li/le bear is worth it! Let’s get busy. With your help we’ll give Heavenly a happy new home. Please visit our fundraiser on Razoo called “A Home for Heavenly” and give if you are able.

People o'en believe they are being kind to bears when they feed them.

Heavenly checking out the view-­‐his first day at SWCC

Since the li*le bear had so many fans following his story, there was a push to find him a good home.

The BEAR League, a sister organiza(on to LTWC, the wildlife care center where Heavenly was cared for, contacted the American Sanctuary Associa2on (ASA) to ask for help with placement. Sanctuaries who are members of the Associa/on are o1en in contact with one another to find homes for needy animals and to share knowledge.

What most don’t realize is that a “fed bear is a dead bear” or the bear may live only to spend the remainder of it’s life in cap'vity.

IT’S SO IMPORTANT… PLEASE DO NOT FEED BEARS.

As a member of the ASA, Southwest Wildlife became aware of Heavenly’s story, and offered him a home for life at our sanctuary.

With the coopera,on of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, arrangements were made to transport Heavenly to Arizona.

Heavenly takes his a.ernoon naps on top of the ‘air condi*oned’ bear den

SWCC

Mexican Gray Wolf Update

Dinner With Wolves Eco-­‐chic’s (My Sister’s Closet) hosted a wonderful cocktail and dinner party, at Southwest Wildlife Sanctuary. The purpose of the event was to benefit the endangered Mexican gray wolf. Currently, SWCC is home to 18 Mexican gray wolves.

The event was well a(ended and guests enjoyed perfect weather, amazing food and the sanctuary animals were on their best behavior. The guests were invited to tour the center and were serenaded by the wolves while they enjoyed their 5-­‐star dinner.

Guest speakers included: Linda Searles, execu1ve director of SWCC and Eva Sargent from the Defenders of Wildlife. All proceeds for the event were donated to SWCC and Defenders of Wildlife.

SWCC is one of the largest holding facili3es for Mexican gray wolves in the country. We do not receive any state or federal funding to help care for these endangered animals.

Meet our Cover Girl The Mexican gray wolf on the cover of this newsle*er is F1219, aka Cinderella. She’s a beau*ful and intelligent wolf who has been a sanctuary resident at Southwest Wildlife for over a year. She and 4 siblings were born at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Mexican Wolf Management Facility at the Sevilleta Na2onal Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico, in 2011. To boost the gene7c diversity in the wild popula2on of Mexican wolves, her sister, F1218, was chosen for release into the Blue Range Wolf Recovery Area this past spring. Unfortunately, in May, she was found dead. Her death is currently under inves&ga&on.

Photo by Robin Silver

Southwest Wildlife Discovery Camp “All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”

Galileo Galilei

Radio telemetry tracking, scat cookies, pe*ng a beaver, Wolf Wednesday, iden.fying skulls, and making enrichment items were just some of the fun ac1vi1es at Southwest Wildlife Discovery Camp. SWCC had its first summer camp this year with children ages 9-­‐12. Kids got a hands-­‐on experience with many animals including a gopher snake, fennec fox, beaver, and great horned owl. Campers got a behind-­‐the-­‐scenes look at Southwest Wildlife with food prepara2on, access to staff-­‐only areas, and a visit into our onsite veterinary clinic.

As an educa&onal camp, children learned about important subjects such as: habitua2on, iden2fying scat and tracks, the endangered Mexican gray wolf, iden%fying skulls by looking at the teeth, as well as how to operate real research equipment that biologists use in the field. Conserva.on was the main theme of camp as children learned how to help and live peacefully with wildlife.

Ac#vi"es took place in our animal-­‐themed classroom and research lab with ou1ngs into our sanctuary, clinic, and animal diet prepara#on area. All campers enjoyed an abridged gradua+on ceremony as well as a “good-­‐ bye tour” to say farewell to all of the wonderful animals they had grown to love throughout camp. Of course, we are sure our Discovery Campers will be back, there is always more to discover!

Educa"on is the cornerstone of our mission statement.

Only through educa/on can we preserve and protect the species of our fragile environment.

Southwest Wildlife’s Wild Nursery For most folks, summer.me evokes images of vaca.ons, family barbeques and a welcome break from school. For Southwest Wildlife staff and volunteers, summer0me means something en0rely different.

During the late spring and summer months, more animals come into our center than any other +me of the year. The majority of these are helpless, orphaned babies that require around the clock care and feeding.

Beginning in April, we hold our breath wai4ng for the very first bo:le fed baby. If we dare to u/er the words “Wonder when baby season will start this year?” it’s guaranteed to open the floodgates.

It’s early May and the first plea for help comes in. We get a call from another wildlife center about two 1ny bobcat ki4ens that have been turned in. We’re hoping they’re big enough to eat on their own and had the opportunity to be nursed by their mother. Sadly, they are just days old and haven’t even opened their eyes yet. They never got the chance to see their own mother, before a homeowner decided they simply couldn’t have a family of bobcats on their property.

These ki(ens weren’t orphaned, they were removed due to intolerance and mis-­‐understanding. Of course, there are circumstances where human interven'on is necessary; a li,er of coyote pups mysteriously le- in a box on the side of the road, bobcat ki)ens stuck in a wall, a newborn javelina huddled next to its deceased mother. These young animals would certainly not survive without someone stepping in to help them. When calls come into Southwest about “orphaned” animals, most people are genuinely concerned about the welfare of seemingly helpless, li7le creatures.

What they usually don’t realize is that wild mothers will leave their young for long periods of 1me in search of food. In most cases, the best thing for these babies is to be le1 alone to wait for the return of their mother. If there’s ever a doubt about whether a baby needs to be rescued or not, we’re only a phone call away.

Whatever circumstances bring these babies to our center, each one receives VIP treatment. Our volunteer veterinarians begin by assessing age and physical condi/on. If we determine the animal would s/ll be nursing, the appropriate specialized formula is prepared. Each species of wild mammal requires a different concoc/on. Depending on the age, feedings could be as frequent as every 2-­‐3 hours. It’s a -me-­‐intensive undertaking, but for the staff and volunteers at Southwest Wildlife, it’s a labor of love. We know all the long hours and sleepless nights have been well worth it, when these animals get that second chance at freedom.

These bobcat ki-ens huddle together for comfort and security

Regre%ably, it was a banner year for orphaned coyotes

Giving Monthly, Saves Lives. . . . .

Join our Wild Family One %ny survivor was found a1er a plow sliced through his family’s den – only one coyote puppy. That puppy was Don Coyote. He lost his birth family, but a new family soon grew up around him. Over the next 20 years, that family became the Southwest Wildlife Conserva4on Center.

This unique family welcomes the injured and abused, the lost, orphaned and homeless. Some need only a safe place to grow or heal and a second chance at freedom.

Others come too badly injured or neglected and have a home for life.

Join us!

Become part of Southwest Wildlife’s Wild Family!

Monthly giving is an easy way to support Southwest Wildlife’s work for wildlife.

When you sign up to join our Wild Family with a monthly gi#, you’re providing a consistent, reliable stream of income that we can count on – like family – to always be there. Having funds available throughout the year makes it possible for SWCC to:      

provide expensive medicine provide air condi,oning during the oppressive summer months provide special formula for baby wild animals provide a variety of quality food pay for emergency veterinary care ensure our sanctuary animals have a home for life

Membership in our Wild Family will give you exclusive updates on some of the animals in our care who benefit from your support. You will learn the stories of our animal family, like Simon the Fox and Heavenly Bear.

You will receive firsthand informa(on about what goes on behind the scenes. Just like family, you will also be invited to a*end a ‘family reunion’ at SWCC as a thank you for being a member of the family.

How do you join? It’s as simple as signing up to pledge a recurring dona,on. Visit our website www.southwestwildlife.org, click on Join our Wild Family, and you will be directed to the donate page. Be sure to click on the box to make the dona*on monthly, and you will be a member! If you wish to use a check or any other means other than the website, please email Linda.moore@southwestwildlife.org. and she will help you join. All current monthly donors are automa0cally members.

Thank you for being a part of this work to save our wildlife. Thanks for being their Wild Family!

8711 East Pinnacle Peak PMB #115 Sco$sdale, AZ 85255

Yes, I want to help make a difference for Southwest Wildlife Conserva)on Center!

Enclosed is my dona.on (please use the enclosed envelop provided).

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Please make checks payable to: Southwest Wildlife Conserva4on Center Or visit www.southwestwildllife.org And make your contribu1on online

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For more informa+on on how you can help please go to: www.southwestwildlife.org And learn more about becoming a member of our Wild Family, Legacy dona0ons, Adop0ons, In Honor and Memory of dona$ons and upcoming events.

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