SWCC Winter 2014 Newsletter

Celebrating our 20th Anniversary 2013: Year in Review Winter -2014

Mountain Lions: A Keystone Species

Recent Rescue: Tiger Cubs

Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center Celebrating our 20th anniversary By Linda Searles

An oasis in the desert-­‐SWCC has guided tours of the nature center throughout the entire year.

“Saving our wildlife, one life at a time”

It’s been 20 years since SWCC accepted its first orphaned coyote pup

wildlife conflicts. In order to prevent many of the conflicts that caused these animals to need rehabilitation in the first place, it was apparent more education was needed

Over the last 20 years, SWCC has had the privilege of caring for thousands and thousands of amazing animals while implementing its mission to rescue and rehabilitate injured, orphaned, and displaced wildlife.

We have saved lives, eased suffering, returned wild animals to freedom, and restored dignity and happiness to abused animals.

Each patient we saw had a story, a message to send in hopes of preventing these things from happening in the first place. The animals themselves could not tell these stories, but we could be their interpreters and they the ambassadors of their species. So education became an important part of the SWCC program, and our Nature Center was born, one habitat at a time.

It has been a journey that has challenged us every day. It has brought immense joy. It has brought the deepest sorrow one can imagine.

Volunteers, dedicated staff, and our donors have taken SWCC from its homegrown beginnings in Linda Searles’ kitchen and back yard to a state-­‐of-­‐the-­‐art wildlife center.

Education

Leonardo living happily ever after-SWCC sanctuary animal rescued 2011

As time went on, the number of wild animals needing our life-­‐ saving assistance increased. We soon realized that most of the casualties were related to human-­‐

Today our Nature Center provides education programs for thousands every year. Through these programs, we have educated and inspired both young and old.

Sanctuary There are some animals who simply cannot be returned to the wild because the repercussions of their injuries prohibit them from being able to survive on their own. Yet, their quality of life is good. We couldn’t put them down after working so hard to save them and they fought so hard to live.

20 years after it’s formation, SWCC has evolved into a nationally recognized organization that has rescued animals throughout the country.

One of the many-orphaned cubs that have benefited from SWCC (sanctuary cont.)

There are also animals people had taken out of the wild or purchased from the exotic pet trade to have as pets. Such imprinted and habituated wild animals should never be released back into the wild, as they will seek out humans and either be killed or hurt someone. We couldn’t euthanize them for a crime that they did not commit.

It was animals like these that prompted the creation of SWCC’s Wildlife Sanctuary, a place where non-­‐releasable wildlife have a home for life and live in peace and comfort. Only those non-­‐ releasable animals that are comfortable with people live in the Nature Center, that part of our sanctuary where guests attend educational programs.

Conservation Medicine Over the years, we have faced questions with unknown answers: What medications work on infections in bobcats? What are the normal blood levels in bears? What vaccines can be used on coyotes? What should we feed a mountain lion cub?

Since most existing medications and diets were developed for domestic animals, finding what worked on various species of wild animals was often a matter of trial and error. Conservation medicine is the field in which answers to such questions are being sought, and SWCC has become an active participant in this field.

As knowledge in the field of conservation medicine grows, so do the number of professionals who have the necessary knowledge to treat wildlife. However, during the early days at SWCC there were few veterinarians with such knowledge.

Fortunately, SWCC found several vets with the courage to venture into this new frontier. These include Drs. Steven Gilson, Mark Soderstrom, Irv Ingram, Howard Barns, and Margie Nard. Without these dedicated professionals, SWCC could not have become one of the largest wildlife rehabilitation facilities for large (and small!) mammals. We at SWCC are proud of our contributions to the field of conservation medicine, which include: conditioned taste aversion studies, javelina canine distemper study, caracal study, javelina herd development, Mexican gray wolf reproduction studies, and more.

SWCC offers full veterinary care, on-­‐site, for all animals needing treatment to further their rehab and to contribute to their quality of life.

(SWCC-­‐clinic was opened for business in 1995)

The Future The greatest inheritances we can leave to our children are our wild lands and wildlife. It is imperative that we do more now, if we are to have the biological diversity necessary for a healthy ecosystem in the future.

SWCC is in a unique position. It is poised to study and make contributions in fields such as: endangered species, habitat loss, keystone species, human/wildlife conflicts, biological diversity, education of future wildlife professionals, and much more.

However, SWCC must first overcome the following challenges: • Acquire land for expansion • Expand the veterinary hospital • Provide housing for veterinary

and biology interns

We at SWCC feel obligated to make these achievements because future generations will have to live with the decisions we make for our wildlife and the habitat they need to survive. We want to leave our grandchildren a healthy planet and the gift of love for all living things. We want there to be wild places and wildlife for them and their children to know; places with clean air and water where wild wolves howl in the night and meadowlarks sing in the day.

Twenty years after its formation, SWCC has evolved into a nationally recognized organization that has rescued wild animals from throughout the west and become a valued partner in our nation’s efforts to save its most endangered land animals. By meeting the challenges it currently faces, there is so much more SWCC can offer the future of our wildlife.

Thank you for your steadfast support over the past 20 years. With your continued generosity, we can look forward to even greater achievements in the future.

Mexican Wolves The Mexican gray wolf is the most endangered land mammal in North American. It nearly became extinct before attaining protected status. SWCC is proud to be a participant in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Mexican gray wolf recovery program.

SWCC is currently a home to 17 Mexican gray wolves.

Recent Rescue: Tiger Cubs Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center was happy to be able to help the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) with their recent rescue of two tiger cubs. The Department got them out of a very bad situation, keeping the public safe. Tigers and other big cats are not pets, they are powerful and can be unpredictable. Like all wild animals, they have specific dietary, social, and habitat needs. Sadly, the exotic pet trade has grown to crisis levels as the internet has made it is easy to buy wild animals; they can be purchased with a click of a mouse. However, exotic pets pose a very real threat to public safety. Let’s keep wildlife in the wild and not in our homes.

We thank AZGFD for their quick action in this case. Had it not been for them, there could have been a tragic ending to this story.

Southwest Wildlife 2013 Year in Review There are typically certain times of the year that are “quieter” than others, but this past year we found ourselves with a constant stream of animals needing assistance. We began 2013 with an injured bobcat who had dragged himself into a barn and ended the year raising tiny orphaned javelina. In between, we cared for countless sick and injured wildlife patients that came through our doors.

We were delighted with the construction of a new bear pool in April, generously donated by California Pools, just in time for the incessant heat of summer.

During tours of our Nature Center, we educated 4,668 visitors about native wildlife and the importance of a balanced ecosystem.

This seemed to be the year of the fox. In addition to the numerous gray fox kits we raised and released, we also welcomed two red fox brothers from Montana and three kit foxes from the Arizona-­‐Sonora Desert Museum. A special orphaned gray fox, named Simon, arrived in August from a wildlife center in South Carolina.

Simon came to us almost completely bald, but has slowly begun to look more and more like the furry fox he was meant to be.

We were happy to offer these non-­‐releasable animals a home for life at our sanctuary.

Litter of gray kit foxes-successful story of rehab and release

During Wolf Awareness Week in October, we debuted our beautiful, new Mexican wolf enclosures, which were funded by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

We celebrated the cooler weather in November with releases; many animals that had come to us orphaned or injured were now healthy and grown and ready to return to the wild.

Their empty enclosures were soon filled with a host of new animals needing respite.

During tours of our Nature Center, we educated 4,668 visitors about native wildlife and the importance of a healthy, balanced ecosystem.

Griz overseeing the pool construction

Sadly, we said goodbye to some special residents this year: Cypress and Sabino, both mountain lions; Fiona, a Mexican gray wolf; Sahara, a Fennec fox; our sweet dog Scrappy; and Casanova, the coati.

In the year ahead, we’ll strive to give each and every animal that comes to us a second chance.

We’ll continue to share our passion and knowledge through education.

We will miss Cypress-2010-2013

THE MOUNTAIN LION A KEYSTONE SPECIES

Loved and hated, admired and persecuted throughout history, the mountain lion has been cloaked in mystery. From mystery however, come myths, which breed fear and misinformation.

Recent studies have shown that mountain lions spend much more time near humans than ever imagined.

In fact, if you have spent much time outdoors, you have probably walked right past a lion without even knowing it. The reality is that lion predation on humans is extremely rare.

Mountain lions once roamed nearly all of the United States.

They were prized by hunters and despised by farmers and ranchers who, following the over-­‐hunting of native deer populations, began to suffer livestock losses.

Subsequently, by the dawn of the 20th century, mountain lions were eliminated from nearly all of their range in the Midwest and Eastern U.S., although the endangered Florida panther continues to survive. Today, they are only found in western states and provinces.

Apex Predators

Human/Wildlife Conflicts

As an apex predator, mountain lions are a keystone species.

This means the health of the entire ecosystem in which they live depends upon them. A healthy eco system must contain apex predators like wolves and mountain lions. For example, apex predators keep deer and elk on the move, so they don’t overgraze any particular area.

Human wildlife conflicts include sport hunting, illegal poaching, auto-­‐related deaths, and lethal removal of lions suspected of preying on livestock or domestic animals. Mortality of dependent cubs is often the result of the deaths of their mothers due to such conflicts. Young cubs may die an agonizing death of dehydration and starvation.

Older cubs may survive but, without the knowledge of proper lion behavior they would have learned from their mothers, there is a higher chance they will become “problem cats” who are subsequently lethally removed from the population.

Ecosystems with lions are healthier and more sustainable, as apex predators help to keep an ecosystem in balance. As a keystone species, lions fill an irreplaceable and complex role in the American landscape. That means they are of critical importance if we are to keep healthy habitat for all species.

Mountain lions are much fewer in numbers than they once were due to trophy hunting, habitat destruction, fracturing of habitat, loss of wildlife corridors and natural prey, and human wildlife conflicts.

Another source of conflict between humans and lions: when both choose to hunt the same species. For example, both humans and lions hunt big horn sheep. To maintain higher numbers of sheep available for human hunting, lions are often sacrificed.

In today’s world, with technology such as cell phones, GPS collars, telemetry, and remote cameras, mountain lions have become much easier targets. More lions are being killed today than at any other time in our nation’s history. In Arizona, mountain lions are hunted year round.

Avoiding Conflict In order for there to be a future for keystone species, we must find non-­‐lethal means to avoid conflict. There is no one solution; both old and new tools can help to prevent and resolve these conflicts.

Education is one of these tools. There are many things that we as humans do that unknowingly create conflicts. SWCC works to teach students and the general public appreciation, tolerance, and how to prevent conflicts.

SWCC is also involved in creating and/or testing many other potential tools, such as conditioned tasted aversion, deterrents, and restricting access to artificial water sources.

There are many tools in the toolbox of wildlife conflict prevention. We must simply choose to use them instead of taking the easy way out, which is lethal removal.

The Future Like our wildlife, humans depend upon a healthy ecosystem for survival. If our future is to be bright, we must become respectful and tolerant. All species, not just the ones we like, are links in a chain that is weakened every time a link is lost.

Cougars are one of the most beautiful and majestic animals in America. Some biologists believe that these big cats could eventually re-­‐colonize much of their Midwest and Eastern ranges—if humans will simply allow them to do so. Although the future of this regal cat is undetermined, one thing is certain: without our protection they will not survive.

Mountain Lion-Facts and Figures It is a cat with many names: the mountain lion, catamount (cat on the mountain), puma, shadow cat, ghost cat, panther, painter, cougar… To the Cherokee of the southeastern United States, the big cat was Klandagi, “Lord of the Forest”; the Chickasaw called them Koe-­‐Ishto or Ko-­‐Icto, “The Cat of God”. There are some 83 names for them.

Mountain lions are the largest canine that purrs, and are closely related to the jaguarondi and cheetah. They are the second-­‐largest cat native to the Americas, with only the jaguar being larger. Females may weigh up to 70 pounds; males up to 165 pounds. Using their retractable claws, they prey upon mule deer, white tail deer, javalina, coyotes, and small mammals such as raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, and skunks. Contrary to popular belief, mountain lions will also scavenge.

Mountain lions once roamed nearly all of the United States. Today, except for the endangered Florida panther, they are only found in western states and provinces.

GPS and telemetry data have shown us mountain lions range over long distances within large territories, which are marked by scraping trees, defecation, and urination. Territories of adult males do not overlap, but females may allow daughters to live within their territories.

Beginning at age 22 months, females may have a litter of 1 to 6 cubs (1-­‐3 is average) approximately every 17 months. Gestation is 92 days. Males will begin breeding at about 2 years of age.

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