LET’S GO WILDLIFE WATCHING at the Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Santuary

petermuller Fall/Winter 2024-25

By Joseph Anderson

When most people head outside hoping to see wildlife, they try to get away from towns into more remote areas. This makes sense in the Hudson Valley due to the vast areas of pristine habitats and incredible nature around. I personally love long hikes to get far away from civilization into the wild spaces of the Catskill mountains. But in some places all you need to do is stroll just outside of town to see the great birds and animals and nowhere is this more true than the Nyquist-Harcourt Wildlife Sanctuary.

The first spot to look for wildlife on this walk is the New Paltz Gardens for Nutrition, one of the oldest continuous community gardens in New York. These gardens make great habitat for song-birds and raptors such as red-tailed hawks that like to perch on the fence posts in the gardens.

Staying left of the gardens and along the Wallkill river, you will enter the woods marking the start of the sanctuary. Unlike the generally dense and dark woods of the mountainous areas surrounding New Paltz, these woods are more open making them great for birdwatching. We were able to find the well camouflaged brown creeper in this area on my last visit.

Continuing on the path, you will eventually come out to a cultivated field. This open area gives you the chance to look for birds from far away such as raptors that perch in the trees surrounding the field and hover over it searching for prey. There will also certainly be grassland birds crossing the path in front of you including less common ones like field and fox sparrows.

Once you make your way across the field you will arrive at the first of a series of marshy wooded ponds that makeup the oxbow, once part of the Wallkill river. These are great habitats for a variety of birds including herons, kingfishers, rails, and ducks. Also keep your eye on the water for a chance to see aquatic animals such as turtles, beavers, or even a rare river-otter. Across the ponds there are trees sticking out from the standing water and this is where we hoped to find a majestic red-headed woodpecker. We had no luck on this visit but this remarkable species can be found in marshy areas around New Paltz.

Crossing a wooden bridge you will approach the exit of the sanctuary but there is still much more to see! Complete your tour by walking along historic Huguenot street and check out the stone house museums to learn about these French-speaking settlers who fled Europe due to religious persecution. Perched above the street we found a red-shouldered hawk so don’t put away your binoculars yet! While Huguenot street will take you back to the parking lot you can make a small detour for a bite to eat in the lively town of New Paltz.

Overall this walk offers a glimpse into history, great food, and many wildlife viewing opportunities, all without moving your car!

Joe Anderson specializes in social media marketing. He enjoys birding in his spare time.

Crimson-Crested Woodpecker

petermuller Fall/Winter 2024-25

(Reprinted with permission of the author.  The full article has been shortened. Contact the author for the full text.)

Painting and text by Barry Kent MacKay

This is quite an old painting, really a study, of a Crimson-crested Woodpecker (Campephilus melanoleucos), which has a very large range from southern Panama south through pretty well all of Amazonia, east of the Andes and north of the pampas all the way to the northern and northeastern coasts of South America, although absent from the south-eastern regions of Brazil.

These birds are fairly common and resilient, being able to live in second growth forest and tree plantations. They have a typical woodpecker diet mostly consisting of insects found in trees and branches by pecking away at the bark, but supplemented by small berries and other fruit.  I have shown a male.

Both sexes carve out the nest cavity, and tend to the young, but for such a common, colorful, and widespread species relatively little is known about their breeding habits. This painting is about 20 by 15 inches, in acrylics, on illustration board.

Barry Kent MacKay, Bird Artist, Illustrator,  fineartamerica.com/profiles/barry-mackay

Studio: (905) 472 9731 or email:  mimus@sympatico.ca

Barry Kent MacKay
Bird Artist, Illustrator
Studio: (905) 472 9731
mimus@sympatico.ca

GORDON WILDLIFE: Caring for the Unloved

petermuller Fall/Winter 2024-25

GORDON WILDLIFE: Caring for the Unloved

Sarah Bookbinder, CWR and Dr. Paul Bookbinder’s Amazing Center

 

Photo by Sarah Bookbinder, Courtesy of Gordon Wildlife

In the six years since they opened their center, this husband and wife rehabilitator and veterinary team have built an incredible rehab and medical microcenter specializing in raccoons.

Filling a tremendous need in NYS (and beyond), Gordon Wildlife is one of very few places which will offer veterinary medical services to raccoons. Rehabilitators travel from around the state to get help with their animals, and the Bookbinders have gained both a national and international reputation for all things raccoon. Gordon Wildlife’s 200 plus page Raccoon Rehabilitation Protocols has been purchased by wildlife professionals in over 40 states and 13 countries!

Gordon Wildlife is in the process of creating New York State’s only wildlife rehabilitation training center to help more rehabilitators (of all species) aquire training, mentorship and other assistance. Their pioneering “Raccoon Rehab: Baby Bootcamp” training program also offers weekly hands-on learning opportunities for those interested in specifically working with raccoons.

In the offseason, Sarah Bookbinder lectures on raccoon rehabilitation, helps aspiring rehabilitators to navigate the licensing process, and works to address shortcomings in the regulations relating to wildlife rehabilitation. 

In 2025 Gordon Wildlife will be investigating a strategic expansion into bear rehabilitation.

To learn more about this amazing place, and to support the efforts of the Bookbinders and Gordon Wildlife, please visit their website: gordonwildlife.org

UNDERSTANDING CAPTIVE BREEDING IN INDIA

petermuller Fall/Winter 2024-25

By Bindu Gopal Rao

As the winds of climate change blow across the world, there has been a steady decline in several species that has prompted captive breeding efforts.

October 16th, 2024 is going to be a date that will always be remembered at the Sudasari Great Indian Bustard Breeding Centre in Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan. In fact, this date will also not be forgotten by wildlife lovers as this day saw a historic first when a baby chick of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) was born via artificial insemination.

PHOTO © RADHESHYAM PEMANI BISHNOI

CHEERING FOR THE GIB CHICK
India has several different captive breeding programs running across the country for the conservation of several endangered species. The hatching of the GIB has specifically brought in cheer as the species is critically endangered with just about 128 of them alive in the wild. This captive breeding program is a tripartite project between MoEFCC (GoI), Raj. FD (Rajasthan Government) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun. All team members/biologists involved in the project are employed from the WII side as project staff. Sumit Dookia, Wildlife Biologist and Faculty at GGS Indraprastha University, New Delhi, says, “as per the documents available with Raj. FD/WII, this project is going to produce GIBs through captive breeding and third generation born out of captive bred birds will be released into the wild. The project started in 2019 and release year probably in 2042-2043. I am working exclusively outside the boundary or jurisdiction of Desert National Park (Protected Area). My working area is a community owned landscape where GIBs are freely roaming.”

ONE OF ITS KIND
This project is completely unique, as so far there has been no experience of producing captive GIB anywhere. The expertise came from the Houbara Bustard Breeding Centre from Middle East Asia, especially Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. The project team visited those centres for months to get trained with the Houbara Breeding Team. “Initially two expert scientists from Abu Dhabi Centre also stayed in Jaisalmer for training and starting the centre. Wild laid eggs were being picked with care and taken into captive incubation machines, each egg in a single incubator. These chicks were reared in hand by caretakers, human imprints were purposefully done so that these chicks can be handled like pet birds. These birds became part of the founder population and now a second generation is being produced from these birds. These second generation chicks will be trained to become wild now and this is a real challenge. Only the future will tell the success of this project. Rewilding is a real challenge for any wildlife, as how to face the real life danger in the wild is not possible to teach in captivity,” adds Dookia.

Snow Leopards

ZOOS FOR CONSERVATION
Under the central zoo authority there are certain species that have been identified that are endangered and are of special interest. Different zoos have been assigned for taking up their conservation via a captive breeding program. It creates a backup population that can be used for research, release, and other studies. Dr Basavaraj S Holeyachi, Director, Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park (PNZP) says, “Darjeeling Zoo has the highest mandate of these including snow leopard, red panda, thar, blue sheep and pheasants and Himalayan Salamander. The snow leopard and red panda breeding have been very successful and we have 11 individuals of snow leopards now.

Red panda is also successful as we have now taken up an augmentation program that would lead to releasing them into the wild. We have released nine red pandas of which seven have acclimatized to the wild, with five births also recorded.”

Red Panda

Vulture

FLYING HIGH
India has also achieved some success with releasing vultures through a conservation breeding program at four Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres (VCBC) across the country in partnership with the Governments of Haryana in Pinjore (2001), West Bengal in Rajabhatkhawa (2005), Assam in Rani, Guwahati (2007), and MP in Bhopal (2011). The population of Gyps species – white-rumped vulture (Oriental white-backed vulture), Indian vulture (long-billed vulture), and slender-billed vulture crashed during the mid-1990s throughout the Indian subcontinent.

Kishor Rithe, Director, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), says, “there are several advantages I see as when there are species that are at the threshold of extinction, we must ensure that we do something for its conservation and captive breeding is a strategy to bring that population back. Vultures is one of the species as is the green munia as well as other bird species. We have released about 57 vultures to the wild. Success of conservation breeding can be measured only based on how many birds were released that is proportionate to those in captivity and how many of them have been able to survive living in the wild.”

CHALLENGES GALORE
However, captive and conservation breeding is not without challenges. This is a need-specific activity that is undertaken only when the population of a species is dwindling in the wild and there is a need to go for a rewilding process. “On the flip side, care needs to be taken to ensure that any breeding program is done carefully and scientifically. We must maintain genetic diversity; pedigrees should be properly maintained and most diverse individuals should be paired to avoid any inbreeding issues. This needs people who are qualified to handle this,” says Holeyachi. Rewilding is the challenge. “The habitat is not going to remain the same in 2042-43 and it is already facing share decline due to various anthropogenic issues and powerlines here and there. It’s a bird, training these birds to fly in open sky, in captivity, is a real herculean task. There is a plan to construct a long-wide tunnel shaped cage to train and make their flight muscles strong enough to take the flight,” says Dookia.

It is also obvious that lessons have been learnt from mistakes in the past, in terms of releasing birds as soon as we had enough breeding stock population. “Now we have set up the right infrastructure and two aviaries have been constructed in Maharashtra and one is scheduled to be constructed in Assam and Madhya Pradesh. We have released 31 birds from 2020 to 2022 in West Bengal and while four died the rest have survived, so I would say it has been a successful effort,” says Rithe. While the debate about captive breeding will probably not end in a hurry, it does seem to be a step in the right direction to ensure endangered species see the daylight for the next generation.

Bindu Gopal Rao is a freelance writer and photographer from Bengaluu. She enjoys birdwatching and environment, as well as taking the offbeat path when traveling. You can follow her on Instagram @bindugopalrao and find her work on bindugopalrao.com

COVID RELIEF FUNDS USED TO BUILD AN AQUARIUM??

petermuller Fall/Winter 2024-25
PHOTO COURTESY OF PAR

By Debbie Rose

Onondaga County Executive, Ryan McMahon, is using 85 million in Covid relief funds to build an aquarium!  While the construction of this project will cost closer to 100 million, the County Executive is asking for private donors.  If they are not able to obtain the difference from private donors, it’s likely the taxpayers will foot that bill! Covid relief money was for the health of the citizens of Onondaga ...shouldn't it be used for that purpose?  

Syracuse, NY is known for being a poverty-stricken city! Driving around, you will see destitute people standing on street corners holding signs asking for help. There are people sleeping under bridges in makeshift tents, other poor souls are living in remote areas. I was in a restaurant not so long ago and was shocked when someone came up to the table asking for food!       

Recently, a homeless person was found dead in a city creek. Another jumped from a bridge.
Does Syracuse, NY, really need an aquarium that would only add animal suffering? If the Covid relief funds are not used for that purpose, then certainly Syracuse needs more mental health
services and qualified professionals to prevent these tragic events.          

There is a constant stream of shootings and knifings by teenagers in addition to car and house theft. Why not spend some of that money on more youth programs? How about places for kids to go that are inexpensive with fun things to do that are safe? Why not do that and create jobs? An aquarium will not create an abundance of jobs.         

The local news has been reporting that a majority of pipes in the city of Syracuse contain lead, there’s lead in the drinking water! Sewage is being dumped into Onondaga Lake! The aquarium is being built on an inlet from Onondaga Lake! So, not only are the people being exposed to this lead and sewage, but this proposal will uproot saltwater mammals, and put them in a tank laden with lead ad chlorine!

Aquariums are bad news: The Seaquest Aquarium in Woodbridge, NJ, is receiving increasing pressure to shut down after only 5 years of being open as 100 animals have died! What a waste of millions of dollars to start a project like this when the city of Syracuse has the money to improve the lives of its citizens rather than giving a dismal life to aquatic animals. 

The best thing for this project would be to put a stop to it now; use the remaining funds for the people of Syracuse, NY!  An aquarium is an antiquated, useless use of funding especially when that funding was meant to originally be used for people who are greatly in need of help.

TAKE ACTION:  Contact members of the Syracuse Common Council. syr.gov/Departments/Common-Council/Councilors


Debbie Rose is an honorary member of People for Animal Rights (PAR). She is the tabling coordinator and distributes their newsletters.

An Orca named Kshamenk, pronounced Shamenk, will  be released after being in captivity in an aquarium since 1992:
Read about it here: Animal rights group calls for release of Argentina's last captive orca

News item sent by Taffy Williams of NY4whales ny4whales.org

 

THE PET TRADE CAN BE DEADLY FOR WILDLIFE

petermuller Spring/Summer 2024

By Barry Kent MacKay

 

PHOTO AND PAINTING BY BARRY KENT MACKAY

 

In mid-May, 1967, my mother, the late Phylis E. MacKay, and I encountered a horrific situation in a local pet store.  We were trying to document the largely unregulated flow of exotic animals into the commercial pet trade, with the hope of stopping its most egregious excesses. In those days you could order a vast range of animals from price lists, directly from the forests of distant, tropical countries. Pet owners chose whatever animals appealed to them based entirely on their names, with not the slightest knowledge of what the animals even ate. We had to feign indifference to the suffering, and presented my interest as an artist who required fresh dead birds to be preserved as specimens for my artwork.

A shipment had just come in from Thailand, and we were invited to help open the boxes, cardboard containers with screen mesh openings. I particularly remember ones filled with tiny sunbirds and flowerpeckers. There was a mush at the bottom of the boxes that were all that remained of those who had died early, with fresher dead birds on top of that, and sick, fluffed up birds on top of that, being excreted on by those healthy enough to sit on thin doweling perches above that.

In one container there was a freshly dead Red-billed Blue Magpie, that I preserved, but only now have I gotten around to portraying him. The experience, and many similarly sad encounters with the animal victims of the exotic pet industry, pushed me ever deeper into conservation and animal welfare work that continues to this day.

Barry Kent MacKay is a bird artist and illustrator.  Learn more about him and his work, please visit: barry-mackay.pixels.com; fineartamerica.com/profiles/barry-mackay. He can be emailed at mimus@sympatico.ca.

 

LET’S GO WILDLIFE WATCHING at the Olana State Historical Site in Hudson, NY!

petermuller Spring/Summer 2024

by Joe Anderson

 

PHOTO © MATT ARNOLD ON UNSPLASH T

 

Olana, the former home of artist Frederic Church, is an architecturally significant house set on beautiful grounds above the Hudson River. The main house, visible from the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, is known for its combination of Victorian and Middle-Eastern architectural aspects. But I personally have never set foot inside the building despite visiting the property close to 10 times in my life. Instead, I go to Olana for the wonderful nature – forests, fields, a marshy pond… and, most of all, the beautiful birds!

As a kid, I often joined my mother and grandmother on the Columbia County Birdathon that took place each May. Along with various other strategic stops, we always took time to go to Olana to see what might be flying around. This stop made sense due to its variety of habitats and, therefore, diversity of potential bird species that could be present at any time.

When you first pull into the Olana grounds below the house, you will drive right next to the pond with sections of high reeds. There, you can keep an eye out for species that stay close to water, such as herons, ducks, and, if you’re lucky a kingfisher. Next you may follow the walking path into the woods to where you have the best view of the house looking over the pond. These woods are home to woodpeckers, woodcreepers, and various thrush species. Next to the barn house is a field that acts as a habitat for sparrows, as well as hunting grounds for raptors. I have distinct memories of watching multiple kestrels circling over the high grass on the same visit. Finally, there is a long, steep lawn, leading up to the house. This is a great area to spend time searching the trees along the edges for warblers in the spring and fall. We were also able to reliably find yellow-throated vireo in this habitat during the birdathon visits.

Along with these species that are usually present on the grounds, there is always the possibility for an exciting surprise. One time, a Common Gallinule was found wading in the pond and another time a rare Cuckoo was spotted close to the house. Lastly, while in the area, you can take a few minutes to walk across the Rip Van Winkle Bridge, where, in addition to incredible views of the Hudson River, you can often see Bald Eagles flying overhead or sitting on branches close to the flowing water. And, if you are so inclined, on weekends you can take a tour of the main house at Olana to see the real reason most visitors make this a stop on their trips in the Hudson Valley. You can learn more here: olana.org

Joe Anderson specializes in social media marketing. He enjoys birding in his spare time.

 

OUR LOUD, WILD NEIGHBORS: LEARN TO LOVE THEM

petermuller Spring/Summer 2024
PHOTO © DEB DOWD ON UNSPLASH

By Cynthia Bracken

Some call them loud, a nuisance. Pests, they say.

The cicadas are coming, and no one seems to be looking forward to their arrival.

One newspaper headline asked: “How long will they be around, and when will they leave?” while another bemoaned “When will they go away?” But I, for one, cannot wait!

This year, for the first time in over two hundred years, according to U.S. News and World Report, two large cicada broods—brood 13 and 19—will emerge from the ground simultaneously. This is not happy news to those who find their singing simply ear shattering. Since there will be two broods, their symphony will be even louder than ever, apparently beating out the volume of the lawn mower!

But I say we welcome them. Cicadas are harmless to humans, and there are many reasons to like them. Cicadas are an essential part of our web of life, and they are sure something to behold. They immerse you in sound while they play out the most primal act of living—the mating ritual. Their moment in the cycle of life is one loud, raucous party that ends with their bodies littered across the forest floor. They are a wonder!

I actually enjoy the sounds of cicadas, and I marveled at their last “invasion” here in New York in 2013. Yes, it was loud, but it was beautiful, too. To me, the sound is like a strange, primordial orchestra, and I want to hear it. That spring, I continuously looked for opportunities to be close to them and listen to their song, and luckily, here in the Hudson Valley, there were plenty of spots. While walking in the wooded areas where they had gathered, it was fun to spot their fiery orange accented bodies and see them buzzing through the air.

The cicadas are set to be seen in about 14 states this summer, and some have already begun. They won’t emerge at once but will decide when they want to come to the surface when the soil temperature feels right, and will only stay in one given area for four to six weeks. Why not catch it?

They come to the surface of the earth for what is really one short, miraculous moment.

 

Males will sing their hearts out while females select their favorite singer. They mate, lay their eggs, and then the adult cicadas are no more. After about two months, the eggs hatch, then the nymphs fall to the ground, sink into the soil, and the cycle starts again.

Cicadas throw big, wild parties, but they are good neighbors, too. The shells the adults leave behind when they molt can be used in medicinal ways, including the treatment of sore throats and skin irritation. In addition, as the cicadas tunnel to the earth, they become natural soil aerators, Their holes create conduits for oxygen, water, and nutrients to be absorbed into the ground and used by several other organisms, such as trees. In addition, the eggs they lay in tree branches actually prune the trees! By making some of the branches fall off, they encourage more growth. Even when the cicadas themselves die, they become food for other living things, and since they die so close to the tunnel they emerged from, they actually nourish the very trees that fed them as nymphs (nymphs live off a liquid diet of xylem fluid from tree tissue and roots).

So, there are many more reasons to welcome the coming of these “pests.” Even scientists have been looking to them to solve human-sized problems. Their wings are a veritable engineering marvel since they can self-clean, kill bacteria, and repel water. Both chemists and engineers seek to harness properties like that for both disease control and better solar panel technology.

The 2024 cicadas will not be seen in my part of New York this year, but news reports say we will see Brood 14 in the spring of 2025. Until then, I will be waiting. And listening.

Cynthia Bracken lives in New Paltz, NY.  She spends her free time exploring the many wild places that grace the area. She is a writer and lover of nature.

 

R.O.C.K. – Rehabbers Offer Care and Kindness

petermuller Spring/Summer 2024

 

This baby starling has the same expression we would have after hearing our lives weren’t valued. PHOTOS BY ANNE MULLER

 

I was elated to finally meet one of my heroes: wildlife rehabilitator “C.”  Sadly, I can’t use her name because she could lose her wildlife rehabilitation permit, so I’ll call her C.  Why would she lose her permit?  Because she rehabs little birds who need help – but the Bureau of Wildlife (BOW) prohibits the rehabilitation of some bird species.  Sadly, they label starlings, sparrows, and pigeons “invasive species.”

Starlings are considered invasive because they aren’t native, though they’ve lived in the country since 1890, and yes, they eat crops, but so do other birds.  They have no protection from people who want to kill them in unlimited numbers, and rehabbers who care about individual wildlife and wish to help them are denied the ability to do so.

Wildlife Watch’s Hotline – 877-WILDHELP – brings many calls from compassionate people who find injured or orphaned starlings and sparrows, yet, understandably, few rehabbers will take the risk of losing their permits.  Wildlife Watch asks how in the world a rehabilitator who helps a little starling to survive can be a threat to the environment, farmers, and the planet?  Let’s get real, we are talking about one little bird who, without help, would die and whose individual life can’t possibly harm the environment and could even help it!  According to Wild Birds Unlimited, starlings play an important role in reducing the numbers of some of the major insect pests that damage farm crops:    Fun Facts About Starlings

In spite of C’s vulnerability, she puts the birds’ lives before the potential consequences of helping them.

The little bird above was in C’s caring hands for only a short time.  Two compassionate people who saw him walk into a store soaking wet, although it wasn’t raining, called our Hotline.

I volunteered to drive the bird to C as I had been wanting to meet her for a very long time.

When I arrived, C took the little disheveled being out of the box and the first thing this brave and compassionate rehabber told the little bird was how much she valued him.

Then C began to alternately remove the debris between the bird’s feathers and feed him, something his mother would have done.

C’s recently built flight cage was to be his final home before his release.  He would have found a little family and would have been released with them to enjoy his life in the wild.   Sadly, he didn’t make it. But, before he passed, C made sure that he knew his life was valued and that he was loved.

 

GARDENS FOR INSECTS

petermuller Spring/Summer 2024

Read more here: Why You Should Let Insects Eat Your Plants

PHOTO © ARJUN MJ ON UNSPLASH

“They’re not just your plants – they’re someone’s dinner”, Chris Baraniuk from the BBC writes, referencing the little herbivores munching away in gardens across the world. Recently, there is an influx of green-thumbed individuals that embrace a new form of gardening – planting to feed insects. According to a study done by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, “insect populations are declining at a rate of between 1% and 2% every year”. Gardeners are recognizing that insects are a crucial part of our ecosystems and are coming to their rescue. A survey from 2022 states, “one in three US adults purchase plants to help wildlife”. A spokesman at the UK’s Royal Entomological Society, Luke Tilley, states, “a garden managed for biodiversity can support potentially thousands of species over a year.” In the instances of “compensatory growth”, feeding insects can even allow plants to bear more flowers and fruit. Gardens for insects may just be the revolutionary idea needed for a better world, for us and for wildlife. 

MITIGATING MAN-ELEPHANT CONFLICT IN CHHATTISGARH

petermuller Spring/Summer 2024
MITIGATING MAN-ELEPHANT CONFLICT IN CHHATTISGARH

By Bindu Gopal Rao

PHOTO © WILDLIFE SOS

As people encroach on forest land, instances of man-animal conflict are on the rise, but there are ways this can be mitigated.

In the context of human-elephant conflicts (HEC) in Chhattisgarh, people were not used to living in a landscape with wild elephants, because of which people faced crop damage, property damage and often even death. Wildlife SOS decided to intervene to resolve the issue, saving an entire herd from being trapped, poisoned, or killed.

Cause of the Conflict: Habitat Loss

Due to the presence of a large coal mine in Orissa, the activity around the mine disturbed the ancient corridors that many generations of elephant herds had used.  The herds had no choice but to move away from the area and they ended up in Chhattisgarh. “As a result, the state that hardly had any presence of elephants in 100 years in the landscape was suddenly seeing wild elephants. One among them was the Van Devi herd comprising 21 individuals,” says Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS. It is important to realise that the elephants did not choose to raid the agricultural fields. They were forced out of their natural homes and put in this position because of human interference and damage to their habitat, which was mainly due to a coal mine. “Deforestation also played a role in causing habitat fragmentation and habitat destruction, including those done for constructing infrastructure,” adds Satyanarayan.

Corridor Barred

When these kinds of habitat loss happen without considering elephant corridors and the movement patterns that herds have been following for generations, they often cause elephants to raid settlements. “In Chhattisgarh, elephants were not merely indulging in opportunistic raiding but being the intelligent mammals they are, they were raiding with an intention.

Paddy is the most common crop raided by elephants because it is preferred by these wild pachyderms. And in Chhattisgarh, paddy is the primary grown crop,” says Swaminathan S, Senior Biologist with Wildlife SOS.

Radio collaring of the matriarch, Van Devi - PHOTO © WILDIFE SOS

Tech Help

The Wildlife SOS was requested by the Chhattisgarh Forest Department to find a practical solution. This is when the team studied the problem and found out the reasons that caused the Van Devi herd to move from Orissa to Chhattisgarh. “People were not aware of elephant avoidance behaviour. We worked in multiple villages with the local community in Mahasamund and surrounding areas and motivated the youth to become part of a rapid response group,” says Satyanarayan. Radio-collaring the matriarch Van Devi, of the Van Devi herd to track the entire herd’s movement also played a crucial role in enhancing the Early Warning Alert System (EWAS). “Our team tracked her on foot for weeks and it was a high-risk operation for us. They were finally able to tranquilise the female, and once the radio-collaring was done successfully, the team administered the reversal injection to put her back on her feet,” explains Swaminathan.

 

PHOTO © WILDIFE SO

 

Understanding the Issue

One of the most crucial steps to mitigate interaction with wild elephants is learning about elephant avoidance behaviour. As part of that the Wildlife SOS laid down some commonly used strategies to safely deter elephants, which include, using noise such as pots and pans being banged together, loud yelling, screaming and chillies being burnt on the edge of crop fields. The villagers were advised to use lights, because when elephants see a place that is very brightly lit, they avoid that area. Organic deterrence is by changing crop patterns through yielding crops that will not attract elephants, such as replacing paddy with a crop that is not palatable for elephants. The conflict mitigation workshops focused on ensuring that every farmer and villager was armed with ways to protect themselves and their fields. The workshop began with a brief talk about the Asian elephant, its characteristics, and its behaviour.

Warning Signs

PHOTO © WILDIFE SOS

A system was set up so that Van Devi’s movements are relayed to the forest department who relays the information to a rapid response ‘flying squad’. The squad is a crew specially trained to safely deter elephants and work with local community leaders and volunteers to keep people and elephants safe and informed via WhatsApp groups. “The idea of our team was to communicate measures to the local communities to avoid unforeseen interactions with elephants. Locals were informed about basic measures if elephants entered their village. They came out of their house with various utensils and created loud noises on the fields. The villagers were also advised to light small fires around their houses. The elephants then took a detour and went to the nearest forest instead of entering the fields,” says Satyanarayan.

The Impact

In 2019, the number of crop damage cases was nearly 4,800. But in 2020, a few years after the successful radio-collaring, setting up of the Early Warning Alert System and training workshops, the numbers dipped to a little over 1,500 cases. That is nearly a two-thirds drop in the number of cases. Before the project started, there were about 90 human mortalities. There was a dip in the number of human mortalities as well. One of the study areas, Mahasamund, which saw 10 human mortalities in 2021, did not experience a single case in 2022. “By looking at the above figures, we can conclude that it was extremely successful. Through the EWAS, Wildlife SOS was able to combat the elephant and human fatalities, and save the lives of both,” concludes Satyanarayan.

For more information, people can visit the following link and support our human-elephant conflict mitigation project: give.wildlifesos.org/page/135182/donate/1

Bindu Gopal Rao is a freelance writer and photographer from Bengaluu. She enjoys birdwatching and environment, as well as taking the offbeat path when traveling. You can follow her on Instagram
@bindugopalrao and find her work on bindugopalrao.com

 

Live Animal Markets

petermuller Spring/Summer 2024

A NEIGHBORHOOD WINDOW INTO THE HORRORS OF ANIMAL FARMING

By Rebecca Sunshine

I am sure that most of you who are reading this publication are animal lovers.  And that you likely have had one or several experiences related to the inhumane treatment of animals that have left indelible images in your mind. My first came as a child who loved going to game farms and feeding and petting the deer. And then seeing a dead deer strapped to the roof of a car on the drive home. Another heart-sinking moment came as an adult when I passed a live animal market in the neighborhood where I worked.

PHOTO © DONNY MOSS – THEIR TURN

Did you know that in New York City alone there are about 80 of these markets? Species sold in these markets include chickens, ducks, guinea fowl, turkey, quail and rabbits. And although against regulations, sometimes goats, sheep and cows are sold. These animals are kept in cramped, overcrowded, and squalid conditions. The small animals are often stored in cages piled on top of each other where they defecate and urinate on the animals in cages below them. They are not fed or given water, and some are already sick and dying. The suffering continues until they are sold and slaughtered.

Unannounced visits to these markets and inspection reports attained through the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) show flagrant repeated violations. To list just a few: Cages were encrusted with feces and feathers; animals were seen cannibalizing each other; live animals were able to witness the kill area where other animals were being killed; garbage, stagnant water, animal parts and blood were found outside these markets attracting rats and mice; and noxious foul odors wafted into the adjacent neighborhood. 

In 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the backing of many animal welfare organizations and those in the medical field, a bill was introduced in NYS to prohibit these markets. Allowing these markets to operate in congested urban neighborhoods was seen as a risk that should not be taken.  

In the four years since this bill was introduced there have been avian flu outbreaks in live markets in Brooklyn and Queens. Residents living in the neighborhoods where these markets exist continue to file complaints. Yet violations of unhealthful conditions and animal cruelty are not enforced, and these dangerous and inhumane markets continue to operate with impunity.

And of course, many of these horrors and more exist on much larger scales in factory farms and slaughterhouses throughout the country. 

Speaking out against this cruelty and adhering
to and promoting a plant based diet may save the animals we see, and those suffering out of our sight.

Please contact me through Wildlife Watch and I will be happy to let you know how you can help to support the NYS LIVE ANIMAL MARKET BAN.

THE WHOOPING CRANE

petermuller Summer 2023

(Reprinted with permission of the author.  The full article has been shortened. Contact the author for the full text.)

Painting and text by Barry Kent MacKay

Years ago, I had the wondrous privilege of standing face to face with these magnificent birds inside one of the large enclosures away from public view at the International Crane Foundation, at Baraboo, Wisconsin. The Foundation is part of a massive, binational network of various government and non-government agencies and organizations that have, by dint of enormous effort over more than 80 years, and at great cost, prevented this species from going extinct. It is still endangered, and still in perilous need of help from humans.

The International Crane Foundation estimates that nearly 20 percent of Whooping Crane deaths among the birds re-introduced in the eastern migratory population are from shooting. High tension wires and storms, droughts, and other extreme weather events that are resulting from climate change or other hazards take their toll.

My personal view is that there is great need to focus on protecting all wildlife, including the most common, to prevent them from becoming endangered in the
first place.

This is an oil painting on compressed hardboard and is approximately 30 by 24 inches.

Barry Kent MacKay
Bird Artist, Illustrator
Studio: (905) 472 9731
mimus@sympatico.ca

 

LET’S GO WILDLIFE WATCHING AT THE SILK FARM WILDLIFE SANCTUARY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

petermuller Summer 2023

An Eastern Bluebird sits on top of Staghorn Sumac. This little bluebird was seen on the
seacoast of New Hampshire, foraging on these plants.

PHOTO © BRIAN YURASITS ON UNSPLASH

New Hampshire is a great place to spot a variety of wildlife species. With a surprising tourist boom in autumn for ‘leaf-peepers’ (tourists traveling to New England to look at the array of fall leaves), you quickly realize after living in NH that there’s many natural beauties to be appreciated. With a biodiverse environment hosting animals ranging from hermit crabs along the shore to moose and Purple Finches, New Hampshire has a lot to offer when it comes to wildlife watching.

One of my favorite spots to visit year-round is the Silk Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, in Concord, NH. nhaudubon.org/lands/sanctuaries/silk-farm-wildlife-sanctuary/

A portion of the property hosts the center for the McLane Audubon chapter, who maintains the trail system. During visitor hours, you can also stop by and see the pollinator garden & rescued birds of prey that were unable to be rehabilitated, that now live in mews viewable by the public for educational purposes.

The Silk Farm sanctuary offers three miles of trails; the trails are of varying difficulty, so whether you’re a casual birdwatcher or experienced hiker, there’s something to offer. Audubon maintains nest boxes for American Kestrels, Eastern Bluebirds, and Tree Swallows along the property, which are often busy in spring. On the lake, you can spot a variety of waterfowl including one of New Hampshire’s most beloved birds, the Common Loon. To offer the wildlife a safe place to exist in peace, hunting and fishing are not allowed; dogs are also not allowed in the sanctuary, with the exception of one dog-friendly bike trail.

If you plan on visiting the Silk Farm Wildlife Sanctuary, be prepared for some bumpy trails and potentially a few ticks. The ruggedness of portions of this sanctuary is what makes it special; despite being fairly popular, the trails let you feel truly immersed in the wilderness despite being so close to the city.

Patrick Kuklinski is a published nature writer and bird fanatic currently residing in New Hampshire while he works towards a Bachelor’s in Zoology.

 

THANKS TO NYC MAYOR ADAMS…VEGANISM IS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

petermuller Summer 2023

A new campaign called “Eat A Whole Lot More Plants” has launched in New York City to encourage citizens to adopt a healthy, balanced diet.

Ads for the campaign will run on television, radio, subways, NYCLink, outdoor media, and digital channels. The ads will explain the benefits of whole plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts, highlighting their nutrient density and lack of sodium, added sugar, or unhealthy fats.

Please see this link for more information about Mayor Eric Adams: nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/bio.page

As longtime vegans, we, at Wildlife Watch, are very excited to hear this news.

Meanwhile, at a state level…

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) partners with the League of Humane Voters®/NY (LOHV®/NY) to push for S996/A3708, the NYS bill that would mandate nutritionally complete plant-based food options in public schools. While the bill didn’t pass this year, we will continue efforts into 2024!  Its success is inevitable!

 

A PERSONAL NOTE: By Anne Muller

petermuller Summer 2023

The Wildlife Watch Hotline, 877-WILDHELP fields hundreds of calls starting late March and lasting through August when it slows down as baby season comes to a close.

While a “hotline for wildlife” may sound a bit impersonal, the calls that come our way can bring immense joy or grief at a personal level. They also bring the satisfaction that Wildlife Watch is helping animals in distress.

Some calls will always be remembered. On June 22, a woman in North Carolina called about a fawn who didn’t sound well. She had left him alone assuming that the Mom would return to nurse. Something about the description raised a red flag, and I asked her to go back to check.

She did, and texted the following: “When I went out to pick up the drenched, cold, bug-covered fawn, who seemed barely alive, the mom gave a huff in alert.  I had seen her approach the fawn several hours before and hoped all was well.”

She carried the fawn back to her house planning to give him an electrolyte solution that we had suggested, and we were both looking forward to good news.  Instead, she later texted, “The little deer has died.” The words struck hard.

She then asked if she should take the fawn back out for the mom to have closure, or would it not matter. I had never been asked that question, and thought, yes it matters, yes put him out so his mom understands that her milk will not be drunk, and so that she can mourn. We don’t know for sure what a deer mom feels who loses her offspring, but we can easily extrapolate from how we would feel. One thing that is certain, our callers are the most compassionate people on the planet.

The Beloved European Starling is Treated Shabbily in the U.S.

petermuller Summer 2023
PHOTO © unsplash.com/@philbaum

If you’ve ever tried to find a rehabber for a starling, you know how difficult it is. Starlings, sparrows, and pigeons are considered “invasive species” by the NYS Bureau of Wildlife.   Why would the bird, whose praises were sung by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, be so maligned? Do you know that Mozart had a pet starling for three years? The bird even learned to sing certain bars of Mozart’s music! Mozart loved him so much that he held an elaborate funeral –including a procession–
for him when he died. Please see more at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart%27s_starling

In Wildlife Watch’s search for a rehabber who would take these smart and adorable birds, we discovered Karla. Karla has brought much relief to our many callers who are fortunate to live in the Hudson Valley of NY. Some of our callers have even risked their own lives to rescue starlings from busy roads, though we don’t recommend it.

In the next issue, Karla will talk more about why she specialized in the rehabilitation of starlings, sparrows, and pigeons. We are looking forward!

In Loving Memory of Sheila Milkowski, a longtime Wildlife Watch member.

petermuller Summer 2023

Sheila’s full obituary can be seen here: legacy.com/us/obituaries/gazettenet/name/sheila-milkowski-obituary?id=52021595

 Sheila sadly passed away on April 20, 2023. Her obituary, published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette on May 25, 2023 said that she lived in NYC for many years where she taught school and had an after-school art program for underprivileged children.

She was an animal activist and became involved in the rescue of many cats, as well as a beloved raccoon. We wish people as kind as Sheila would live forever.

Wildlife Watch first heard about Sheila’s passing from her close friend, Jackie Compton. Please see Jackie’s letter against trapping in the C.A.S.H. COURIER, Summer 2023, on page 6.

A WORTHWHILE GOOSE CHASE

petermuller Summer 2023

Capturing a Canada goose who was gravely injured by fishing line, and a metal cuff placed by wildlife managers.

     By Stephanie Thompson

PHOTO © STEPHANIE THOMPSON

while scrolling the Nextdoor app one day, I saw a post about a goose at Overlook Park in Dutchess County, NY.  His leg had gotten tangled in fishing line and he was unable to put his foot down. The post was filled with comments of people trying to leave information that could help, others expressing their sadness, and many stating their anger towards whomever left the fishing line. When I realized this post had been made 5 days before, I commented, “Has anyone helped the goose yet?” The next morning, I quickly got a notification from a woman who said that the goose was still at the park. At this point, I was so upset knowing that the goose had now been in pain, stuck, and hopping on one foot for at least a week with no relief. I knew I had to go to the park and help the goose.

I went online and came across the Wildlife Watch hotline. I got a call back and found out about a woman who lived two minutes away from the park. I called her and she said she had actually been to the park earlier that day trying to catch the goose, but couldn’t get him because he kept flying into the water. I felt discouraged, but when I told her that the goose was now in the football field far away from the water, she told me, “Stay there and keep sight of the goose, I’ll be right over."

She showed up almost immediately, and we both got out of our cars in spite of the torrential downpour. My boyfriend Jeremy also showed up to help.  We all walked towards the field, trying our best not to scare the goose as we got closer. At first, the goose tried to just hop away slowly, but as the rehabber got close enough to catch him with her net, the goose took off and flew to the other side of the field. We tried running towards the goose in different directions, and even took turns with the net, but the goose used all his energy to keep flying far away from us. Running back and forth in the rain, we began to think that catching him would be impossible.  Then, as he made one more attempt to fly into the woods, where we wouldn’t have been able to get him, miraculously he landed at the edge of the field, allowing Jeremy to catch him with the net.  When the rehabber picked up the goose up to inspect him, my heart sank to see that not only was the fishing line still wrapped around his leg, but the leg was barely hanging on as the goose had been pulling endlessly at the fishing line to try to get it off. We rushed down the street to a rescue and sanctuary where they finally took the fishing line off the goose and bandaged his leg temporarily.

I was told that the leg would have to be amputated, but that the goose could still live just fine without it and would be sent to a rehabilitator.  I was relieved to know that the goose was safe now and was on his way to healing and living a much happier life.  Jeremy and I went home with the biggest mix of emotions, switching between being proud that we actually saved the goose, to feeling devastated that he went through so much suffering over something so careless and preventable.

It takes a village, and I’m so grateful to Wildlife Watch, the Hudson Valley Animal Rescue, the woman who helped, Jeremy, Lorie (who posted about the goose), Kim for trying to help all week, and everyone else who cared enough to try and help. I’m glad this story had a somewhat happy ending, but I hope that it can help inspire change so that animals can live freely in their habitats without having to suffer from the carelessness of humans.

 

PHOTO © STEPHANIE THOMPSON