Wildlife Watch

By Lily Lavender Wolf

Imagine this: strolling through the beautiful oasis of Riverside Park on the Upper West Side of Manhattan – the planted trees and straight walks wedged in between the street, the highway, and the brilliant Hudson River. Saunter uptown in the park starting at the 97^th street entrance, past the playground with human-sized plastic dinosaurs and laughing children; past the dog run and the outdoor seating of the restaurant overlooking the sunset; into the Wild, the part of Riverside left the most to wilderness abandon, spanning at least ten blocks worth of tree roots, a small brook running downhill, and narrow overgrown paths. Emerging from this area, there is a fenced-off zone, and suddenly the air smells of hay. The first time I stumbled upon the region it was nighttime, and I saw strange creatures stirring in the shadows. Upon closer inspection I found the most delightful surprises – goats!

Welcome to what the park coalition dubs “Goatham City”. From May 21^st to August 30^th the summer of 2019, twenty-five goats were brought to a two-acre section of Riverside Park, spanning from 119^th street to 125^th street. They were let to roam in their space to scour the land, ravenously devouring invasive vegetation, particularly the egregious poison ivy. Watching the goats climb their hale bales, eat the plants they so covet, and tenderly play with each other proved such a delight for viewers, drawing quite some crowds this past summer. People were charmed by the friendships the goats had with each other, the way they trekked around the acres they lived upon, learning their names and gaining favorites – to the point that on www.riversideparknyc.org there actually was a poll for the most beloved goat (the winner was Massey)!

Green Goat Farm in Rhinebeck, NY, has been loaning out their goats to different parks and farms in order to allow them to clear the areas of invasive species and undesirable plants – that are definitely desirable to the goats themselves. As their website www.green-goats.com  states, the goats get “a chance to live the American Dream – they eat for a living!” The farm’s owner, Larry Cihanek, absolutely loves working with goats every day. The goats on the farm are gifted to them by local farmers who can’t keep their goats anymore, or from the ASPCA taking them from alleged facilities that provide less-than-satisfactory conditions for their animals. Green Goat Farm works to save goats from the meat market; over thirty-five years, Cihanek has worked on two farms, and reports “we only take friendly goats. We leave the goats until all the vegetation is gone.”

The farm has loaned out the goats to six different states, the farthest travel being 620 miles, or a three-to-four-hour drive. Coordination mainly consists of making sure of the goats’ access to periodic washing and veterinarians. The goats are never used for milking and always given the space to enjoy themselves as they “work” to clear the land. Keeping the goats for the love of animals certainly gives back to the lovely creatures, and Green Goat Farm is doing a fantastic job; the goats are happy, parks and farms have their spaces cleared, and people get to watch the sweet animals in public spaces like Riverside Park. Goatham City was certainly a magical summertime experience to all who stumbled upon it.  You can contact the farm here www.green-goats.com to find out where their goats are so you can say “hello.”

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Lily Lavender Wolf is a writer and avid lover of nature and animals. She hails from Manhattan but has wandered upstate to the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York State, where she revels in the wooded mountains.  She studies Environmental Psychology at the State University in New York (SUNY),  New Paltz campus.

By Patrick Kuklinski

All baby animals are fragile. But to many, baby birds in particular seem vulnerable. They typically hatch naked, with eyes closed, peeping helplessly. They appeal to our instincts to nurture the defenseless. Unfortunately, while many do their best to help, there are many misconceptions about baby birds and the best way to help them. Before trying to do something with good intentions, it’s important to first be sure you aren’t causing more harm than good to the bird.

SOME MISCONCEPTIONS:

All baby birds need help!

One of the most common problems people encounter when trying to help young birds is misidentifying them as birds that belong in the nest. Fledgling birds commonly are found on the ground; they jump out of the nest and will spend up to a week on the ground, clumsily practicing flying, with their parents attending them. This is perfectly normal - and removing a fledgling bird from the eyes of its watchful parents does more harm than good. Typically, fledglings can be identified by their feathers - they will have more developed feathers and will be more fully feathered across the body than a nestling, with very few to no down feathers. If a fledgling bird is in a dangerous area, such as by a busy road or a yard neighborhood cats frequent, you can carefully move them to another space, but be sure you do not move them where they can’t be found by their parents.

A baby bird is on the ground - I need to move him somewhere safe!

Although in some cases, moving a baby bird to a safer location is the right thing to do, many times there is a simpler solution. Nestlings frequently push and shove at each other within the nest while begging for food - which sometimes leads to a baby or two falling out of the nest entirely. If you find a nestling on the ground, first try to find the nest he came from before moving him to a new location. Unless he was pushed out by a predator or brood parasites such as the brown-headed cowbird, placing the baby bird back into the nest is typically the best option. If you find more than one or two nestlings on the ground, it is more likely that the nest was destroyed and abandoned.

The baby bird I found is hungry - I should feed him!

Many well-intentioned people who find a misplaced or injured baby bird attempt to feed the bird. But if they are inexperienced, this is actually extremely dangerous for the baby. If the syringe or spoon used for feeding is not placed at exactly the right angle, droplets of food can enter the lungs and asphyxiate the baby. If the food is too hot, it can burn the esophagus and crop. If too much is fed, it can cause the crop to distend, which is rarely treatable. There’s also the issue of feeding an incorrect diet, which can cause nutritional deficiencies or be indigestible or even fatal to the bird. It’s best to not feed unless instructed otherwise by a professional.

If I move the baby bird, the mother bird will smell me and reject him!

Many people fear moving baby birds under the impression that the smell of a human on the baby will make the mother keep away from the nest entirely. Most birds, with the exception of birds who rely on their sense of smell such as vultures, have a weak sense of smell. Even if the bird does catch your scent on their babies, it won’t make them reject the nest. Typically, the only way you could cause the parents to abandon the nest is by hanging around the nest excessively; quickly placing the baby inside the nest or briefly being in the area will most likely not cause problems. If you leave the nestling on the ground, he will almost certainly die; if you place him back into the nest, there is a very, very slim chance it will cause problems. 

In general, it is best to leave care of baby birds to wildlife rehabilitators. You can temporarily place baby birds in a box lined with cloth (not cloth that will entangle the claws) or paper towels, and keep them in a quiet, safe location until they can be taken in. In situations where there is not a local rehabber, contact veterinarians (if possible, avian vets) or other animal care centers to see if they can help. Use common sense when taking care of any wild animal - if it wouldn’t be safe for your pet, it probably isn’t safe for them. Don’t expose birds in your care to loud noises, bright lights, or dangerous situations - including lung irritants such as household cleaning sprays, other animals such as dogs or cats, or objects within the bird’s container that could hurt him. If you are unsure about any aspect of the bird’s (temporary) care, try calling your local wildlife rehabilitation center and seeing if they can help.

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Patrick Kuklinski is a longtime freelance writer working towards a Bachelor’s in Zoology, with experience writing for animal publications including Reptiles, BirdTalk, and more.

Yikes folks, think about going vegan for the sake of the planet. With all of the great plant-based protein products out there, it has become so easy!

According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, two people have died and hundreds are ill linked to backyard chickens and pig ears.

If you’re in the Hudson Valley area, or would like to visit, be sure to put these two places on your list:

The Catskill Animal Sanctuary: https://casanctuary.org/ you’ll see how to become vegan at that site!

WOODSTOCK FARM SANCTUARY: http://woodstocksanctuary.org/

At both of these wonderful sites, you’ll see so many photos of their wonderful charges who fortunately still have their ears attached – and still have their lives -  and who are now ambassadors for animal protection

By Bindu Gopal Rao

Words & Photos: Bindu Gopal Rao

It is close to 9:00 pm and a small group of people gather together at Ras Al Hadd on the eastern shores of the Arabian Peninsula in Oman. If you are wondering what is happening at this hour, well, this group of wildlife enthusiasts is waiting to start a guided tour to see the nesting of the endangered green turtles at the Ras Al Jinz beach. Renowned for being one of the nesting concentration sites of the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas), on the Indian Ocean, this is the only place where you can see the entire nesting process of these animals. Established by Royal Decree in 1996, the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Centre was started in 2008 to help in the conservation activities of the green turtle. The reserve is within a 45 km coastline and is an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Category IV protected area created with the specific aim of protecting sea turtles. The turtles are currently endangered as they face several threats from humans and nature too. However while the centre cannot help with threats like birds, crabs, sharks or foxes predating on the eggs and hatchlings, they work with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs to control human induced threats like commercial harvesting for turtle meat and shells and littering.

Survival Stories

As we follow our guide, the only light happens to come from a brightly shining moon and the torch held by the guide. Trooping in line behind him on the sandy beach I wonder if we will have a chance to see the turtles at all. After what seems like a long wait, our guide gestures to us to remain quiet as a large female turtle emerges from the ocean. She then finds herself a dry spot where she starts digging a hole using her flippers to scoop out the sand, and then she places herself inside and starts laying her eggs. It is fascinating to see how she starts laying the eggs one after the other – some turtles lay over a 100 eggs at one time. We are asked to watch silently without using a flash for pictures and once done the turtle actually covers the eggs with sand to protect them and allow them to incubate. She then moves ahead and starts digging another pit, and before we assume it is for another set of eggs our guide tells us that this is an artificial pit for predators to believe that the eggs are laid here. Amidst gasps in the group one thing we all agreed was the intelligence of these gentle beings and how nature has a way of protecting itself. The incubation period ranges from 50-60 days depending on the weather conditions. Heat generally ensures incubation happens sooner and warm sands usually produce more females. From here on the mother just goes back to the ocean and the eggs hatch and finally make their way to the ocean. It is this walk back that we were fortunate to see the next early morning, when the guides dug up the sand and found baby turtles that scrambled into the sea. To my utter horror I also saw one of them being eaten by a seagull but my guide tells me this is the natural cycle and there are many that make their way back to the ocean. The Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve hosts an average of 30000 nesting green turtles every year and this place is known for some of the most varied and biologically productive water.

Turtle Tales

Although sea turtles spend most of their lives in the sea, they nest on land and return to nest on the same beach on which they themselves hatched decades earlier. They reach maturity between 37 and 49 years and nesting may happen five times in a season with intervals of upto 14 days between nesting and 2-3 years between seasons. At Ras Al Jinz the peak season for egg laying is June to September, but for every night throughout the year at least one turtle emerges from the seas of Oman onto its beaches to lay eggs. A stay at Ras Al Jinz is arguably one of the best eco holidays you can take; it’s a break like no other.

[Editor’s Note: Sea turtles are endangered due to human activity.  Please visit: https://conserveturtles.org/ ]

Fun Facts

• Marine turtles have no teeth instead they have beaks that they adapt for feeding.
• Adult green turtles are herbivorous feeding on seaweeds and sea grass, although young green turtles eat tiny marine animals.
• The green turtle cannot pull its head inside its shell.
• They have a keen sense of smell but not of taste, and their hearing is restricted to low frequencies.

Bindu Gopal Rao is a freelance writer and photographer based in Bangalore in India.  Wildlife protection is close to her heart. She is particularly interested in conservation and rehabilitation of wild animals. Her work is documented on Instagram: @bindugopalrao and her webpage: www.bindugopalrao.com

By Denise Deisler

When the Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) first learned that the forecast indicated Hurricane Dorian would hit the east coast of Florida, they began planning and preparing. During the last two hurricanes to hit Florida, a neighboring community’s shelter had flooded out and put animals at great risk. This time, JHS took action well in advance of the storm by arranging the evacuation of that shelter and transport of their animals to shelters out of harm’s way. JHS was able to evacuate some of their own animals on the same transport – in total 43 cats and 19 dogs. The following day, JHS put out a plea for community members to foster animals during the hurricane. On Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend, 140 cats and 70 dogs went into homes to ride out the hurricane with their Storm Trooper foster families!

One woman who came to JHS to foster a dog decided to foster a FeLV positive cat named Melony after she learned all of the dogs had already gone into foster homes. She fell in love with the cat and adopted her! We are grateful to our animal loving community. By responding to our pleas for help, animals rode out the storm in loving arms in the comfort of a home and JHS was positioned to help respond to those directly impacted by the hurricane. We are equally grateful to dedicated volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly through the holiday weekend to ensure nearly 250 animals were prepared for transport and foster in order that they remain safe and comfortable.

Denise Deisler is the  CEO of the Jacksonville Humane Society.  To help JHS, please visit their website: https://www.jaxhumane.org/

By Fiona M. Jones

First printed by Folded Word

This was our territory once. Every lifetime our places and times of day diminish, but as long as food sources offer we will stay here and adapt—learning to cross carefully the hard grey roadways and the daylight hours, the noise and movement, the human-frequented spaces.

We still have night, which rarely falls fully into darkness any more: even the hills hold on to a faint orange-whiteness of city-glow. We have dusk, when we can move through forests and fields unseen by the walkers and talkers whose flashlights obscure more forest than they illuminate. We own the long summer dawns, best times in the year, when humans go to ground inside their rectangular hideouts, and even roadways lie quiet.

Across an ever-changing landscape of sound/scent/sight, under the roll of seasons, we learn and relearn our world. The heights and widths of hedgerow, the freshest grazing-grounds, the thickest cover and the safest routes between. We know when to disappear, where best to spend the slowness of the day in hiding from rushing sound and movement.

Dissolving into dappled patches of light and shade, we turn invisible, inaudible, invulnerable to danger. We are undergrowth ourselves, or bracken, stone and shadow. While autumn rules, my very antlers conform to the branching trees above me until I and all of mine become as forest as the distant generations before us and after.

Fiona Jones is a writer of creative nonfiction who lives in Scotland.  Please see her work on www.facebook.com/FiiJ20/  You’ll find her on Twitter and Thinkerbeat as well.

Folded Word ( https://folded.wordpress.com/2019/05/29/as-forest/ ) holds "non-exclusive rights to publish the work electronically in perpetuity".

Can coyote or fox urine attract coyotes or foxes?   This is a question asked by gardeners who wish to repel wild animals who love their gardens as much as they do.

A supplier of coyote urine responded this way:

Coyote urine is commonly used as a scent to alert or repel nuisance wildlife like rabbit, squirrels, ground hogs or chipmunks. This urine is almost always collected from males and if female urine is used, any that are in heat are ignored and intentionally not used. For this reason, coyote urine will not attract other coyotes. In fact, it mostly has the other impact; urine in the wild serves as a “marker” or “territory border” designed to alert other coyotes to stay away. So, the use of coyote urine on your property will tend to repel nuisance coyote, small wildlife and even stray dogs or cats. It won’t much affect pets that live or reside on the land since they instinctively know this is “their land” but other animals from the neighborhood will probably tend to stay away from where it’s been applied.

While that sounds like good news for people who wish to repel chipmunks, groundhogs, etc., without attracting coyotes, Wildlife Watch’s concern is how the urine was obtained.

It turns out that the collection of urine is pretty brutal.  Please visit this website to learn the gory details and some tips on how to humanely garden.  This book will be of interest to you if your concern is for the welfare of the wildlife as well:  https://www.humanegardener.com/category/buyer-beware/

If someone would like to write a review of this book, we’d love to hear from you!   Please email Anne at wildwatch@verizon.net