Restoring Baby Animals Back to the Wild

Earlier this month Suisun City Patch showedhosted by the Suisun Wildlife Center. The shower was held to raise money for the center, and allowed visitors to adopt a baby animal. Patch decided to adopt a baby owl and raccoon, so this week we went back to see what is actually needed to nurse a baby owl back to health.

“If we have a baby owl of any size, as with any animal, we have to make sure their rehydrated,” said Margie Furcho, center manager. “Usually when they come in they're so dehydrated that we can’t feed them right away,”

Furcho said that most animals are brought in by people who have found them either sick or injured, often times in their yards. From there, the center assesses the animal to see what type of care is needed for it, and puts together a meal plan for feedings of up to five times a day. Most animals begin on a fluid-only diet. In the case of baby owls, Furcho uses a mixture of water and Pedialyte.

“There’s a way to do it, you can’t just put it in front of them and you just can squirt it in their mouth,” said Furcho. “There is a very delicate way of doing it.”

Furcho said it is important to start weak animals off with fluids, because it takes more energy to digest solids and can actually kill an animal that is not strong enough to handle it. As the animals get stronger, they slowly introduce other foods for them to eat. The Department of Fish and Game provides guidelines to the center on when an animal is ready to be released back into the wild.

The center depends on a group of volunteers called home care mothers to help nurse the baby animals back to health.

“I call them super moms because they save my life,” said Furcho.

Furcho said home care mothers bring the animals in once a week for a check up on its progress. Though the weaker animals tend to eat as much as five times a day, those improving in health will not have to eat as often. The home care mothers are often times volunteer at the wildlife center also, so it is not uncommon for them to bring their baby animals with them while they are covering a shift. Furcho said last year alone the mothers helped to restore 98 raccoons back to health.

“I couldn’t have done it without them,” she said.

For more information on adopting a baby animal, or if you would like to volunteer at the Suisun Wildlife Center, give them a call at 707-429-4295.