General Abstracts
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Wildlife Rehabilitation in Hawaii Patrick Hogan & Sophia Torres Hawaii Wildlife Center, HI Video coming soon Full Abstract
The Hawaii Wildlife Center (HWC) specializes in the rescue, response, and hospital care of Hawaii’s native birds and bats statewide, nearly 70 species/sub-species total. Patients are from the main Hawaiian Islands and HWC provides projects, training, and emergency wildlife response in the remote Pacific islands. The vision of HWC is a world where native species recover and thrive through comprehensive conservation strategies and partnerships. HWC’s mission is to protect, conserve, and aid in the recovery of Hawaii’s native wildlife through hands-on treatment, research, training, science education, and cultural programs. |
WRMD & The Future of Wildlife Rehabilitation Devin Dombrowski The Wild Neighbors Database Project/WRMD, CA Publishing Permission Pending Full Abstract
WRMD has many new features and updates to share with users. In this lecture, we demonstrate some of the advanced features created in the past year, answer questions, and discuss what comes next. WRMD currently has more than 1.5 million records internationally. Why is this important and what use is that data? WRMD’s initial goals were not only to help wildlife rehabilitators keep track of their records, but also to make rehabilitators’ presence known in the world. Wildlife rehabilitator patient data is the canary in the coal mine for the world. Our work can make a difference for animals, people, and the planet. |
Welfare in Wildlife Rehabilitation: Maintaining High Standards
in All Settings Renée Schott, DVM Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, MN Video coming soon Full Abstract
Animal welfare is an especially important consideration when rehabilitating wildlife, especially in a setting or location that has multiple purposes, such as a private practice veterinary clinic, a domestic animal shelter, or simply a part of one’s house. This interactive presentation first briefly covers the basics of animal welfare, then covers the causes of stress in captive wildlife, what we can do to mitigate those stressors, and finally the ethical implications of caring for wildlife in a rehabilitation setting. |
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Reframing Professionalism in Wildlife Rehabilitation
Jenny Schlieps Focus Wildlife, WA Video coming soon Full Abstract
Wildlife rehabilitation has grown into a nationally recognized professionn. Rehabilitators must meet minimum standards and often exceed them. While professionalism in rehabilitation continues to grow, the resources for enclosures, food, staff, and veterinary services still rely largely on volunteers, donations, and our own funds. The lack of an established source of funding is a limiting factor in quality of care and recruitment into the field; it also undermines animal welfare. Changing the perception of wildlife rehabilitation from a “labor of love” into a funded profession is an important conversation for the future of our field. |
Improving Your Care Just by Looking Around
Elisa Fosco & Debbie Sykes TN Publishing Permission Pending Full Abstract
Typically, when you learn to “read” an animal in a cage or an enclosure, they tell you what they need. Learn very simple and not-often-thought-of ways to improve the quality of care provided to animals using this technique. This includes easy ways to make decisions on enrichment and cage setup, perch setup, and overall care. |