Wildlife Search and Rescue: A Guide for First Responders

Rescuing wild animals in distress requires a unique set of skills, very different from those used in handling domestic animals. The equipment, degree of handling, the type of caging and level of care a wild animal receives can mean the difference between life and death. Wildlife Search and Rescue is a comprehensive guide on ‘best practices’ and suggested standards for response to sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. This valuable resource covers the fundamentals of wildlife rescue, from ‘phone to field’, including safe and successful capture strategies, handling and restraint techniques and initial aid. Wildlife Search and Rescue is a must have for anyone interested in knowing what to do when they are face to face with a wild animal in need, or for anyone involved in animal rescue. While the book focuses on wildlife native to North America, much of the information and many of the techniques are applicable to other species, including domestic dogs and cats. Visit www.wiley.com/go/dmytryk/wildlifeemergency to access the figures from the book. In the last thirty years, Rebecca Dmytryk has become a leading authority in wildlife rescue having been on the front lines of some of the largest wildlife recovery missions, including the Gulf Oil Spill. From her office in Monterey, California she and her husband, Duane Titus operate WildRescue, offering around the clock response to emergencies involving wildlife and serving all of California with a state-of-the-art toll-free wildlife hotline. Foreword Jay Holcomb xiii Preface xvii 1 Overview of wildlife rescue 1 2 Characterizing wildlife search and rescue 3 3 Laws and regulations governing wildlife rescue in the USA 7 4 Code of practice 10 5 The components of wildlife search and rescue 11 Human safety 11 Environmental hazards 11 Human factor hazards 12 Equipment hazards 13 Health risks 13 Zoonotic diseases 15 Bacterial infections 15 Fungal infections 18 Viruses 19 Parasites 19 Personal protective equipment 22 Protection from hazardous materials 24 Basic safety and preparedness guidelines 26 Operational risk management 27 Outfitting 32 The welfare of the animal 34 Understanding stress 35 Minimizing stress during rescue operations 38 Potential for success 40 The mindset of the hunter and the hunted 42 The importance of natural history 42 The fundamentals of the search 43 The fundamentals of the capture 45 6 Anatomy of a response team 52 7 Overview of wildlife capture equipment 55 The towel 55 Herding boards 55 Nets and netting 57 The hoop net 57 The open-ended hoop net 58 The throw net 60 Land seine 60 Mechanical nets 60 Active land seine 60 The bow net and Q-net 61 The whoosh net 62 Driving, funnel, and walk-in traps 63 The dho-gaza 66 Drop traps 66 Cage traps 68 Projectile-powered nets 68 Lures 69 Catchpole 70 8 Capture, handling, and confinement of wild birds 71 Techniques for capturing wild birds 71 Enticing wild birds using lures 71 The Bartos trap 76 Snare-type traps 76 Bal-chatri 76 The phai trap 78 Noose carpets 79 The single snare 79 Leg snare pole 84 Swan hook 85 Pit traps 85 Mist nets 86 On the water 86 Floating gill nets 88 Floating barriers and submersible pens 89 Spotlighting 90 Special circumstances and particular methods 92 Hummingbirds 92 Loons (Gaviiformes) 93 Grebes (Podicipediformes) 94 Rails and coots (Rallidae) 94 Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) 95 Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae) 97 Waders 97 Alcids 98 Birds trapped in structures 98 Hummingbirds in skylights 99 Window strikes 100 Ducklings in a pool 100 Birds entangled in fishing tackle 104 Rodenticide poisoning 105 Shot through with a projectile 105 Glue traps 109 Avian botulism 110 Lead poisoning 111 Domoic acid poisoning (DAP) 111 ”Sea slime” 113 Oil and petroleum products 113 Handling and restraint of wild birds 117 Processing from nets and housing 124 Short-term and temporary housing for wild birds 124 9 Capture, handling, and confinement of land mammals 130 Techniques for capturing wild mammals 130 Chemical immobilization 131 Special circumstances and particular methods 131 Small rodents 131 Large rodents, porcupines, beaver 132 Lagomorphs, rabbits and hares 132 Xenarthrans, anteaters, armadillos 132 Skunks 133 Canids 133 Deer 133 Physical restraint of land mammals 134 Bats 134 Small rodents 135 Talpids, moles and relatives 136 Squirrels 137 Opossums 137 Porcupines 137 Lagomorphs, rabbits and hares 138 Small and medium-sized carnvores 138 Mustelids, badger, otter, weasels 139 Skunks 139 Coyotes and foxes 139 Felids 140 Processing mammals from nets and cages 140 Temporary confinement of land mammals 142 10 Capture and handling of reptiles and amphibians 145 11 Marine mammal rescue 146 Rescuing seals and sea lions 146 Young seals and sea lions 147 Hoop nets 149 Modified open-ended hoop net 149 Wraps, slings, and stretchers 151 The towel wrap 151 Flat webbing cargo net 152 The floating net 153 Physical restraint of seals and sea lions 153 Confinement and transport of pinnipeds 153 Cetaceans 156 12 Basic wildlife first aid and stabilization 158 Performing a cursory physical examination 159 Bleeding 161 Dehydration 161 Fluid therapy 162 Oral fluid administration (mammals) 164 Oral fluid administration (birds) 165 Subcutaneous injections 168 Treating hypothermia 170 Treating Hyperthermia 171 Basic wound care 172 Stabilizing fractures 173 Robert Jones bandage 174 Figure-eight wrap 174 Bird body wrap 176 The ball bandage 176 13 Transporting wildlife 177 14 Field euthanasia 179 15 Life, liberty, and euthanasia 182 16 Rescuing baby birds and land mammals 184 17 Reuniting, re-nesting, and wild-fostering 185 Returning altricial chicks to the wild 187 Returning precocial chicks to the wild 193 Returning baby mammals to the wild 195 Nutritional support 198 18 Offering public service 200 Public relations and the art of shapeshifting 202 Contracting with municipalities 203 Appendix 1 Ready packs 204 Appendix 2 Wildlife observation form 206 Appendix 3 Wildlife trauma equipment and supplies 207 Appendix 4 Instructions for tying nooses 209 Appendix 5 Barn owl box plans and instructions 211 Appendix 6 Sample contract 213 Further reading 220 Index 222 COMPANION WEBSITE This book has a companion website: www.wiley.com/go/dmytryk/wildlifeemergency with Figures and Tables from the book for downloading