Alpine Wildlife Rehab

12/02/2025

THE REAL REASON WILDLIFE REHABBERS ASK YOU NOT TO FEED THAT BABY…

It’s not because we want to hog all the fun for ourselves, I promise. It’s because wild orphans typically aren’t healthy enough to digest food when they are found. Many are hypothermic. The body can’t even handle water when its temperature is too low. All energy is going to crucial body functions in that state. If the body has to divert energy to digesting, it will likely be fatal.

Many are very dehydrated. Animals can’t digest properly when they are dehydrated. The body pulls water into the intestines to aid with digestion. If there isn’t any water to pull from, this could cause a domino affect of problems.

All wild baby animals require a specific diet and that diet generally isn’t available in local stores. Feeding the wrong formula could cause an upset stomach or worse. All baby animals need specific amounts of formula calculated by their body weight. The percentage differs depending on the species. Not every animal can drink from a bottle. The correct instrument must be used to prevent aspiration and over feeding.

Bring me a thin, dehydrated, hypothermic animal and I can probably save it. Feed that same animal before you bring it to me…there’s likely nothing I can do to bring it back.

So please, don’t feed any wild orphans that you have found this baby season. Keeping them warm is a huge help until you find a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Please spread the word to prevent unnecessary suffering this baby season. Thank you 🙏

31/01/2025

Unfortunately Alpine will be closing. Having to give my address for people to bring animals has caused safety issues.

31/01/2025

***TRIGGER WARNING: blood and broken bone***

UPDATE on Mario; pigeon caught in razor wire; compound fracture of toe, wing lacerations.

The toe was lost but is now healed. He will still be able to be released- the missing toe is not hindering his walking, perching, or gripping anymore.

Wing tears are healing beautifully. Due to the severity of the cuts, he lost his primary feathers (these feathers are absolutely necessary for flight) but as you can see they are growing back great! (The “tubes” or “pins” you see are the brand new feathers. The pin slowly falls off as the feather grows and fluffs out.)

*I’d like to mention that if birds lose or damage their flight feathers (primary feathers), they CANNOT be released until the feathers grow back! Too often I see people rip a bird from a sticky trap or from their dogs mouth, clean them up, and just release them without checking the primary feathers- leaving the bird completely helpless and unable to fly to avoid predators. These birds almost never survive. Depending on the bird, the regrowth can take several weeks to months. I cannot stress enough how important doing a physical exam on a bird before releasing them is.)

Mario has been recovering in a cage while his foot and wings healed, but now gets exercise time in the aviary. He can make very short distances flying/hopping from one area to another, which is a huge improvement since he arrived. Once those feathers grow in completely and he passes his flight test, he will be returned to his flock.

31/01/2025

Making a brush pile? Please be mindful of your wild neighbors. If you intend to burn it, do so immediately, before any animals have had time to move in. Otherwise, please leave the pile alone so critters in your community have a safe place to rest and raise their families. We see far too many tragedies that occur because people burn brush piles without realizing there are animals inside. Please help us keep wildlife safe!

29/01/2025

Devastating.

18/01/2025

“It’s-a-me! Mario! And I’m doing really good at rehab.” 🤌

17/01/2025

Wild animals HATE being spoken to or “petted”.

YOU are a terrifying predator to them and absolutely get ZERO comfort by touching them like your domesticated pets.

so PLEASE do not add to their stress 🙏
stay quiet and do not touch more than absolutely necessary

When an animal is hurt, sick, or scared, most of us have an impulse to soothe and comfort them. It’s only natural! But, while kind words and gentle cooing voices may be comforting to pets and children, they have the opposite effect on wildlife. To a wild animal, a human voice doesn’t sound nurturing or calming, but like the alien call of a large predator.

If you need to capture and transport an orphaned, injured, or sick wild animal to a rehabilitator, be as quiet as possible. Don’t speak directly to the animal at all and keep all conversations in the car to a minimum. And remember that your radio sounds terrifying, too! Save the loud music for when you don’t have a frightened passenger.

15/01/2025

****TRIGGER WARNING- BROKEN BONE******

A nearby prison contacted me stating a pigeon was caught up very badly in their razor wire.

Apparently the poor thing was impaled and hanging upside down and tangled for quite some time. An officer there jumped into action and got him down. He was completely exhausted, so many bleeding cuts and punctures it was impossible to count, torn up wings, and a compound fracture of one of his toes (which sadly the toe has been lost- but if the stump heals successfully he will be able to survive without it)

Once I got him medicated, cleaned up, warm & comfortable I let the officer know he’s hanging in there. They named him “Mario” 😅 🤣 🐦🤌

Please send Mario healing vibes so he can return to his flock soon 💚

12/01/2025

He’s still alive this morning and we are grateful. His blood still hasn’t clotted. What should have taken five minutes is going on 13.5 hours.
He is on oxygen right now to help him breath and we began treatment for secondary rodenticide poisoning. He will need to be transported in our ambulance so he can have access to oxygen during the trip to Cape Ann Wildlife, Inc. I don’t think he will make the trip without it…

Think of rat poison as an evil bank that is happy to give you a loan with a ridiculously high interest rate.

The poison will kill the mice in your house right away, no problem! But you will pay for it when you also kill the neighborhood hawk or owl that will eat 10,000 to 30,000 rodents in its lifetime. Those mice will come back with a vengeance in the same way you will owe that bank far more money than it ever gave you - which in turn makes you reliant on the bank for more loans…

18/12/2024

18/12/2024

Many have seen this photo circulating. It says to not use this oil to remove wildlife from glue traps, but the photo is misleading and leading to TONS of false information being spread!

The main issue is to not use SPRAY oil. It causes respiratory distress and gets all over the animal (they inhale it, it sticks to their eyes and nose, and coats their fur causing the animal to not only be in respiratory distress but also become hypothermic due to the oil messing with their warming layer of fur/feathers.) The photo itself is misleading. People are getting very angry stating "I use oil all the time!" and "Well rehabbers do it!"

Using oil with just your finger is understandable- but requires you to keep the animal warm, remove all oil, and dry fur completely before release. Which too many people don't think to do, or do incorrectly and cause more damage/stress to the animal. There may be injuries you do not recognize that still requires a professional.

For finders: Cover the glue trap gently in corn meal or dirt (something NON-powder and NON-liquid to avoid respiratory and thermal issues) to keep them from sticking further and get to a rehabber or vet.

15/12/2024

Many people will have trouble with rodents getting into their homes or places of work this winter. We want to make sure Massachusetts residents know who they can trust to call for help.

Rick Banner with Banner Pest Control and Mike Theriault with Call of the Wild Animal Control are two companies Newhouse Wildlife trusts and supports.

Both these men have sworn off of second generation rodenticides because of their love and appreciation for our wildlife. They are both very good at what they do and have other very successful methods to keep rodents out of your home. When they tell you they aren’t using SGARS, you can believe them. They really mean it.

We are proud to share their names and we hope that their business flourish as many Massachusetts residents value our natural world and are looking for pest control companies that share in their beliefs. Make sure your friends and family know who to call! Let’s keep our foxes, owls, eagles, etc safe so they can keep helping us with the rodent population!

09/12/2024

PLEASE stop feeding injured or abandoned wildlife you find! Would you want someone shoving broccoli down your throat while being pulled from a car crash? Do you think if you found a newborn on the side of the road you'd shove donuts and soda in its mouth? no. So don't do it to them.

And if an animal is unresponsive or can barely move, please please please STOP dripping water into their mouth! It goes right into their lungs, adding aspiration and pneumonia on top of their already dire condition.

To find a wild animal that looks injured or abandoned already means they are CRITICAL. It is their nature to be stoic and hide any illness or injury. If you, a human, can see it and are able to approach a wild animal, they are already in deep trouble. Do not add additional issues by giving them food or liquids.

If you find an animal in distress, what’s the first thing you do? If you’re like most people, your answer is, “Feed it.”

While well-intended, that’s the wrong answer!

When an animal is in need of rehabilitation, that’s because it has a medical emergency. And with any emergency, there are always much more pressing issues to deal with, and those must be addressed long before the animal should eat.

In fact, eating during a medical emergency often causes the animal’s death. We see many cases of fatal bloat, refeeding syndrome, electrolyte imbalances, and severe diarrhea because of well-meaning finders giving a wild animal food.

If you have an animal in your care who needs help, get him or her to a rehabilitator immediately. Don’t feed the animal unless specifically instructed to do so after the critter is stable.

05/12/2024

Winter is here.

If you find an injured animal in the cold DO NOT SUBMERGE THEM IN WATER! I do not know why everyone thinks this is the solution, but it is not.

Also DO NOT FEED, DO NOT DRIP LIQUIDS INTO THEIR MOUTH and do not immediately apply direct heat! (Have you ever held your hands in snow then immediately dip them in hot water? It's like ice picks being jabbed into every inch of your skin.)

You can ONLY use warm water in life/death situations if the animal is physically stuck/frozen on a surface- in which case get them into a blanket and to a vet/rehabber immediately.

29/11/2024

26/11/2024

A sad story from Pocono Rehab. Yet another death due to rodenticide poisoning.