One of our volunteer responders, Jeremy, recently saw a baby goat sitting under a visitor’s jeep, so he quickly jumped out of his car and stopped the driver to make sure the jeep didn’t move forward.
He pulled the baby goat out and reunited it with its mom up the hill.
It was a last-minute decision for him to take that road so we're glad he did and was able to rescue the baby goat in time (the momma goat was glad, too)!
Want to join our team of over 100 volunteer responders on STJ and growing on STT? Give us a call 340-643-WILD (9453)!
Sometimes a lot of things need to go right for a successful rescue. An American Kestrel was hit by a car on Christmas Eve on St. Thomas but luckily scooped up moments after the mishap. Time was of the essence. Rescuer, Melissa Vanderburg, put a lot of effort into getting the bird to us quickly on Christmas Day via “people ferry” after efforts to find closer help over the holiday were not successful. She was helped by a kind ferry company employee who hand delivered the boxed Kestrel to one of our responders who happens to be a bird rehabilitator.
Upon exam, it was determined the bird had fractures of both the radius and ulna in one wing but the bones were not displaced. While a double break can be a long shot, the wing was quickly stabilized and the healing process began.
This feisty female did very well and, with guidance from Sam Little of Audubon Birds of Prey in Maitland, FL, the bird made a full recovery and was released.
We thank everyone who helped this beautiful holiday arrival get back out on its life path.
A Laughing Gull got very lucky when turtle monitoring volunteer, Chandler Minner, saw the bird at Little Maho, unable to fly and needing help. Willow Melamet, manager of the VI Nat’l Park Sea Turtle Monitoring and Protection Program, was nearby and able to safely get the bird in a box and quickly realized it had symptoms of avian botulism. As she stated in her email to the entire turtle team asking them to keep an eye out for other potentially affected birds, “Avian botulism is caused by the naturally occurring bacterium Clostridium, and when ingested can lead to paralysis and is often fatal if left untreated.”
We are very fortunate as Willow is also a volunteer wildlife rehabilitator with our organization and is very knowledgeable about treating birds with this illness. After several days of care, the bird was released.
Thank you to Chandler and a HUGE thank you to Willow for giving this bird a second chance!
Velvety free tailed bat gets a second chance!
The bat had fallen from the rafters of an apartment but didn't appear to have any obvious injuries. It was assessed by a wildlife rehabilitator, received hydration, and seemed ready to get back into the wild. As dusk neared, we released the bat back near where it was found, and off he went!
Thank you to Karen Granitz for rescuing the bat and to Bryan McKinney for taking the video!
A HUGE thank you to Melissa Harmon, one of our new responders, and the Cruz Bay Fire Dept. for rescuing a baby chick stuck in the storm drain by the passenger ferry. These folks are truly awesome!! Momma chicken was SO happy to have her baby back!
Are you wild about wildlife?
We'd love to hear your stories and see your photos!
Please share them with us!
PLEASE show love to our gentle wild donkeys.
PLEASE DON’T “kill with kindness” by feeding them along the roadway; this encourages them to come to vehicles and risk being hit. Improper feeding can also cause Equine Metabolic Syndrome (Cushings Disease - see photo)
Learn more: Equine Metabolic Syndrome: Causes, Signs, Treatment and Prevention
THANK YOU!
Laughing gull release at Jumbie beach after 2+ weeks of rehabilitation for avian botulism. Such an amazing sight to see this bird, that wasn't able to stand a couple weeks prior, take off right away.
After initially flying low, he gained loft and with a strong flight headed straight for Trunk Cay. Couldn't have asked for a better release!
