Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Wildlife Aid Brigade to the Rescue

















On Sunday, May 17, volunteers rescued a mother and four baby ducks in the launch of a pilot program called the Wildlife Aid Brigade. The project involves volunteers interested in directly helping wild animals. It was created by Sue Lunson Farinato, a Maryland wildlife rehabilitator, to protect wild animals and to assist animal shelters with the wildlife calls that they receive every day.

The Animal Welfare League of Arlington is the first shelter in the metro region to implement the new program. So far one AWLA volunteer has completed the wildlife training and two more are in progress.


On Sunday afternoon a caller from a pool at a large high-rise apartment complex in Arlington reported that a mallard female and her ducklings were unable to get out of the pool. Our Wildlife Aid Brigade volunteer, Tracy Coppola, accompanied by Sue Farinato, responded. Sue described the rescue:

The staff at the apartment complex was very helpful and accommodated our every request. We rigged up a raft in the corner, covered it with towels and waited for the babies to find it. They were getting tired, and mother kept hopping in and out of the pool. Finally she got out of the pool near the raft and the ducklings hopped onto the raft then out of the pool.

Meanwhile I had contacted Lee Prouty, one of the WAB instructors very experienced in waterfowl rescue. She called a Virginia rehabber, Jim Snyder, who came out to assist us. We could not leave the mother and babies there, because the pool ourtyard was entirely surrounded by a 3' wall. The mother could not have led the babies to food, and there was nothing but concrete inside the courtyard. Jim arrived and we came up with a plan for capturing them.

Extremely careful work allowed us to get within a few feet of the mother, and Jim netted her. Tracy and I caught the babies, and they all were put in the same carrier for transport to Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary, only a short distance away. …. While we can't actually relocate most species, waterfowl is one which we can!
This rescue demonstrates the time, care, and knowledge required to help wildlife in our urban environment. We hope more volunteers will join this exciting program.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Rabid Fox in Arlington


A gray fox ran up to a woman in her south Arlington yard and bit her on May 9. A neighbor drove the fox away by throwing an oil can at it. Police, emergency medical technicians, and animal control responded. When animal control officers arrived, the fox was under an emergency vehicle biting the mud flaps. Officers netted the fox and brought it back to the shelter and euthanized it. It was sent for testing at the Virginia state laboratory, and on May 13 the lab reported that the fox tested positive for rabies.

The woman who was bitten is receiving anti-rabies treatment and is expected to have no long-term effects from the bite. The Arlington County Public Health Division sent an alert to local Civic Associations to identify any other people or animals who may have been exposed. While a rabid fox attack is extremely rare in Arlington, it illustrates the importance of keeping our distance from wildlife.

“Rabies is endemic in our area. People need to be aware that there are wild animals, including foxes, in many of our neighborhoods,” said Richard Cole, chief of the County’s Environmental Health Bureau.

We receive calls every day from Arlington residents concerned about wildlife. As more and more land is built over, wild animals are forced to live closer to human beings. Wild animals play an important role in our environment: for example, bats eat mosquitoes and foxes eat insects, rats, and mice. Also, observing our native species is an exciting way to connect with our natural world.


Residents can take steps to discourage wildlife from living in their yards: remove attractions, such as garbage or pet food, and keep your yard free of debris that could serve as habitat. Neighbors can work together to make their community less inviting to wildlife. If your neighbor is leaving pet food outdoors or intentionally feeding wildlife, educate them about the danger of coming into close contact with some wildlife. Even bird seed that falls on the ground can attract mice and rats, and these attract foxes. We can also take the essential step of keeping our dogs and cats current on rabies vaccinations.

The likelihood of encountering a rabid animal is extremely rare, but there are cases of rabies every year. Animals that test positive most often are raccoons and feral cats. We haven’t had a rabid fox in Arlington in years. The great majority of wildlife seen in Arlington is healthy, but signs of illness include having trouble walking, walking in circles, and staggering. If you see an animal exhibiting these signs of illness, call the League immediately at 703-931-9241.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Farewell to Brutus















Last week we experienced the most difficult part of pet companionship: loss. Our shelter mascot, Brutus, died last Friday. Brutus was a handsome and supremely confident Ragdoll cat. He was surrendered to the shelter in August 2001 because his owner was moving. His name at the time was Brutella because when he was a kitten his owner thought he was a female. Of course, he was a neutered male so we thought the name Brutus was much more appropriate.

We had been without a mascot for two years since our long-time shelter cat, Wilson, had died. A former staff member campaigned for Brutus to become Wilson’s successor, and he certainly proved himself worthy. At first he spent his days at our front desk greeting (or not) all our visitors. But he proved to be somewhat moody and was not always as welcoming as one might want. Therefore, we decided that Brutus would be better off spending his time in our offices.

He kept a strict eye on all our activities and helped out sitting on papers and keyboards. His most important job, however, was that of dog behavior evaluator. All the shelter dogs would meet Brutus before being made available for adoption so that we could see how they reacted to a cat. These encounters helped us inform potential adopters about whether their prospective dog would do well with cats.

Brutus, of course, was no ordinary cat and did not react the way an ordinary cat might. He never ran. He would stand his ground while facing the (leashed) dog and dare it to annoy him. Some dogs weren’t even worthy of notice, so he would turn his back to them. Most dogs needed only a scowl from Brutus to back off, but the pushy ones were met with a smack from his hefty paw. I once saw an unfortunate puppy stick his nose in Brutus’ food dish. In a split second Brutus had bitten him on the top of the head, and the puppy ran squealing away.

Brutus did play favorites among our staff. Lisa was his prime source of food, and he followed her wherever she went. Ann, Alice, and Rita were his executive assistants charged with brushing his long fur and arranging his favorite cat beds. When none of the four were available, he visited with others of us who could provide less desirable attention.

During his seven years with us (he was about seven years old in 2001), Brutus had several health problems that were carefully treated and monitored. So it was shocking when we found him unable to stand last Thursday morning. We took him to his veterinarian at Caring Hands Animal Hospital, and after examining him he referred us to SouthPaws Veterinary Referral Center. But Brutus continued to decline. On Friday morning, in consultation with the veterinarian at South Paws, we decided to have him humanely euthanized.

We weren’t prepared for Brutus’s death, and even if we had been it wouldn’t make it any easier to walk in the shelter offices in the morning and not see him. Like any well loved companion, Brutus made his mark on all of us. It will be a long time before we look at his large gold chair and not imagine him lounging in it.

Many, many animals pass through our shelter and make lasting impressions on staff and volunteers, but one that we will think of for years to come is Brutus, the Ragdoll cat.