AVWS - Week One.

Hi folks, where do I start? You know that the olws are my responsibility and that we are planning to move Elly -the Great Horned- to a bigger enclosure. The interior of the enclosure was old and crappy so I asked if I could rebuild it completely. I had an idea in my mind and the result came pretty close. I finished my first project yesterday so we can move Elly somewhere next week...very exciting!

Meet Petunia, she's a female skunk. She was raised as a pet and they took away her 'spray glands' so she's unable to defend herself. She's Hannah's responsibility the next three weeks. We took her out on Wednesday to check on her weight. Janalene -Director Animal Care- decided she's too fat so she's on a diet now! The little house with the white door in the back is our house, the Bunky : )!

The sanctuary can use as much help as possible. The 'Beaver Creek Crew' is a group of prisoners on their way out, they do community service and help us out at the sanctuary. They came three times this week and the work they do is great. We've put the steel blinds on the beaver enclosure to make sure nobody will disturb the beaver in its rehabilitation. Bibi is still inside but she'll be ready for the enclosure in a couple of weeks. Many hands make small jobs, those guys are great and its hard to believe that they are in prison...

We've met Sadie, a female black bear! Like many of the permanent residents, human interferance is the reason she's locked up for life. We were astonished to see such an incredible creature right beside us. She just woke up after a long period of hibernation and we slowly start to feed her. Janalene feeds her raspberries through the fence. Sadie is so gentle that it's hard to believe she's able to break the neck of a moose with a single paw.

Two nights ago, Brenda picked up five baby squirrels in Huntsville. They are one week old, naked and blind and they need milk every two hours. You have to be very careful and feed them very slowly because if the milk comes back through their nose, it can end up in the lungs and when that happens they mostly die. At first, the little babies didn't feel very comfortable in my hands. Maybe my hands are too big our is it just me being clumsy...you can see that I've been watched carefully by Jan and Brenda.Well I'm getting used to it now after a few feedings but to be honest, these little guys drive us crazy. They just need a lot of care and we just need a lot of patience. Hannah already had some experience with Theodore. He's a little bit older but still a handful.

We did our first release on friday. We went out for a short hike and we released the porcupine! Porcupines are amazing animals. The way they move, the way they look at you, the way they defend themselves, everything they do is so funny. We found a good spot near a beaver pond and opened the door to freedom. So long porcupine, don't fall out of a tree next time...: )

The temerature is rising, busy times are coming. This little boy came in on friday. He was cold and nearly dead. It's a little bit early for baby raccoons but isn't he cute. Once they get bigger, they scratch and bite and get wild and vicious. Janalene takes care of this baby because they are not the easiest to feed in this crucial period.

That's what we do...and many other things! We're planning to rebuild a several enclosures and you never know which animal they are going to bring in tomorrow. Every day is different and we keep on going. Another thing we do is picking up roadkills, mostly deer and sometimes moose. It's a very sad job but at least there is no waste. The meat goes to the wolves and to the big cats...Later on this week I'll tell you about Guhas and we might have some big news coming up!

Keep on reading my friends and family

We miss you all

OneLove

T&H-Volunteers With A Heart.