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Beep beep!
What am I doing here?
Better let Mona tell this story herself . . . . . . .
I always wonder what each day might bring, as it seems to get more and more bizarre sometimes.
Tonight [Nov. 22], in 37 degree weather, with an inch of snow on the ground, I get a call that some workers are trying to catch a Roadrunner in the Visteon Plant two miles away from me. They want to know if I have a long-handled net. Somehow, I KNEW they probably WERE trying to catch a Roadrunner! I didn't argue. I asked them if any trains or trucks have just come in and they said, yes - he jumped out of a truck that just came in from Hermisillo, Mexico.
Sure enough. I now have a Roadrunner. At the very same moment they needed my assistance, my brand new baby granddaughter was enroute to our house, just being released from the Toledo Hospital! So . . . there was no way I was going anywhere. The workers came and picked up nets and returned with the bird a half hour later. He is extremely stressed, lethargic and dehydrated. I have given fluids and dex, and put him in my reptile room which is 85 degrees and covered the cage with a blanket to keep it dark and quiet. I gave him pediolyte in his water and left him with some very small mice and some mealworms. I am hoping for the best. (By the way, if anyone has an overpopulation of lizards, please send them!)
[note: The normal range for Roadrunners in North America is Mexico and the southwest desert region of the U.S. (definitely, not Ohio!)]
I called Betty to get a name listed in the International Directory, hoping to find one in that town, and then I called a rehabber listed in the National Directory in Cave Creek, AZ who gave me lots of tips on caring for him. If he recovers, she said she can hook me up with an airline that can return him where he belongs, free of charge.
I am going to check with Marlys to see if I have to have any sort of authorization or other paperwork to cross the U.S./Mexican border. I don't want to release a bird from Mexico in our deserts here in case of parasite or bacteria transport. Sure hope he makes it. I think he will do best if I leave him alone.
I think we should all write our funniest, craziest, weirdest experiences to each other, just to give us some good laughs. It will help keep us going!
Mona Rutger
Director, Back To The Wild
http://www.backtothewild.com
e-mail:mona@backtothewild.com
Hi everyone!
Many of you have been wondering about the outcome of the wayward Roadrunner who arrived here at Back To The Wild back in November. He was a stowaway aboard an auto parts semi shipment out of Hermisillo, Mexico, bound for the Visteon Plant here in Sandusky, Ohio. Several workers there helped to capture him and bring him into the center.
After recovering from shock, dehydration and whatever else he had to endure, the Roadrunner was in fantastic condition (actually he took over my office/reptile room, which is heated to 85 degrees) and took a flight out of the Cleveland Hopkins Airport, on Monday, Dec. 9th aboard an America West jet. With much thanks to a rehabber in Cave Creek, AZ, Sam Fox, I was able to reach Captain Terry of America West, who graciously offered to fly him for free and get him into the hands of a fellow-rehabber in Tucson, Kathie Schroeder. Kathie then took him near the border and released him. Taking the bird across the border was not an option, due to much red tape with federal and State regulations.
There are so many factors involved in releasing wild animals and release criteria has to be carefully paid attention to. Issues like home ranges, seasons of the year, prey abundance, territories already occupied and defended by same species, and even the potential for introducing bacteria or viruses into a habitat that could seriously impact native populations. We can only hope we have all made the right decisions and that our Roadrunner gets a second chance to be wild again!
What a neat experience and privilege to have been allowed to be touched, temporarily, by the life of another incredible wild creature! Another example that says we rehabbers get way more out of this profession than what we are able to give!
This year has also brought a Gray-cheeked Thrush, a Phildelphia Vireo, and a Northern Gannet to the center, plus a wide array of species that totaled almost 1,800 individual animals! In January of 2002, we released a fully recovered Snowy Owl from the observation tower at Magee Marsh also. You just never know what each day will bring - but for me, nothing can be more fulfilling than to have the privilege to play a role in helping to return a wild creature back into the wild! When people ask a rehabber what a typical day is like - well, since Back To The Wild began, there just hasn't been a typical day! Every day brings something different and interesting and an opportunity for me to learn a little more about our natural world! Take care and to all you wonderful supporters of Back To The Wild and other centers - we thank you and need you - You make all the difference and allow us to continue to exist!
Sincerely, Mona Rutger
BACK TO THE WILD wildlife rehabilitation center in Castalia, Ohio.
BACK TO THE WILD home page URL is:
HTTP://BACKTOTHEWILD.COM/
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This was last modified on January 19, 2003.
