Wildlife Rehabilitation Bulletin

NWRA Membership Survey 2003

Lisa Borgia — Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700

The National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA) conducts periodic (five year intervals) surveys of the membership to capture data on the demographics, priorities, and challenges facing members. The NWRA Board of Directors uses these member surveys to help plan the organization’s future. Surveys were conducted in 1993, 1998, and 2003 and data were collected on demographic characteristics and wildlife rehabilitation activities of members. Specifically, information on the geographic distribution of members, type of area served, type of animals treated, and type of injuries treated was collected. The response rate for all surveys was reasonably high. The geographic distribution of the respondents was similar to the distribution of NWRA members in general, suggesting the survey respondents are a representative sample of membership. Because of the high response rate and geographic representation, it is reasonable to assume that the data collected from the latest survey (2003) can be reliably projected to the NWRA members in that year (1,662). These data indicate that the respondents treated 107,918 animals and respondents’ educational programs reached 2.1 million people in 2002. Based on these data, wildlife rehabilitation activities appear broad in scope and important factors for some wildlife management practices such as educational programs.

Determining the Prevalence of Patent Parasite Infections in Raccoons from West-Central Illinois

Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700

The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is an omnivorous mammal that is widely distributed throughout North America (Kaufman 1982). This omnivorous diet exposes the raccoon to a broad spectrum of intestinal parasites. Because the raccoon is highly adapted to both urban and rural environments, and raccoon densities are increasing in both types of areas (Hoffman and Gottschang 1977), there is increased contact between humans and raccoons. Greater contact with raccoons creates a potential for human and domestic animal exposure to parasites normally harbored by raccoons. Intestinal parasitism can cause serious consequences for the vertebrate host, including weight loss, poor pelt, anemia, and death (Hanson 1933; Soulsby 1982). Intestinal parasitism in the raccoon has been studied extensively, especially in the Midwest and Southeast (Cole and Shoop 1987; Schaffer et al. 1981; Smith et al. 1985; Snyder and Fitzgerald 1985a). Several studies in different geographic locations have characterized age, gender, season, and/or location patterns for Baylisascaris procyonis (Kidder et al. 1989; Snyder and Fitzgerald 1985b); however, no study has evaluated the combination of these factors for B. procyonis and/or other intestinal parasites simultaneously. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine the prevalence of patent intestinal nematode and protozoal infections in raccoons; (2) compare prevalence of shedding between age and gender groups; and (3) compare prevalence of shedding between raccoons captured in different sites or seasons.

The Egg—Development, Incubation, and Hatching

Bea Orendorff — Fri, 30 Apr 2004 00:00:00 -0700

Much of the information in this paper was obtained from the poultry industry, because that is where most of the research is currently conducted. However, the same principles apply to wild birds. Egg size, number of eggs per clutch, color, frequency of egg-laying, and shape are inherited. Regardless of a bird’s age, the number of eggs it lays, their size, shape, shell color, texture, and strength can be affected by a variety of things including environmental stress, improper nutrition, medications, vaccinations, parasites, and disease.