AWARE’S TAILS FROM THE WILD

FALL 2014

Inside this Issue

www.AWAREwildlife.org

This year has been AWARE’s busiest year ever. As of this writing, we have treated more than 1,700 animals—from baby bats and birds no bigger than a quarter to larger animals like bobcats and foxes. As 2014 draws to a close, most of our babies have grown up and moved out on their own, and we find ourselves reflecting on all that we’ve accom-plished this year and some of our more memorable and unusual patients. A few of our most unusual patients this year have been migratory birds not commonly seen in rehabilitation. One of these patients was a Virginia Rail, a small, long-legged marsh bird that is only seen in our area during its migration. Found stunned on the ground in a supermarket parking lot, this bird was most likely the victim of a window strike—a fate that sadly kills millions of birds annually in the United States. Fortunately, this bird quickly regained the strength

needed to continue his journey. During the short time he was with us, it was fascinating to watch

Story continued on page 4

Unforgettable Tails of 2014

Director’s Reflections from

the Wild

Page 2

Little Critter’s Corner Page 2

Wing Beat Page 3

Unforgettable Tails of 2014 Page 4

Auction Sponsors & Donors Page 5

Meet the Ambassadors:

Marc & Cleo, Striped Skunks

Page 9

Senior Writer and Editor:

Melanie Edwards Furr,

mefurr@bellsouth.net

Photography: Melanie Furr,

Linda Potter, Jim Wilson, and

Alex Johnson III

Layout: Darla Warnock

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES CAN

DONATE TO AWARE THROUGH CFC!

AWARE has been chosen to participate

in the 2014 Combined Federal Cam-

paign and has been a trusted recipient

of CFC funds for the past two years. If

you are a federal employee and want to

donate to AWARE through the CFC,

please reference #47284 on your federal

donation form. Thank you!

Virginia Rail

Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014 Page 2

Director’s Reflections from the Wild

As another year comes to a

close at AWARE it is thrilling to

take a look at how far we’ve

come. In a way, this has been a

year of firsts. We are excited

to report our first ever rehabil-

itation of a Mississippi kite.

Likewise, we have our first Os-

prey—another beautiful bird

whose majestic appearance is

so similar to our symbolic Bald

Eagle. We are also very proud

to report that this year AWARE took in the most ani-

mals ever in its history—over 1,700 animals and

counting as of this publication. While this is a cause

for celebration, it is also a reminder of how we could

not do what we do were it not for the financial gener-

osity of the public that supports us and our corporate

sponsors. We are also thankful for those who sup-

ported our 3rd Annual Art for Armadillos Silent Auc-

tion to benefit wildlife rehabilitation and made it our

most successful event ever. Your support suggests

that the public takes pride in the work that AWARE

Dr. Tarah Hadley

does and regards it as their community center for

wildlife rehabilitation and education. In 2015, you

can look forward to more community events hosted

by AWARE. We invite your support and hope to see

you there! By Tarah Hadley

C D K Q B B J M L A R L R E E

X O D C E E U B R X E P E W Z

B F T A U S Q M D R H O D W T

R O V T S D A M R N S K F O X

S E B O O D D I F Q A N O S S

R J P C I N U O E O R U X B B

A O L L A Q T Z O F H M O A F

D S L D S T G A U W T P M R Z

P O J Y H N N I I Q N I Y R Z

X R A C C O O N Y L W H X E O

Z R A E B K C A L B O C T D R

G B E H G C D J Y E R P S O Y

F M N D U K E J X X B H L W Q

F S T R I P E D S K U N K L G

C I L X R N J U E T S X N U M

Little Critter’s Corner

Georgia Native Wildlife Word Search

ARMADILLO BARRED OWL BEAVER BLACK BEAR BOBCAT BROWN THRASHER CHIPMUNK COTTONTAIL GRAY SQUIRREL OPOSSUM OSPREY RACCOON RED FOX STRIPED SKUNK

Learn more about these animals at http://georgiawildlife.com/SpeciesInfo

Left: Attendees

enjoy refresh-

ments at the

3rd Annual Art

for Armadillos

Silent Auction

Right:

Auction

guests learn

about wild-

life from

ambassador

Barred Owls

Star Gazer

and Tappy

Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014 Page 3

Wing Beat Enjoying Georgia’s Birds

The Sandhill Crane is one of fifteen species in the

crane family. This species is identified by its gray color,

dark red patch on the forehead, and black bill. It is one

of the tallest birds in North America standing nearly four

feet above the ground, so it’s very visible. It can be con-

fused with the Great Blue Heron, another large, long-

legged bird, but the heron is not related to the cranes

and has a white head with a black stripe over the eye.

The Great Blue Heron can be seen all over Georgia

throughout the year at lakes, rivers and ponds (they love

Koi in a pond).

Sandhill Cranes migrate through Georgia in the spring

on their way to their nesting grounds, mostly in Canada,

and in the fall on their way back south to their wintering

areas on the southwest prairies and south Florida. How-

ever, they are conspicuous during those times because

they fly in large V formations high over the Atlanta area

(for the ones headed to S. Florida) and make loud gur-

gling sounds that are very distinct and can be heard for

miles. Once you know or have heard their calls, you in-

stantly know to look upward to see these magnificent

birds flying very high in sky. They can fly as high as

13,000 feet, so you might want to use a pair of binocu-

lars to better identify them. They fly with outstretched

necks and legs so they are easily distinguished from

geese and herons that fly with their necks and legs

tucked near their bodies.

Sometimes these cranes will decide to spend the

night near Atlanta. They like open areas with shallow

water, which allow them to spot predators and feed on

invertebrates that live in the water and mud. They are

omnivorous, however, and also feed on grains, berries,

aquatic plants, snails, lizards, frogs and snakes.

Sandhill Cranes are famous for their spring mating dance

in which two birds will leap high off the ground with wings

flapping and loud calling. Their antics will definitely get your

attention.

They are also well known for their gathering points on the

Platte River in Nebraska. As many as a half a million cranes

may gather there at one time during their spring migration

(February through April)--one of the largest migratory flocks

in the world! Birders travel from all over the world to see

this spectacular event.

Next time you hear funny noises high in the sky, check

for Sandhill Cranes.

Photos and article by Jim Wilson

Sandhill Cranes

Left: Great Blue Heron

The Perfect Gift for the Holidays

Looking for that perfect holiday gift for the animal lover in your

life? A sponsorship of one of the many animals in AWARE’s Adopt

a Rehab Animal program would make the perfect gift. Proceeds

benefit AWARE’s efforts to rehabilitate wildlife and to educate the

public about peaceful coexistence. Adopters receive a certificate of

adoption along with a picture of their adopted animal. Visit our

website to adopt an animal today!

Above: Sandhill Crane

Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014 Page 4

him quickly run about his enclosure and gobble up the invertebrates offered to him in soft dirt. Another unusual bird was a juvenile Mississippi Kite that was found on the ground, weak and dehydrated and missing some tail feathers. As with many of our patients, we can only guess what happened to this bird, but being in no condition to continue his mi-gration to his tropical wintering grounds, he will spend the winter with us until he has molted into his adult plumage and gained the strength to prepare him for spring migration. Perhaps the most impressive migratory bird that came into rehabilitation this year is the Osprey currently in our care. Like the kite, he was found weak and dehydrated on the

ground. This large raptor feeds exclusively on fish, diving into water feet-first to catch prey. Apparently, he doesn’t find the bowl of fish which we have provided him to be a sufficient challenge, and so far we’ve had to coax him to eat by hand-feeding him. Like the kite, he will spend the winter with us to regain the strength necessary to migrate to his summer breeding grounds. We’ve had our fair share of unforgettable mammals this year, too. Among these memorable patients were two baby groundhog orphans that arrived at AWARE after they were found next to their dead mother along the side of a road. This pair stole the hearts of our staff and volunteers. Sickly and weak when they arrived, they soon regained the strength and hearty appetites of growing young-

sters. As with many of the irresistible animals in our care, the most difficult thing to do was to refrain from coddling them and limit their contact with humans so that they could be successfully returned to the wild. An orphaned red fox kit that came to us after he was kidnapped and kept as a family pet was not so lucky. Try as we might, we could not reverse the imprinting that had occurred, and sadly, this fox can never be returned to the wild. As we so often try to impress upon the public, wild animals are best suited to a life in the wild; trying to keep them as pets is an injustice to them. Luckily, this fox, affectionately named “Todd” for the fox in the movie The Fox and the Hound, found a permanent home in a wildlife sanctuary. For the few weeks we raised this playful and curious kit, he absolutely melted our hearts! These unique cases stand out among the hundreds of other squirrels, opossums, chipmunks, rac-coons, coyotes, and other wildlife that arrived at our door—each deserving a second chance at life in the wild. A few other memorable cases came to us as the result of human negligence. When we received a call from a con-cerned individual about turtles stranded in mud at a pond that had been drained for construction of the new Braves stadium, our staff and volunteers rushed to the rescue. Wading knee-deep in thick mud, the AWARE crew was able to

rescue dozens of turtles that otherwise would have perished. The turtles were returned to the same watershed in which they were found as soon as they were given a clean bill of health. One of the most heartbreaking cases this year was a raccoon whose foot had gotten stuck in the neck of a shattered glass bottle. This poor animal was seen walking around with a grossly deformed foot for weeks before she was successfully trapped and transported to us for care. Sadly, her foot was too severely injured to be saved, and our director Dr. Tarah Hadley was forced to amputate. We wouldn’t have thought a three-legged raccoon would fare well in the wild, but since this gal had survived for weeks with her horribly painful and debilitating injury, we thought she deserved a chance. Happily, weeks after her release back to her home territory, she has been seen climbing trees and getting around well. Another heartbreaking case is a Red-tailed Hawk still re-covering at AWARE after being found on the ground with severe neurological trauma. Most likely a victim of secondary poisoning from eating a rodent killed with rodenticide, she couldn’t stand or hold her head up when she arrived. Even after weeks of treat-ment, she has not recovered well enough to be returned to the wild; she navigates

Unforgettable Tails of 2014 (continued from page 1)

Left: Mississippi Kite

Right: Osprey

Below: neurological Red-Tailed Hawk

Story continued on page 5

Page 5 Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014

poorly and cocks her head in an unnatural way. Still, her health is vastly improved, and we hope to find placement for her in a wildlife center as an educational ambassador. A beautiful hawk that has captured the hearts of our staff and volunteers, she provides a stirring reminder of the dangers of using poison for pest control. Sadly, each year untold numbers of non-targeted wildlife like this hawk die horrible deaths after eating poisoned rodents. While many animals that we care for are victims of accidents and natural causes, those that come to us as a result of human carelessness and irresponsibility are the most upsetting cases. They are the reason why our mission to educate the public about wildlife conservation are equally important to our efforts to rehabilitate injured, sick, and orphaned animals. We couldn’t provide care for any of these animals or do the education work that we do without the generosity and

commitment of our donors and hard-working volunteers. We thank you for your support, and we look forward to con-

tinuing to serve our community and all its wild inhabitants.

By Melanie Furr

Unforgettable Tails of 2014 (continued from page 4)

Thank You 2014 AWARE Art Auction Sponsors & Donors!

Auction Sponsors

Alliance Theatre at Woodruff

Apples in Stereo lead singer Robert Schneider

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Auction Horizon

Beer Growler

Botanical Gardens

Center for Puppetry Arts

Chai Pani

Children’s Museum of Atlanta

Dulce Vegan

Empire State South

Fernbank Museum

GA Aquarium

Gwinett Braves

Haven Restaurant and Bar

High Museum

Jeni’s Ice Cream

Kavarna

Kimi’s Bistro

Krispy Kreme Atlanta-Ponce de Leon location

Lego Land

Matador Cantina

The Mercantile

Mojo’s Pizza

Petmeister’s Petsitting

Pike Nurseries

Shakespere Taven

UPS Store Conyers-Smyrna Crossing

Zoo Atlanta

Art Donors

Hugh Acheson

Patricia Adams

AimeeLaura

Donnya Ajdari

Tasmia Alam

Elisha Bailey

Kendra Baird

Sean Barry

Gabriela Baumgartner

Edward Bello

Marjorie Bowers

Michele Brewer

Mike Brown

Jordan Budnik

Spirit & Edmond Bush

Julie Campbell

Robyn Canady

Caylin Caruso

Sergey Cherep

Jo Ann Chism

Kish Choudhary

Brenda Cobb

Joel Conison

Sherry Cook

Carolyn Cordell

Katie Cotter-Reilly

Art Donors continued page 6

Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014 Page 6

Thank You 2014 AWARE Art Auction Sponsors & Donors!

Doug Crane

Emory Cullen

Gary D. Curtis

Anthony Dallman-Jones

Berry Davis

Merissa Davis

Miguel Dominguez

Tanya Doskova

Christopher Dougherty

Jill Dubin

Athea Eberhardt

Marilyn Eckert

Amit Eichenbaum

Suzie Eifrid

C. Epps

Katelinn Esslinger

Tiffany Everett

Erin Feichtner

Mark Ferguson

Suzanna DiMarco Ferguson

Ann Finley

Sarah Flinn

Collette Fortin

Holly Sue Foss

Tom Francis

Sandra Fraser

Shelley Greenhalgh

Amy Gresens

Leigh Griffin

Prudence Hardi

Emmye Harris

Winthrope Hiers

Julia Hill

Jenna Hirt

Tracy Hoexter

Marirosa Hofman

Lorri Honeycutt

Jimmy Hopkins

Gina Houlditch

Amanda Hunter

Tim Hunter

Bella Imbesi

Sienna Imbesi

Kevin J

Sally Jamara

Jane Jaskevich

Ron Jenkins

Jewelry Artisans

Aida Kissler

Kathryn Laibson

Fayola Langston

Trich leCroy

Angie Lewis

Lynn Lommer

Rebecca Lowery

Ilicia Martin

Thea Mayhew

Linda L. McCulloch

Tom McRae

Brian K. Miller

Jerry Miller

Lee Miller

Natacha Monnalisa

Christie Moody

Melissa Moore

Lisa Mote

Shijun Munns

Nathan Nardi

Tammy O’Connor

Angie O’Neal

Claudia Orth

Mariella Owens

Nicholas Parnell

Haseena Peera

Phil Prentice

T Robinson

Helen Rogers

Larry Rogers

David Russell

Marie Rust

Lore Ruttan

Michelle Ryman

Liz Schley

Peggy E. Schmid

Dr. Mimi Shepard

Rob Simmons

Michelle McDowell Smith

Tara Smith

Honey Staufer

Hazel J. Studstill

John Suade

Donna Thome

Emily Tucker

Mark & Lee-Etta Van de Bogart

Mike & Sherrie Venghaus

Judy Clement Wall

Kathy Walton

Darla Warnock

David B. Well

Angela Welti

Sarah White

Caitlin Whitehead

Zhiyong Ye

Leonard Yeager

Oz, southern sea otter (Georgia

Aquarium resident)

Nyuni, African black-footed pen-

guin (Georgia Aquarium resi-

dent)

Kelly the Elephant (Zoo Atlanta

resident)

Lady Owlbert Einstein, Barred

Owl (AWARE Ambassador)

Windy Sue Whoo, Barn Owl

(AWARE Ambassador)

Savannah, bobcat (AWARE Am-

bassador)

Stella Luna, flying squirrel

(AWARE Ambassador)

Cessna, flying squirrel (AWARE

Ambassador)

Stevie Hawking, Red-

Shouldered Hawk (AWARE Am-

bassador)

Star Gazer, Barred Owl

(AWARE Ambassador)

Tappy, Barred Owl (AWARE

Ambassador)

Marc Antony, striped skunk

(AWARE Ambassador)

Cleopatra, striped skunk

(AWARE Ambassador)

Mary Shelli Frankenstein, box

turtle (AWARE Ambassador)

Legs, corn snake (AWARE Am-

bassador)

Koko, Red-tailed Hawk

(AWARE Ambassador)

Ellis D. Owl, Eastern Screech

Owl (AWARE Ambassador)

Beowulf, Virginia opossum

(AWARE Ambassador)

Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014 Page 7

Thank You 2014 AWARE Art Auction Sponsors & Donors!

Special thanks to artist Vanessa

Lowry who for the second year in

a row generously donated her time

and talent to create a beautiful

depiction of Armie the Armadillo–

official mascot of AWARE’s Art for

Armadillos Wildlife Auction.

Auction photos courtesy of Alex Johnson, ajiiiphotography.com

Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014 Page 8

Thank You 2014 AWARE Art Auction Sponsors & Donors!

Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014 Page 9

Meet the Ambassadors: Striped Skunks

Cleopatra & Marc Antony Cleopatra came to AWARE as a tiny orphan. Be-

cause AWARE had no other skunks in rehabilita-

tion at that time, Cleo grew up without other

skunks to bond with or a proper skunk “role mod-

el.” While natural instincts enable many animals

to learn essential survival skills, Cleo never caught

on. Miss Priss does know how to stomp her feet

and point her backside to volunteers when she is

not in the mood to be approached, however! She

can be a bit of a spitfire, especially before she’s

had her breakfast! Usually, she’s curious and

sweet and an excellent companion for Marc Anto-

ny, the other non-releasable skunk in AWARE’s care.

Marc Antony was found as a baby and raised with humans. While the people who raised Marc An-

tony may not have been aware of the regulations prohibiting the possession of native wildlife in

Georgia (without special permits), the veterinarian who neutered him should have been. Nonethe-

less, he was fully grown when he was finally surrendered to AWARE, no longer wanted as a pet. Fully

acclimated to humans, Marc is a friendly and curious skunk, but like his pal Cleo, he is not a

“morning person.”

Curiously, neither of our striped skunks wears a

stripe. Cleo is mostly black, while Marc is mostly

white. Regardless of their markings, wild skunks pro-

vide an important environmental service. They not on-

ly eat vegetation like fruits and berries, assisting with

the spread of seeds and the cleanup of rotting fruits,

but they also eat rodents, insects, and other critters

humans consider pests. At AWARE, we love the little

stinkers!

If you would like to contribute to Marc’s or Cleo’s annual care by a symbolic adoption, visit

our website and fill out the Adopt-an-Ambassador form. Our non-releasable educational am-

bassadors are AWARE’s greatest asset in our conservation efforts, inspiring thousands of

people each year to protect Georgia’s native wildlife. Adoption fees cover the cost of food,

medical care, and enclosure maintenance on an annual basis and provide the following bene-

fits: sponsor recognition at our center, in our newsletter, and on our Facebook page and web-

site. You will also have the opportunity to meet and take a picture with your chosen ambas-

sador as well as receive a behind-the-scenes tour of AWARE.

Above: Cleopatra

Left: Marc Antony

AWARE is a volunteer-based organization working to

preserve and restore wildlife and its habitat through edu-

cation and wildlife rehabilitation. We believe that peace-

ful coexistence of humans and wildlife is essential for our

mutual survival.

AWARE will rescue and rehabilitate more than 1,700

animals in 2014, and most of them will return to the wild.

In addition, our licensed rehabilitators answer thousands

of inquiries each year from people with wildlife con-

cerns, providing AWARE with opportunities to help peo-

ple better understand, appreciate, and coexist with wild-

life. Our educational outreach programs, which feature

our non-releasable ambassador animals, include school

programs, festivals, fairs, nature centers, community

events, scout meetings, and anywhere there is an audi-

ence interested in wildlife. Our non-releasable ambas-

sador animals (bobcat, opossum, flying squirrel, snake,

turtle, skunks, crows, owls, and hawks) provide a face to

our lessons on how to peacefully coexist with wild ani-

mals.

AWARE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that

relies on private contributions of time and money.

AWARE receives no government assistance.

Your donations make our work possible.

Tours given Saturdays

and Sundays at 1 P.M. Donations gladly accepted

——————————————

Book an educational program and meet

our ambassador animals up close!

4158 Klondike Road, Lithonia, GA 30038

(678) 418-1111

www.AWAREwildlife.org

Preserving Georgia’s Wildlife through Rehabilitation and Education

Tails from the Wild, Fall 2014 Page 10

AWARE’s Wish List Home Depot and Wal-Mart gift cards

Towels and linens (no holes or loose threads)

Sticky notes, fine-tipped permanent markers

Applesauce, mixed fruit baby food

Pecan halves or miscellaneous whole nuts

Unscented HE laundry detergent and bleach

Purina Dog Chow Complete, Friskies Grillers

Blend Cat Chow, or Friskies Classic Pate

Happy Holidays from AWARE!