Prairie Fire
Stone Nature Center wildlife rehabilitators cared for nearly 2000
wild animals in 2006 . About 20 licensed rehabilitators in the NE
Kansas area cared for a wide variety of birds, mammals and
other species of wildlife in one of the busiest wildlife years since
the beginning of the wildlife rehab group in 1991.
It started out slowly, with only a few winter raptors coming into
care. Then in March, a microburst hit the Lawrence area. Over
the next 4 days the group admitted 46 baby squirrels under the
age of 3 weeks. Every rehabber took their share of the load with
very few losses.
April to June saw the usual flood of baby birds, bunnies, and
raccoons. Then in late June, a kayaker found a starving and
injured juvenile bald eagle on the Delaware near Perry Lake.
The young eagle had fledged 4 weeks previously from a nest
coincidently on the property of one of the Stone Nature Center
raccoon rehabilitators, Jim Browning. The 15 week old fledgling
eagle arrived near death from starvation, infection and a
fractured wing. She made a near miraculous recovery, but sadly
is unlikely to ever be fully flighted. She was transferred to Milford
Nature Center to start her education career.
Mercifully, the July to October West Nile Virus season saw only a
few crows, jays, blackbirds and squirrels. Two raptors with
suspected cases came into care. This was compared to the over
200 WNV cases of several years ago.
The hotline continued to be busy through the fall with numerous
owls, hawks and falcons coming into care.
So congratulations for all of the hard work to all of the Stone
Nature Center rehabbers. We are hoping for a quieter year in
2007.
7240 SW 10th St.
Topeka, KS 66615
(785) 273-5806
Rehabilitation, Inc,a non-profit organization dedicated to wildlife
rehabilitation and education through the Stone Nature Center,
Topeka, Kansas.