Glue trap admissions continue
By Joanna Fitzgerald | Director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital
A northern mockingbird was among the 93 animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida this past week. Other admissions include a limpkin, an osprey, a loggerhead shrike, and a Florida softshell turtle.
The northern mocking bird was admitted after it got stuck to a rodent glue trap. The rescuers had used a solvent to remove the bird from the glue and thankfully brought the bird to the hospital because the glue residue and solvent had contaminated the feathers.
Staff has washed the mockingbird several times over a period of several days to remove the solvent from the bird’s feathers but it is a slow process. We have to monitor the bird closely during washing to ensure we don’t overstress and kill the bird in the process of trying to help.
The northern mockingbird is currently recovering in the bird room at the von Arx Wildlife Hospital.
I have discussed injuries and suffering caused by glue traps in past articles which has prompted several readers to offer product solutions they use to free non-target species from glue traps.
For a method of removal to be safe, it must be non-toxic in case it is ingested by the animal. Any product applied to a bird may damage the feathers and be just as detrimental as the glue. If a bird’s feathers have lost their structural integrity, the bird can’t regulate its body temperature properly, it may not be waterproof and may be unable to fly.
We use a non-toxic soy based product to destroy the stickiness of the glue, but then have to wash the birds in Dawn to restore the waterproofing to their feathers.
Recent Releases — 38 Animals Return Home This Week
- 9 eastern cottontails
- 1 cattle egret
- 3 common grackles
- 2 mourning doves
- 7 Virginia opossums
- 7 royal terns
- 1 gray catbird
- 1 chuck-will’s-widow
- 1 common yellowthroat
- 1 great horned owl
- 1 American bittern
- 1 grey squirrel
- 1 pileated woodpecker
- 1 brown thrasher
- 1 ovenbird
Wildlife Volunteers Needed
Many part time visitors to Naples are leaving just as the wildlife hospital enters our busy spring and summer season leaving us in need of additional volunteers. Volunteers are vital in helping us continue our work to protect Southwest Florida’s wildlife.
Joanna Fitzgerald is director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Call 239–262–2273 or see conservancy.org.
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