Wildlife Search and Rescue A Guide for First Responders

by Dmytryk, Rebecca

• ISBN13: 9780470655115
• ISBN10: 0470655119
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-01-30
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Rescuing wild animals in distress requires a unique set of skills, very different from those used in handling domestic animals. The equipment, degree of handling, the type of caging and level of care a wild animal receives can mean the difference between life and death. Wildlife Search and Rescue is a comprehensive guide on 'best practices' and suggested standards for response to sick, injured and orphaned wildlife. This valuable resource covers the fundamentals of wildlife rescue, from 'phone to field', including safe and successful capture strategies, handling and restraint techniques and initial aid. Wildlife Search and Rescue is a must have for anyone interested in knowing what to do when they are face to face with a wild animal in need, or for anyone involved in animal rescue. While the book focuses on wildlife native to North America, much of the information and many of the techniques are applicable to other species, including domestic dogs and cats.

Author Biography

In the last thirty years, Rebecca Dmytryk has become a leading authority in wildlife rescue having been on the front lines of some of the largest wildlife recovery missions, including the Gulf Oil Spill. From her office in Monterey, California she and her husband, Duane Titus operate  WildRescue, offering around the clock response to emergencies involving wildlife and serving all of California with a state-of-the-art toll-free wildlife hotline.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xiii
Preface	p. xvii
Overview of wildlife rescue	p. 1
Characterizing wildlife search and rescue	p. 3
Laws and regulations governing wildlife rescue in the USA	p. 7
Code of practice	p. 10
The components of wildlife search and rescue	p. 11
Human safety	p. 11
Environmental hazards	p. 11
Human factor hazards	p. 12
Equipment hazards	p. 13
Health risks	p. 13
Zoonotic diseases	p. 15
Bacterial infections	p. 15
Fungal infections	p. 18
Viruses	p. 19
Parasites	p. 19
Personal protective equipment	p. 22
Protection from hazardous materials	p. 24
Basic safety and preparedness guidelines	p. 26
Operational risk management	p. 27
Outfitting	p. 32
The welfare of the animal	p. 34
Understanding stress	p. 35
Minimizing stress during rescue operations	p. 38
Potential for success	p. 40
The mindset of the hunter and the hunted	p. 42
The importance of natural history	p. 42
The fundamentals of the search	p. 43
The fundamentals of the capture	p. 45
Anatomy of a response team	p. 52
Overview of wildlife capture equipment	p. 55
The towel	p. 55
Herding boards	p. 55
Nets and netting	p. 57
The hoop net	p. 57
The open-ended hoop net	p. 58
The throw net	p. 60
Land seine	p. 60
Mechanical nets	p. 60
Active land seine	p. 60
The bow net and Q-net	p. 61
The whoosh net	p. 62
Driving, funnel, and walk-in traps	p. 63
The dho-gaza	p. 66
Drop traps	p. 66
Cage traps	p. 68
Projectile-powered nets	p. 68
Lures	p. 69
Catchpole	p. 70
Capture, handling, and confinement of wild birds	p. 71
Techniques for capturing wild birds	p. 71
Enticing wild birds using lures	p. 71
The Bartos trap	p. 76
Snare-type traps	p. 76
Bal-chatri	p. 76
The phai trap	p. 78
Noose carpets	p. 79
The single snare	p. 79
Leg snare pole	p. 84
Swan hook	p. 85
Pit traps	p. 85
Mist nets	p. 86
On the water	p. 86
Floating gill nets	p. 88
Floating barriers and submersible pens	p. 89
Spotlighting	p. 90
Special circumstances and particular methods	p. 92
Hummingbirds	p. 92
Loons (Gaviiformes)	p. 93
Grebes (Podicipediformes)	p. 94
Rails and coots (Rallidae)	p. 94
Brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)	p. 95
Cormorants (Phalacrocoracidae)	p. 97
Waders	p. 97
Alcids	p. 98
Birds trapped in structures	p. 98
Hummingbirds in skylights	p. 99
Window strikes	p. 100
Ducklings in a pool	p. 100
Birds entangled in fishing tackle	p. 104
Rodenticide poisoning	p. 105
Shot through with a projectile	p. 105
Glue traps	p. 109
Avian botulism	p. 110
Lead poisoning	p. 111
Domoic acid poisoning (DAP)	p. 111
''Sea slime''	p. 113
Oil and petroleum products	p. 113
Handling and restraint of wild birds	p. 117
Processing from nets and housing	p. 124
Short-term and temporary housing for wild birds	p. 124
Capture, handling, and confinement of land mammals	p. 130
Techniques for capturing wild mammals	p. 130
Chemical immobilization	p. 131
Special circumstances and particular methods	p. 131
Small rodents	p. 131
Large rodents, porcupines, beaver	p. 132
Lagomorphs, rabbits and hares	p. 132
Xenarthrans, anteaters, armadillos	p. 132
Skunks	p. 133
Canids	p. 133
Deer	p. 133
Physical restraint of land mammals	p. 134
Bats	p. 134
Small rodents	p. 135
Talpids, moles and relatives	p. 136
Squirrels	p. 137
Opossums	p. 137
Porcupines	p. 137
Lagomorphs, rabbits and hares	p. 138
Small and medium-sized carnvores	p. 138
Mustelids, badger, otter, weasels	p. 139
Skunks	p. 139
Coyotes and foxes	p. 139
Felids	p. 140
Processing mammals from nets and cages	p. 140
Temporary confinement of land mammals	p. 142
Capture and handling of reptiles and amphibians	p. 145
Marine mammal rescue	p. 146
Rescuing seals and sea lions	p. 146
Young seals and sea lions	p. 147
Hoop nets	p. 149
Modified open-ended hoop net	p. 149
Wraps, slings, and stretchers	p. 151
The towel wrap	p. 151
Flat webbing cargo net	p. 152
The floating net	p. 153
Physical restraint of seals and sea lions	p. 153
Confinement and transport of pinnipeds	p. 153
Cetaceans	p. 156
Basic wildlife first aid and stabilization	p. 158
Performing a cursory physical examination	p. 159
Bleeding	p. 161
Dehydration	p. 161
Fluid therapy	p. 162
Oral fluid administration (mammals)	p. 164
Oral fluid administration (birds)	p. 165
Subcutaneous injections	p. 168
Treating hypothermia	p. 170
Treating Hyperthermia	p. 171
Basic wound care	p. 172
Stabilizing fractures	p. 173
Robert Jones bandage	p. 174
Figure-eight wrap	p. 174
Bird body wrap	p. 176
The ball bandage	p. 176
Transporting wildlife	p. 177
Field euthanasia	p. 179
Life, liberty, and euthanasia	p. 182
Rescuing baby birds and land mammals	p. 184
Reuniting, re-nesting, and wild-fostering	p. 185
Returning altricial chicks to the wild	p. 187
Returning precocial chicks to the wild	p. 193
Returning baby mammals to the wild	p. 195
Nutritional support	p. 198
Offering public service	p. 200
Public relations and the art of shapeshifting	p. 202
Contracting with municipalities	p. 203
Ready packs	p. 204
Wildlife observation form	p. 206
Wildlife trauma equipment and supplies	p. 207
Instructions for tying nooses	p. 209
Barn owl box plans and instructions	p. 211
Sample contract	p. 213
Further reading	p. 220
Index	p. 222
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.