TreeHouse Wildlife Center
Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation:
The Basics.
by Adele T. Moore & Sally Joosten
Why these sessions?
Wildlife rehabilitation has come a long way since we first began. There were no national organizations, no teachers and no books to show us how to begin, and what to expect Therefore ,our learning process was one of trial and error. Unfortunately our errors resulted in needless deaths of the animals we were trying to help. When you take one isolated rehabilitator working on a trial and error basis, times hundreds of similar situations around the country, you are talking about hundreds of needless animal deaths. That is precisely why the Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation Basic Session was started. As educators, we would be neglect in our duties if we didn't share what we've learned over the years. There's no need to reinvent the wheel and make the same mistakes we did back in the 60's and 70's. The strength of the Intro Session is the combination of 70 years of experience in the wildlife rehabilitation field.
Who are we?
Sally Joosten: Sally started rehabilitating in 1963. She was founder and former director of the McHenry County Conservation District Wildlife Center . Originally located in her home, the project moved to a farm in 1983 and in 1991 moved into a new center built to house the approximately 2,500 animals and birds admitted annually. Sally was a charter member and former vice-president of Wildlife in Need Foundation in Woodstock , Illinois . Currently a wildlife rehabilitation consultant, Sally is vice-president of the Illinois Wildlife Rehabilitator's Association, and resides in northeastern Illinois .
Adele Moore: Adele started rehabilitating in 1972, and is co-founder and Executive Director of TreeHouse Wildlife Center since it's inception in 1979. TreeHouse is a non-profit wildlife rehabilitation and environmental education center that is operated primarily by volunteers, admitting between 500-700 animals annually from throughout the state of Illinois . Adele was the recipient of the NWRA Board of Director's Award in 1991, and is on the advisory board of the Illinois Wildlife Rehabilitator's Association. She resides in southwestern Illinois .
Sally and Adele have been presenters at numerous wildlife conferences around the country, and have published several papers on wildlife rehabilitation and education. They are founding board members of NWRA; Sally serving as vice-president as well as the Education and Nominating committees; Adele was Treasurer and Central Office Manager for several years. Adele and Dr. Richard Evans started the Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation Basic Sessions in 1985, and a companion book "Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation" compiled by Adele T. Evans ( Moore ) was published by NWRA that same year. Sally joined Adele as co-chair of the sessions in 1986. Sally and Adele were honored with NWRA's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1998, and listed in The National Registry of Who's Who in 1999.
Principles of Wildlife Rehabilitation: The Essential Guide for Novice and Experienced Rehabilitators* by Adele T. Moore and Sally Joosten, et.al. was the next generation Introduction book published in 1997 by NWRA. This 580 page loose leaf book covers topics given in the Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitators Basic Sessions. (Due to time restraints, some topics in the book are not covered in the session.)
For those interested in purchasing a copy of "Principles", please check NWRA's website at: www.nwrawildlife.org .
*A note for those of you that have previously purchase "Principles" . After many years, Pet Ag has changed the formulation of their milk replacers, therefore rendering some of the mammal substitute milk formula charts obsolete. We are currently in the process of editing Chapter 8 to remedy the situation.
Information on Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation Basic Session:
Trying to decide if wildlife rehabilitation is what you'd like to do? "Wildlife rehabilitation looks interesting, but how do I start?" or "I'm just starting out and would like to learn more, but where do I go?" If these are your questions, then this is the class for you. You say you've already taken a beginner class. Not like this one! We will tell you things you've never heard or even considered in the field of wildlife rehabilitation. "Who are you and how do we know that this session is unlike any others?" you might say. This course is taught by wildlife rehabilitators coming from different perspectives with a combined total of over 70 years of experiences. This class not only uses "Principles" as a textbook, but is taught using the lessons learned from the trials and errors of real life wildlife rehabilitation experiences. Additionally, we call on top wildlife veterinarians and rehabilitators in their respective fields to round out the session.
Time constraints limit the topics we'd like to cover, but can include the basics in zoonosis, songbirds, caging, parasites, imprinting, stress, release criteria, liability, raptors, mammals, hot tips and avoidances, quality of life, and thoughts on euthanasia. This is not a hands on workshop, but it is interactive. This is not a step-by-step how-to session, but how to approach and research what you need to know to be a successful wildlife rehabilitator.
There are two requirements for all attendees: (1) Commit for the entire 8 hour session for a course completion certificate, and (2) this is a very basic course so we prefer you have less than 2 years experience in wildlife rehabilitation.
Interested in hosting an Introduction to Wildlife Rehabilitation Basic Session in your area?
If you are a state rehabilitation organization and would like to arrange a session for your area, please contact Adele Moore by e-mail at thwc79@msn.com or Sally Joosten at salten@owc.net and we can arrange a program tailored to your needs.