Sorry i have been away for a while, so much going on, August flew by and was the busiest we have ever had with over 100 people on most of the tours, even during the week.
For the 20 years we have been here we have always seen porcupines but never in the enclosure before. That changed in late august when Ardan and Cyrus decided it would be fun to try to eat one that got into their enclosure. It was during a wolf watch which made it worse because there were 100 people there. Luckily our volunteer Janet took over the tour while Becky and i Quickly sedated them and rushed them to the hospital. A few hours later and tons of quills removed from their mouths, tongues and legs they were back at the preserve and hopefully they have learned their lesson.
We had to say good-bye to our volunteer that had been with us for 3 years Janet Pascoe but she got a job in town so we see her once in a while. We have been getting help with a new volunteer Al DeYoung, he fits in well and has been a big help. Our instagram account doing great and it is fun to post photos and updates on something other than facebook.
September was just as wet as the rest of the year and caused some difficult problems.For those who dont know, our British Colombian wolf Kayla went paralyzed in the back end 2 years ago. None of the Drs could figure out why all they could tell us is she would never walk again. Becky suggested acupuncture and after treating her for 2 1/2 months we got her right leg and tail back. She has been running with her brother and sister ever since.We tried many treatments and therapies but could never get the last leg back. After 2 years we noticed her spine twisting from the extra unused weight. It was decided the best thing for her would be amputation. She had the procedure done but it was a difficult recovery for her and Becky. She had to be away from her pack as running through a wooded enclosure would not be good for her stitches.we had to keep her calm and dry. Was put into the hospital enclosure attached to her main enclosure for recovery.The problem was the rain! It just wouldn’t stop! She refused to go into her shelter so we had to try to put tarps above her to block the rain but it was no use it was a mess.Dr leal do a great job and they held even though they were constantly wet for a few days. Becky never left her side even in the pouring rain. She even slept there with Kayla a few nights completely dedicated to helping Kayla get through this! Kayla had totally recovered and is doing great.
Soon after that another major problem. While the kittens Logan and Sienna we running and playing, somehow they managed to knock over a secured cat tree and it must have fallen on Logan because he broke his leg. We rushed him to Dr Leal and of course with our luck it was a clean break but in a bad spot. So close to the joint that it could not be plated or screwed for a quick recovery. The only thing they could do was to put a cast on it and we had to keep him calm and quiet for 9 weeks. A very difficult thing to do with a baby Lynx. Let me tell you it was a very Loooong 9 weeks. We built a custom cage so he could get around and exercise but had a low top so he couldnt jump.Cleaning the cage 3 times a day (or more), Cast changed every week and all the extra work wore us out. But he was a trooper, he never complained or got nasty and has now fully recovered. We are in the process of introducing them to their new home at the preserve. With the cats being young and having their claws we had to remodel the entire enclosure. It had to be 10 feet high and 3 foot cantilever. It took few months of early mornings and late nights but i got it done. A special thanks to Airside Sheet Metal in Andover NJ. They donated a bunch of custom made sleeves for the trees and housing unit posts to keep the cats from climbing.
We took in a rescue red fox that was at a rehabber. It had neurological problems and couldnt be put into the wild. We wanted to give it a chance to have a nice enclosure to live in with some companions with our foxes. We took her on knowing there was vet work to do but unfortunately it didnt turn out so well. The only way to get a diagnosis and a plan to help the little girl was to get an MRI of the brain and it was $4500. We paid the bill with hoes we could help but it was worse than we thought. It was a degenerative brain problem and wit her condition she was not able to metabolize the meds and she passed. The neurologist said that it was for the best as this condition caused the animal to be in constant pain ad it would have only gotten worse.We were very saddened we really hoped we could help the little thing.
We are trying again with another rescue fox this one was found in the wild and brought to a facility with severe mange.He appears to be an albino red fox and has spent the last 3 years in a cage with a wire bottom. So we hope to give him a good place to live with some companions.Becky has named him Boo and he has been with us for a month now. He was recently released into the Lynx enclosure next the our foxes and for the first time in 3 years he is able to run and play in the leaves and snow.Hopefully he will get along with the other 2 foxes and we can introduce them soon.
Winter had held off until now and he had some banner days with visitors just after Christmas with over 300 people on 2 of the tours. But it recently hit us hard and we had some of the coldest weather we have ever seen. A few days we had wind chills if 20-30 below zero. The animals did fine, Becky and i were freezing!!