We are excited to welcome Dr. Guthrum Purdin as our new Veterinarian in October. He is a renowned wildlife rehabilitator and authority on the animals of California. Guthrum is no stranger to CWC either, having worked at CWC in 2001, one of our earliest years.
More recently, he was at the Wildlife Care Association in Sacramento as their Wildlife Veterinarian and as the Veterinarian at the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley. He also served as Director of Veterinary Services for Lindsay Wildlife Experience until 2017. Guthrum worked at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, where he was active for 18 years. With over 20 years of experience with wild animals, we are fortunate to have hired such an exceptional veterinarian. Guthrum has his BS in Marine Biology from San Francisco State University and his DVM from the University of California, Davis.
Guthrum is also a well-known author of several authoritative chapters in reference books for the industry and is considered an expert in the rearing of several species of songbirds. Dr. Purdin teaches wildlife medicine through both lectures and writing and has contributed to books and scientific papers. Most recently, he co-wrote and co-edited the fourth volume of National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association’s “Topics in Wildlife Medicine” manual on Orthopedics.
Prior to working with animals professionally, Guthrum made his living as a jeweler and then a movie propmaker in Hollywood, before deciding to pursue a full-time career in veterinary medicine and wildlife rehabilitation.
We very much look forward to having this highly esteemed and experienced Veterinarian on our team.
https://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.png00protectanimalshttps://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.pngprotectanimals2020-09-10 16:04:342020-09-10 16:04:34Welcome to Dr. Guthrum Purdin
Dr. Stephany Lewis examines a Raven while wearing a mask Photo by Heather Patrice Brown
Like everyone in the world, we have been impacted by Coronavirus at California Wildlife Center. While many of its effects have been negative, it has surely shown us how resilient we are, and how much amazing support we have in the community.
We have had to discontinue the use of volunteers as we cannot support social distancing with the numbers of people we usually have on site. Our legions of interns from around the country who join us each summer to learn about wildlife husbandry have been asked to stay home. The extern program, which enables vet school students to work with Dr. Lewis, has been put on indefinite hiatus. However, we have also had some outstanding volunteers who have made us masks at home, who have brought us donations and snacks, created educational videos, and others who are assisting with bringing us animals from the shelters. We enjoy receiving their emails of encouragement and letting us know how much they miss the animals.
We have had five staffers out sick for extended periods, although thankfully none tested COVID-positive. Administrative staff have been working from their homes to minimize the number of people at CWC. For staff that is on site, masks are worn, social distancing is supported and temperatures are taken twice daily for all. We are bleaching all common surfaces three times a day and taking multiple other steps to keep everyone healthy.
Those of us who are here are focused on one thing-helping the patients. We all are doing laundry, preparing diets, mopping floors and feeding the hundreds of animals on site.
We’ve modified our intake procedures to support social distancing. Members of the public are asked to text all pertinent information rather than speak directly to staff on site. Unfortunately, this has also resulted in a reduction of our income as we often have rescuers offer a donation when they bring us an animal.
With stay-at-home orders, fewer people are outside, and we’ve also had a decline in the number of overall animals. It’s unclear whether that’s a result of a reduction in number of animals being injured by people or if they’re being injured at the same rate and just not being assisted and brought to us. With many of the local animal shelters closed, we are also receiving fewer injured or ill animals from them. Currently we are -29% intake numbers year to date. Spring and Summer are our busiest times and it’s difficult to judge where we will end up for the year. Our marine mammal program has responded to half of the number of calls as in 2019. Our belief is that, with homeowners and lifeguards on site, that this is simply a light year for strandings.
What we are certain of is that California Wildlife Center will endure through this crisis and continue to be here for the animals and residents of Southern California.
https://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.png00protectanimalshttps://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.pngprotectanimals2020-04-30 17:41:452020-04-30 17:43:32A Visit to CWC’s Orphan Care Unit
https://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.png00protectanimalshttps://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.pngprotectanimals2020-04-23 17:58:372020-04-24 15:47:32A Look Inside California Wildlife Center
Which animal has five fingers but no thumb? This animal is sometimes known as a “trash panda” and has a mixed reputation in urban areas. It’s a raccoon, of course!
While we don’t care for raccoons on-site at CWC, we do have a few amazing and dedicated home care volunteers who will raise orphaned kits from young babies to juveniles ready for release. Due to the types of diseases that the raccoons can carry and CWC’s limitations, all of them are cared for off-site.
Generally, members of the public who find baby raccoons and contact us. The rescuer may have scared the mother away and then found the babies, or they have found a single kit by themselves. Raccoons give birth in the Spring with two to five kits in a litter. Our home care volunteers feed them milk replacement and gradually add solid food, and the babies are generally weaned at 16 weeks. Once they are old enough to find food on their own, they are released back into the wild. Adult raccoons are omnivores and eat invertebrates, vegetables, and vertebrates such as rats, frogs, and fish.
Juvenile Raccoons Photo by Jennifer Brent
“The raccoon babies are playful and love to explore,” says Glenn Ellis, longtime homecare volunteer, adding “they are masters at figuring things out.” Raccoons are known for being smart and have been compared to primates in their potential for intelligence. Many people think that raccoons must wash their food prior to consumption. However, studies have shown that the cleanliness of food bears no influence. Instead, raccoons put their food underwater to better feel it—the water moistens their paws so that their tactile perception is increased.
Raccoons can be considered a nuisance animal in Los Angeles’ urban environment. Every year we receive calls about raccoons who have given birth inside peoples’ garages or attics. The best way to deter a raccoon is exclusion—sealing your home properly so that any unwanted guest (rodents, raccoons, skunks, etc.) cannot enter. The second best way is to be careful about trash disposal. An unlatched trash can is an invitation to any animal for a free meal. Additionally, feeding outdoor cats is like setting out a buffet for any outdoor animals from rodents to reptiles to raccoons. While we vaccinate all of our raccoons against distemper and parvo virus, raccoons in the wild can harbor diseases that are dangerous for humans and pets.
Hunting for raccoon fur and meat has existed in North America for hundreds of years reaching its peak in the 1970s with 5.2 million raccoons killed in a single year, mainly for their fur. It wasn’t until the 1990s that raccoon fur went out of fashion and hunting diminished.
Each year our home care volunteers Glenn Ellis, Sharon Leckbee, and Michele Morse care for 25-30 raccoon kits. We do not accept adult raccoons at CWC due to our limitations for enclosures. If you have a nuisance adult raccoon, please contact your area’s animal care and control agency.
https://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.png00protectanimalshttps://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.pngprotectanimals2019-09-04 17:27:182019-09-05 22:51:50Caring for Bandit-Faced Babies
On Thursday November 8th, around 3pm, one of our California Wildlife Center employees let us know that he had heard on the radio that there was a wildfire. We called our local fire station and they said that the fire was a very long way away and it was unlikely that we would be affected. Nevertheless, we took the proactive approach and removed some of the most expensive surgical equipment and reviewed our emergency procedures in case we needed to evacuate. As the fire progressed, we had our staff leave early on Thursday as a precautionary measure.
Marine Program Manager Mike Remski and Senior Wildlife Technician Jenn Guess load the CWC van with evacuating patients. Photo by Jennifer Brent
At 2am on Friday November 9th, two of our staff who live in Westlake Village called me, advising me that they were given a mandatory evacuation order. At that point, I made the decision to evacuate the animals out. Given the speed and unpredictability of the winds, we thought it best to move all of our patients from the facility while we still could.
By 3am, three of us gathered at the Albertson’s parking lot, just off of the 101 at Las Virgenes. We were not alone. In fact, we were surprised to see many RVs, boats, and more cars than we’d ever seen before in the lot. We set off to California Wildlife Center immediately.
Once we arrived at the Center, we were struck by the silence and the stars, which were shining bright above us—no signs of smoke or fire. We were soon joined by Mike Remski, our Marine Mammal manager. Fortunately due to the season, we did not have any seals or sea lions in our care, so he was able to help us with the avian and terrestrial patients.
We all grabbed flashlights, headlamps, crates, boxes, nets, gloves and began our evacuation procedures. Jenn Guess, our Senior Wildlife Tech was responsible for catching up the animals that were in our lower enclosures. Those are the patients who are closest to release, who are in the process of de-habituation and regaining their strength prior to return to the wild. They include Red-tailed hawks, Bobcats, Mourning doves, Fox squirrels, Virginia opossums, a Burrowing owl, a Merlin and many more. Working with advice from our veterinarian on the phone who couldn’t access the Center from the north due to road closures, we released any of the birds that were on the cusp of being ready to re-enter the wild.
Wildlife Technician Cambria Wells was responsible for gathering those patients who were under care in our ICU. The ICU is where the animals who need attention (medication, visual monitoring or physical check-ups more than once a day) are housed. Cambria gathered those animals and their medications and all of their charts, which track their progress. We loaded everyone up in multiple vehicles and drove quickly out. On our way, we could begin to see the eerie glow of the wildfire approaching from the West.
Fire in Distance. Photo by Jennifer Brent
By 4:30am we were back at the Starbucks, which was open and packed with people. We contacted our evacuation site in Woodland Hills, which is also the site of one of our longtime home care volunteers. She let us know that she was prepared and ready to receive our animals. As we drove down the 101 East, the sheriffs were closing access to the freeway to westward travel.
Little did we know that by 5pm that Friday, our area would be under mandatory evacuation. We are incredibly grateful to have been able to get out all of our animals.
The view from CWC before and after the fire. Photo by Jennifer Brent
As our founder, Aaron Frank said via email to me the other day, “Since our inception we’ve known fire was a threat due to our location and we’ve come close many times. We’ve been fortunate to have been spared and owe a great debt of gratitude to the firefighters who helped save our Center this time and many times before.”
We have been stunned by the support of the community and the current and former volunteers and absolute strangers who have offered to take animals on our behalf and clean up the site.
Volunteer Maria Kishchenko power washes one of the aviaries. Photo by Heather Patrice Brown
Veterinarian Stephany Lewis and Wildlife Technician Johanna Molina scrub the floor of ICU. Photo by Cambria Wells
On Thursday November 15th, we heard that CWC was accessible on foot so Mike and I hiked in to check on our status. We were shocked and amazed to find our Center untouched. It was exactly as we had left it, green and protected by the beautiful old oak trees that shelter us. Once the roads opened we began moving patients back into the Center and had volunteers come and scrub out all of the enclosures and buildings. It was the first time CWC had been empty since its founding in 1998! We opened for animals on Monday November 19th and are looking forward to being able to once again serve the animals and people of Los Angeles.
https://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.png00protectanimalshttps://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.pngprotectanimals2018-12-17 17:51:582018-12-17 17:52:09California Wildlife Center in the Woolsey Fire
Intern Beverly Loo tube-feeds an American Crow. Photo by Heather Patrice Brown
by Beverly Loo, Intern
California Wildlife Center is one of the most unique organizations you will find if you need a safe place to drop off an injured or orphaned animal for rescue and rehabilitation. This former ranger station is home not only to hundreds of patients per week but also to dozens of volunteers, interns, and staff members who work seven days a week, 365 days a year, to give the best care to our wild neighbors. The difference between CWC and other veterinary hospitals is more than just the type of animals that come into our care, although there is no other place you would be able to see a Striped Skunk, Elephant Seal, and Golden Eagle all in one day! To me, the difference is in the team behind the name.
As a second-time intern, I have had the good fortune of working with an amazing group of volunteers, interns, and staff. We have exceptional volunteers who come on their days off to volunteer their time once a week. We have enthusiastic interns who fly from the East Coast just to experience a summer at the Center. And we have dedicated staff who drive from all over Los Angeles to work at this incredibly rewarding job.
My favorite memories (so far!) at California Wildlife Center are exchanging funny stories with my fellow interns while doing (seemingly endless) laundry, learning to tube-feed a Hawk while being carefully instructed by one of our extremely knowledgeable wildlife technicians, and releasing one of our patients back into the wild after a successful rehabilitation. With all these amazing experiences, it is no wonder why I came back for a second summer at CWC! As a fourth-year college student currently applying to vet school, there is no place I’d rather be than here. Thanks to the great people, this has become one of my favorite places ever to work.
https://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.png00protectanimalshttps://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.pngprotectanimals2018-08-14 16:07:402018-08-14 16:08:30Summer Internship at CWC: So Nice I Did It Twice!
By Denys Hemen, Hospital Manager and Alyssa Schlange, Volunteer Manager
Boy Scouts work on an enclosure for CWC patients Photo by Frank Johnson
California Wildlife Center is always growing and as our patient load increases, so does our enclosure usage. In this 20th year of operation, some of our older enclosures are beginning to deteriorate. Through experience and sharing knowledge with other rehabbers, we strive to improve enclosures wherever possible. That is where Eagle Scouts and Boy Scouts come in! So far this year, we have been fortunate to have had three scouts build new animal housing for us.
Evan Johnson from Troop 745 (Westlake Village) and Noah Fonck from Boy Scout Troop 117 (Brentwood) built new Opossum enclosures for CWC. These new two-story Opossum “townhouses” replaced some of our older enclosures that were starting to show their age. Each enclosure can be divided in half so we can accomodate more young orphaned Opossums that we typically see in the springtime. The center divider can slide open and comfortably house a large adult, if need be. CWC currently has over 60 Virginia Opossums in care so these enclosures are greatly needed!
Jason Leow, a member of the local Boy Scout Troop 224 (Malibu) has built much needed fledgling Mockingbird aviaries. Each year CWC houses more than 100 Northern Mockingbirds. You can hear them in the morning and afternoon, practicing their many calls that sometimes mimic car alarms and sirens. The three new smaller aviaries will allow many orphaned Mockingbirds outside housing that will give them the room to stretch their wings while continuing to be hand-fed by our staff every hour, shortening the time it takes for them to go to the larger aviary and then on to release.
The Boy Scouts are not the only scouts who have helped CWC this year. Girl Scout Skye Wildon of Girl Scout Troop 2626 (Calabasas) wanted to combine her love for art and animals when she set out to earn her Gold Award. For her project she made wood-cut enclosure signs for the Center to help volunteers navigate their way through the Center. She also hosted a CWC outreach event where she invited Daisy Girl Scouts from Calabasas to learn how they could help our native wildlife and what to do if they find an injured or orphaned animal.
CWC would like to thank these resourceful scouts and their teams for all the hard work they have put into these projects. They did a fantastic job! The staff ast CWC and our wild patients greatly appreciate it.
https://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.png00protectanimalshttps://cawildlife.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CWClogo.pngprotectanimals2018-05-21 16:49:502018-05-21 17:43:49Scout Projects Help CWC Patients
