Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue to Release Gail Buhl

Gail Buhl is back with Part 2 of her discussion with Ruby Davis, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Director for the Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center. In Part 1, episode 8, Ruby discusses her origin story and the natural history of the striped skunk, a common skunk species in North America. 

Here in Part 2, Gail and Ruby do a deep dive into the rehabilitation techniques of young skunks in care. That includes feeding, behavior, husbandry, and even how to avoid getting "sprayed." Ruby includes a spray scrubbing recipe to get the smell out of your skin and clothes in case it does happen. 

Next episode, Gail welcomes Amanda Nicholson back to the podcast to discuss having "crucial conversations." A lot of tough conversations come up in the course of wildlife rehabilitation, so you won't want to miss episode 9! Back in season 2, episode 13, Amanda talks with Gail about social media best practices in wildlife rehabilitation.  
Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl welcomes Ruby Davis, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Director for Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center. There, she oversees the center’s rehabilitation, along with the training and mentoring of staff and volunteers.

This was an in-depth conversation, so we've divided it into two parts. In part 1, Gail and Ruby cover Ruby's origin story and how she came to enter a long and fulfilling career at the Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center. From there, the conversation covers some basic natural history of striped skunks, a common skunk species in North America. This episode details the striped skunk's eating habits, seasonal and mating behavior, types of nests they prefer, and times of day they're most active. 

Ruby also recounts some common reasons skunks are admitted to wildlife rehabilitation and how members of the public encounter them. 

Be sure to stay tuned for Part 2, in which we do a deep dive into the details of skunk rehabilitation!
Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl is back for a Part 2 with guest Tim Jasinski to talk about the wild fostering of the Canada Goose. In Part 2, Tim and Gail get further into topics such as goose behavior, understanding flocks, gender differences, how goslings develop, and techniques in wild fostering of goslings in their journey to independence.  

Next episode, Gail welcomes Ruby Davis, wildlife biologist and wildlife rehabilitation director of the Carolina Wildlife Conservation Center in North Carolina.  Ruby will discuss one of her passions and areas of expertise -- skunks! So, don't be a "stinker" and remember to join us for Episode 7 on skunks. It was a really interesting talk, so you won't want to miss it!
Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

In episode 5, Gail welcomes back a familiar face --Tim Jasinski, a wildlife rehabilitation specialist at Lake Erie Nature and Science Center in Bay Village, Ohio. Tim originally appeared on the podcast in Season 1, Episode 19 to discuss one of his passions in wildlife rehabilitation, the Timberdoodle. That first interview with Tim and Gail is well worth going back to take a listen! 

In this episode, Tim brings with him yet another area of expertise -- wild fostering of the Canada Goose. Not all wildlife rehabilitators enjoy taking on these noisy, poop-happy aquatic birds, but Tim loves them! We've divided Gail and Tim's talk into two parts. In Part 1, Tim revisits his path into wildlife rehabilitation, which started as a job at a pet store and a passion for animals. They later get into why the Canada Goose is Tim's favorite bird, the pros and cons of fostering goslings, natural history of the Canada Goose, gender distinctions in geese, a bit on goose eggs, and interpreting goose behaviors. 

Next episode in Part 2, Tim and Gail talk about the importance of avoiding geese misimprinting on humans and related techniques, some basics on husbandry while fostering goslings, obtaining proper permission for placing fostered geese on private property and public parks, why geese sometimes can't fly, and more!



Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Host Gail Buhl is back for Part 2 of the in-depth discussion she had with Deb Galle this past fall about Cottontail Rabbits. Here in Part 2, Deb gets into more of the specifics about how she cares for rabbits after assessment and intake. Those include formulas and food, housing, avoiding imprinting, controlling the environment and her approach to managing rabbit's stress, general husbandry, and the lead up to release. 

Cottontail Rabbits also make an appearance in Season 1, Episode 14, in which Gail spoke with another expert -- Laura Davich of Rabbit Rebound. Having different experts' perspectives, Gail says, is key because Cottontail Rabbits are such a common species in need of rehabilitation. There can be many ways of doing it "right". 
You will see a lot of overlap too between Deb and Laura— those, Gail says, are some of the sweet spots to pay attention to–especially the WHY behind every how & every what.
Next episode, Gail welcomes back another familiar face (and voice!), Tim Jasinski. Back in Season 1, Episode 19, he was on the podcast to talk about Timberdoodles. This season he joins Gail to discuss all things fostering Canada Geese. He talks about why the Canada Goose is his favorite bird, gives an overview of the species’ natural history, and much more! We hope you’ll join us for episodes 5 and 6 for this deep dive into the fostering the Canada Goose. 



Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).

Deborah Galle, a longtime Connecticut-based wildlife rehabilitator joins host Gail Buhl to discuss caring for Eastern Cottontail Rabbits. Deb and Gail get into a lengthy discussion, so we've divided their talk into two parts. Here in Part 1, we learn about Deb's career path, which originally had nothing to do with wildlife. Later Gail poses the common question, "Why rehabilitate rabbits?" This episode also includes a bit about working with finders to better understand what may have happened to the animal and whether or not it really needs to be brought into rehabilitation. What is the severity of their injuries, if any? Does it appear to have been orphaned? Working with people is often one of the most challenging part of wildlife rehabilitation, and Deb brings a lot of wisdom about the people element of the process.

Thank you for joining us for Episode 3, and we look forward to seeing you back for Part 2 / Episode 4! Part 2 of Gail's talk with Deb gets more into the specifics of husbandry, including types of food and formulas used, bedding, charting progress, pre-release conditioning, and the lead-up to release.

If this episode seems familiar, you are right! In Season 1 Episode 14, Gail had a great discussion with Laura Davich from Rabbit Rebound about raising rabbits. Both guests remind us that there are many ways to do things correctly for the animals in our care. You will also notice a great deal of overlap too: Those are some of the sweet spots to pay attention to, especially the WHY. 



Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.

To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu).