- 3 weeks ago
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00:01Wildlife is not just in the wild.
00:04It surrounds us, whether we want it to or not.
00:08I'm Jan Shattuck.
00:10I run Living Sky Wildlife Rehabilitation.
00:14Rehabilitating wild animals is intense and exhausting,
00:20and it is incredibly rewarding.
00:24Our goal is to fix the animal,
00:28teach it what it's going to need to know to survive in the wild,
00:32and release it back where it belongs.
01:08We have new full-time staff in most of their frontline positions.
01:16So generally, my name is called about 40 times a minute.
01:19Hi, sorry, this is Jan.
01:21And I'm paying attention to a million and one things,
01:25because they're all learning.
01:26So they're going to move into the flight cage in the baby room, right?
01:29No.
01:30The flight might fled.
01:32Shaila?
01:33Things like that, that four million people in the building
01:36are going to totally step on,
01:38feel free to scoop and make your way.
01:43Did you get fluids in them?
01:44Yes, we've got fluids in the mouth.
01:45Okay.
01:46Oh, you look awful.
01:47Did you get pee-peed?
01:48I have to train them,
01:50but also empower them to make their own decisions
01:53while ensuring the health of the animals.
01:55Yeah.
01:56Have we flight tested this one?
01:57I don't think so.
01:58I'm not too sure.
02:05We'll do it in the outside intake room.
02:07We're going to go through that door over there.
02:09We're getting an injured muskrat,
02:11and apparently it's a baby.
02:12He has a tendency to snap every now and then.
02:15Okay.
02:16All right.
02:18Yes, I think you're pretty skinny.
02:20I do.
02:21I also think you have really big teeth.
02:24Can I see your body condition, sweetheart?
02:26A little bit?
02:27Just a little bit.
02:28Yes, you're okay.
02:29He has a cut on his butt,
02:31and he's missing a big chunk of fur.
02:33We need that to grow back,
02:35because that's what keeps them warm in their natural habitat.
02:38We don't want him to get hypothermia.
02:40Yes, you would like to eat meat.
02:42I get that part.
02:45Baby, my ass.
02:48That's okay.
02:49I'm good.
02:51This is actually a small adult muskrat,
02:54which changes everything.
02:56They can be really feisty,
02:58so we have to figure out a secure way to house him.
03:01Good sized.
03:03Like, and his teeth are orange,
03:05so he's not a juvenile.
03:08No.
03:08My guess is,
03:09is that he probably had a fight with another muskrat.
03:13It's spring.
03:15It's when, you know,
03:16males start to kind of do that, you know,
03:19fighting over territory and girls thing.
03:21And he's pretty small,
03:23so it makes me wonder if he's maybe, like,
03:25a young of last year
03:26and just got his butt kicked, literally.
03:29Why don't we do this for now
03:30and then kind of see where he goes.
03:33I'm just thinking he may eat his water dish.
03:35That might happen,
03:36so he may be down a bit of a water dish,
03:38but that's okay.
03:39The aquarium set up inside we'll do for now,
03:42but it can't be long term.
03:45We're going to try and make this thing like Fort Knox
03:47because these guys can be little escape artists.
03:51I want a brick here.
03:52Okay.
03:53Absolutely.
03:54This, yeah, I think two bricks.
03:55Let's go with two bricks.
03:56Two bricks?
03:57Okay.
03:57Sounds good.
03:58That would make me feel better
04:00because a loose muskrat
04:01would be an unpleasant thing.
04:08You can do that.
04:09I'm good with that.
04:10I just want you to walk your brain through it.
04:13I swear,
04:13it's never been this crazy before, though.
04:15You haven't been here long enough.
04:18Living Sky Wildlife,
04:19how can I help you?
04:20You are about to experience June for the first time.
04:24Run it over to our location.
04:26That'd be wonderful.
04:27Anything else?
04:29Having a full staff, in theory,
04:32makes my life easier.
04:33So this is a very nice example
04:35of a house bear nest
04:36that's a complete pigsty.
04:37But I need to empower them
04:39so they can become more effective.
04:41So he's fine weight-wise.
04:43Okay.
04:43And you got the Med and Gab on board now?
04:45Yeah, yeah.
04:46Okay.
04:46This is my fourth year at Living Sky,
04:48and I remember how intimidating it was in my first.
04:52Give him a minute.
04:53I just want to double-check
04:53that the Baycox,
04:55or Baytrol,
04:56would be good.
04:56But I also remember
04:57how much he trusted me
04:58when I was new,
04:59and that made a big difference.
05:02Okay.
05:02I'll leave you to it.
05:04Apparently, we have some new arrivals.
05:15What are you doing?
05:24You're so big!
05:26I'm the boy!
05:28Ravens are the equivalent
05:29of about a four-year-old child.
05:31They are so incredibly intelligent.
05:34They recognize your face,
05:36for better or for worse.
05:37They are curious,
05:39and they use tools,
05:41and they're just...
05:43They're brilliant, amazing creatures,
05:44and we love them.
05:45This poor woman we often work with
05:48drove for three hours
05:49with these incredibly chatty orphaned ravens.
05:52Wow!
05:54You did this all?
05:55You drove all the time?
06:01We really want to make a point
06:03of getting a lot of good food into them.
06:05Can you help show me
06:06how to, like, properly do this?
06:09Now you need to figure out
06:10how to handle it?
06:11Yeah.
06:13All right.
06:14There we go.
06:15They're gonna keep you
06:16well away from my head.
06:17Yes.
06:18Okay.
06:23There we go.
06:25Good job.
06:26And now some nice liquid
06:27to wash it down.
06:28Wash that.
06:29Other than the noise,
06:31the ravens are a pretty stable,
06:33straightforward case,
06:34but they have a really demanding nature,
06:37and I'm happy if the newbies
06:39want to ask for help.
06:41You know what?
06:41I'm just gonna put it underneath
06:42because that's easier.
06:44Right.
06:44I'm excited for this opportunity,
06:46but I'm also nervous.
06:48We have so many different birds
06:49we're taking care of right now,
06:50and it's just a lot of keeping the instructions
06:52for them all straight
06:53and not mixing them up.
06:55Feeding time.
06:56Everyone gets fed at the same time.
07:18Feeding time.
07:23Now we gotta take that out.
07:25This might be messy.
07:30Stephanie.
07:30Oh, sorry there, muskrat.
07:33Stephanie is relatively new
07:35but has some experience,
07:36so I've decided to ask her
07:39to take on the lead
07:40for looking after the muskrat.
07:42We put him actually inside
07:44of the raptor pen
07:45on the off chance
07:46that he could possibly get out.
07:48We still wanted him contained.
07:49So this is where he had his abscess.
07:51We're just waiting
07:52for the fur to grow back, so...
07:55And so he does have an owl or two looking down on him.
07:58Hopefully his stress levels aren't too high.
08:00Oh, he's right there.
08:02Yeah, he's pretty calm.
08:03He doesn't, like, go for anybody,
08:05but this is the first muskrat I've dealt with,
08:07so I don't know if he's a calm one or if they're old.
08:15No, where are you?
08:16No!
08:19Um...
08:20Um...
08:21Um...
08:22I don't actually have good gloves.
08:23Please go get the raptor gloves
08:25that are...
08:28Okay, and actually,
08:29there are actual raptors in here.
08:34Oh, my God.
08:35Please don't eat the muskrat.
08:41Come on, please.
08:42Come on.
08:45We gotta go inside.
08:46Come on.
08:47Come on.
08:48We're not allowed to eat muskrats.
08:50Let's go.
08:51Come on.
08:52Come on.
08:53Come on.
08:55This way, please.
08:57Yeah.
08:58That would've been traumatic.
09:01The raptors are secured.
09:02Now we need help to do the same with the muskrat.
09:07If you want to, we might need...
09:09Yeah, Jan's coming to grab another net.
09:11He's right here.
09:12Yeah.
09:15Can I get in his thing?
09:17Yeah, go for it.
09:18Give me the kennel.
09:21Right?
09:22You're gonna try and send him this way?
09:24Is the door open for the kennel?
09:25Yeah.
09:26Go in there.
09:27Yes, there you go.
09:29Stand to the rescue.
09:31Keep life simple, honey.
09:32Keep life simple.
09:34That's true.
09:34That could've gone really wrong.
09:35I'm very glad Jan was nearby to help out.
09:37Crisis averted.
09:42A little spice.
09:43It did not have a negative outcome.
09:45No, it really didn't.
09:46But yes, poop happens.
09:48We can chalk this up to a learning experience.
09:51These things happen with wild animals.
09:53What I'm going to be watching for is does this muskrat incident rattle Stephanie?
10:00Or does she rise to the challenge?
10:04Sorry.
10:06So just be quicker with the lid or make sure he's in his tube.
10:11Comprendez-vous? Let's plan for that.
10:13Given that he would really like to take himself out.
10:16Okay, sorry.
10:17You've come back out.
10:18That's a lot of people.
10:20They're so pretty.
10:22They're so judgy.
10:23They are.
10:24Like, I have never felt more judged than I do looking at a great horn.
10:31Yeah, I don't think it will really work.
10:35Uh, word of advice.
10:37Next time when you grab it, like, grab, like, the wings and then...
10:40That's what I was doing.
10:43Uh, I absolutely love the ravens.
10:45And it's great to see how much progress they've made.
10:47Uh, especially thanks to the newbies.
10:52Oh.
10:55Even if all the food doesn't always end up in the ravens' mouths,
10:59they're still putting on weight and they're healthy
11:01and they're continuing to feed themselves.
11:04Now they're ready for the next step, moving outside.
11:06How should we take them outside, just, like, hold them?
11:10If you feel confident enough to, you know, hold him while you go out,
11:14then you can go for it.
11:27There are three that are doing very well, and then there's the runt.
11:30Ah!
11:33Ah!
11:36It's not thriving quite as much as the other three.
11:39I know, I know.
11:42He seems to be losing weight and doesn't want to eat.
11:46We're just kind of hoping that maybe if he's by himself, he will.
11:50Ravens are so smart.
11:53I'm really surprised he's still struggling with food.
11:56I think he just needs a bit of, like, help,
11:59because he likes to eat.
12:01It's just, he just needs help.
12:12Very nice little booty shot.
12:15Yeah.
12:16So, yeah, the center of it still has to grow in.
12:18Yeah, that's going to be slow to develop fur.
12:21Can you see his bum?
12:24It's still so bare.
12:26The muskrat doesn't have to have full coverage, but he needs more than peach fuzz before we release him.
12:34We're putting him at risk of hypothermia.
12:37You're being a very good muskrat today.
12:39Yes, good muskrat.
12:41Same thing.
12:42We still have to change his water every day.
12:44It's not very much fun because it's not just where he eats, it's also where he uses the bathroom.
12:49Timing, buddy.
12:51Okay.
12:51Freddie.
12:53No.
12:54No.
12:55No.
12:56Okay, that's a wet sock.
12:59That's a wet sock.
12:59An extremely wet, poopy sock.
13:02I'm with this guy a lot, changing his water, occasionally spilling it on myself.
13:08I'm going to grab the hose on my poor sock.
13:12But I'm noticing a new change in his behavior.
13:15He seems restless and I'm worried he's getting a bit stressed out.
13:19I may have been trusted with his care, but I think I need to call in the expert now.
13:23Here we go.
13:24Okay.
13:25So what's up with the little guy?
13:27I just wanted you to come look at him.
13:29He seems really stressed out.
13:31Every time we do his water, he's just stressy.
13:33He tries to escape all the time.
13:36He races around his thing.
13:38He's healthy.
13:39We're just waiting for him to get his butt fur back.
13:44It's so slow.
13:46It is very slow.
13:47That's why I'm thinking it's going to be a while.
13:49But he's really ready.
13:50Yeah.
13:51I don't disagree with you.
13:53And he would like to go.
13:55He would very much like to go.
13:58We're approaching summer.
13:59The water should be warming up, but I don't know if it's warm enough to release him.
14:04I don't disagree with you.
14:06I just need to think it through.
14:09Yep.
14:10Stephanie has done a really great job with this animal.
14:13So I don't want to make this decision without asking her.
14:17But ultimately, it has to be my decision.
14:30And oh, you're angry.
14:32You are so very angry.
14:34So this is our little, our little friend.
14:37Oh.
14:37Okay.
14:37He's very eager.
14:39I've been doing physical therapy with a bat that has a swollen wrist joint.
14:43He's making progress.
14:44So today we're going to see if he's ready to fly.
14:46So I'm going to let him jump.
14:49Oh.
14:50Oh.
14:51Oh.
14:52Are you ready?
14:53You've got to show off your flying skills, buddy.
14:58Oh.
14:59Can you get angry?
15:01Get a little angry for me?
15:03And he's trying to fly, which is really important.
15:06Because before he wasn't wanting to try at all.
15:11Oh.
15:12Oh.
15:13Hey.
15:16I'm not mad.
15:17I'm just disappointed.
15:19One reason Drayden is so good at this job is his determination.
15:24He never gives up on an animal.
15:28Okay.
15:28One more.
15:29I want you to go warm up.
15:34There we go.
15:35Oh, that was beautiful.
15:36We were concerned that we were going to have to give up on him,
15:40which really would have sucked.
15:42And we were like, let's try flying him out in the pen.
15:44And it was, he struggled.
15:47And then he did something that was actually, you know, hopeful.
15:52He's much better than he was a week ago.
15:54So I'm happy.
15:56And I hope that we can release him soon.
16:16So we have to get him in his kennel, make sure his kennel is secure.
16:20You were.
16:22You never want to rush to release an animal.
16:24But I think Stephanie's observations about this muskrat are correct.
16:28He's telling us he's ready to go.
16:32So how hard is it for you to get him in the kennel when you've needed to?
16:39He hangs out in his tube, as he is right now.
16:44But if you take away his tube and you scare him enough,
16:47he might just run into his safety kennel.
16:49Like that?
16:50Yeah, sure.
16:51He won't go anywhere now.
16:54Beautiful.
16:54Look at that.
16:55Look at that little bud.
16:55He's coming in.
16:56Oh yeah.
16:56He's totally coming in.
16:58Hey?
16:59Yeah.
17:00Thank you, honey.
17:01I think you're actually going to be fine.
17:04With his fur growth and the warmer weather,
17:07there's way less risk of hypothermia.
17:10The newbies did a good job of keeping him contained and cared for.
17:16Thank you to you both for picking up the slack with the muskrat.
17:22I really miss the little escape artist,
17:24but I really appreciate that Jan acknowledged all the hard work
17:27that has gone into getting him on his release day.
17:38There?
17:40I feel like anywhere in here.
17:41And I can see the water, so yeah.
17:42Why don't we crawl in here?
17:50There we go.
17:53Do you know where you are?
17:55All right, little muskrat, we loves you.
17:58Buddy, you're finally free.
18:00Now he's not going to come out.
18:22Are you ready to go outside?
18:26I would say so.
18:28Good feeling.
18:29My friends.
18:32No matter what our newbies did,
18:35this raven did not figure out how to self-feed.
18:39Sometimes you have to lean on experience.
18:41So I'm asking Drayden to take over
18:44because he's our resident raven whisperer.
18:47I've appropriately named him Runt
18:51because he's a runt.
18:53He might be my favourite.
18:55I'm reuniting him with the other ravens.
18:57They're social animals,
18:58so maybe Runt will learn how to eat on his own
19:00by watching them.
19:01Come on, Runt.
19:08All right, baby.
19:12There you go.
19:13The other ones, and again, they're all like the same age,
19:17are about 300 grams heavier than him.
19:20They're unbelievably smart,
19:22so they could absolutely be self-heating.
19:24You know how smart kids struggle in school
19:26because they aren't being challenged enough?
19:28Maybe we need to challenge Runt more to encourage him to eat.
19:36Use your superior intellect and get the meat out of the ball.
19:40You can see the cobs turning in his mind.
19:43If Runt can't figure out how to feed himself,
19:46he'll never be able to survive in the wild.
19:58And there you go.
20:00What a smart boy.
20:02Yes, if Runt is doing that,
20:04I'm quite positive that they are capable of taking care of themselves
20:08in terms of food now.
20:09And yeah, we'll weigh him again in the afternoon.
20:16You can't leave.
20:18Stay, Runt.
20:38Do you know where you are?
20:40Betty, you're finally free.
20:46You wanted freedom so badly,
20:48every time you escaped.
20:50There we go.
20:51See if we can get that other one.
20:53Oh, no, no.
20:54Not this way, sweetheart.
20:55Sometimes we all just need a little nudge
20:58in the right direction.
21:01Oh, he's coming out the front.
21:03Oh, my gosh.
21:08I can see the reeds moving, hey?
21:10Mm-hmm.
21:11Yeah, he's right there.
21:11There he is.
21:12You can see him?
21:12Mm-hmm.
21:16He's been in the smallest tub thing for, well, three months.
21:19So, yeah.
21:20I can't imagine how it feels to be him
21:22and to, like, you know, wonder what's happening
21:24and why he's in this small thing,
21:26and then suddenly he just has the world again.
21:33He may have been a pain in our butts at times,
21:36but he's back where he belongs,
21:38and Stephanie did a great job getting him to this point.
21:41He's not just in a tub anymore.
21:44He gets a hole, a hole in it.
21:46Now your socks are safe, too.
21:48My socks will be dry forever now.
21:51He doesn't have to live with owls, necessarily.
21:52He doesn't have to live with owls staring at him.
21:55In a small metal tank.
21:57Yeah.
21:57In a little tiny metal bin.
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