Wildlife Conservation United States Project #9275

Fellow Mortals--Compassion Changes Everything

by Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital

Fellow Mortals--Compassion Changes Everything

Project Report | Feb 18, 2016
A Gift of the Heart

By Yvonne Wallace Blane | Project Leader

Yearling male beaver

Every time we use the gifts you provide through Global Giving, we think carefully about what the wild ones need, and how best to make your donations go as far as possible. As a tax-exempt organization, we don't pay sales tax on purchases, so that money can be used for other things. We also work hard to forge relationships with manufacturers and suppliers who will provide services or items at a discount. When we do go to spend money, we have made sure it goes as far as possible!

Last month, your gifts through Global Giving meant nearly $900 was available for the wild ones at the hospital! Your gifts fed 200 animals for a whole week--and, you purchased a box of 100 x-ray films and the chemicals to develop them--and, you helped a sandhill crane and a great horned owl fight infection with a powerful and very expensive antibiotic.

But that's not all you did last month--you even made some special Valetine's Day enrichment possible for two very special animals.

We have many overwintering squirrels, ducks, geese and owls, and we also have two beaver in long-term care.
Beaver rehabilitation is a long process. A minimum of two years in care is required before release, as the young rely upon their families to help build a lodge and store food to survive the harsh winters. As we continue to follow the progress of "Kesha," a hand-raised baby released in 2012 with a rehabilitated male beaver, we are working with our current beaver in the hopes that they can be released together next summer.

The female beaver and male beaver spend 'supervised' play time together as we gradually introduce them to each other's smell and behavior. Eventually, when they let us know they are ready, they will move in together for rest of their time in rehabilitation in preparation for release.

After a Valentine's Beaver play date, Chip and Angel took their new pillows back home to soak them in their pools and add them to their squishy, squashy bedding...a process that has been repeated every day since, as beavers love Laundry Time! What can we say! It's the beaver way:)

Thank you for all you make possible in so many ways.

With heartfelt thanks,

Yvonne

Female beaver watching for male 'play date'

I think I like you!

Valentine Pillow for the Girl of the Lodge

...and one for you.

Links:

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Nov 24, 2015
Shakespeare wants to say 'thank you'

By Yvonne Wallace Blane for "Judith" foster deer mom | Project Leader

Shakespeare

Fellow Mortals was invited to participate in a challenge on Global Giving in 2010, after we learned about them through our friends at the Pepsi Refresh project. Though our work is regional, our mission is universal: 'we believe that encouraging compassion in humans toward all life brings out the finest aspects of our humanity and helps create a better world for all living beings.'

Global Giving changed many things for our organization--all in a good way--and you are the reason why!

Your one-time gift or recurring monthly donation is treated in a special way, because it goes into a special account at the bank. Your gifts are used to buy food for Shakespeare, a barred owl who, with his companion, Sophie, helps us to educate about wildlife and habitat preservation, and also raises orphaned young barred owls. Your gifts, which are treated as savings, are used for special projects, like providing necessary housing for overwintering animals, or helping to cover the cost of supplies for our education birds.

A gift to Global Giving means security for Shakespeare, and all of the other animals who rely on us 365 days a year--and don't know anything about how money works:)

In addition to your gifts that directly help injured and orphaned wildlife, supporting Fellow Mortals through Global Giving means you are supporting thousands of other organizations as well as Fellow Mortals, as we learn and benefit from the expert advice made available through blogs, webinars and special trainings. This year, because you have given us a place on Global Giving's platform with your donation, you helped us raise $1,500 for wildlife care during a matching campaign; you helped us raise nearly $4,000 for a new deer habitat; and you made it possible for me to take part in the 2015 Fundraising Academy as a student.

As Fellow Mortals celebrates its 30th continuous year of providing care for injured and orphaned wildlife, we are constantly evolving and growing, and much of that is thanks to your gifts.

Tonight, as you sit down to supper, you can feel good that Shakespeare has eaten too, the fawns are browsing and playing in a spacious new habitat, and over 100 other injured anmals are safe for the night. You made this possible.

For all of the wild ones, Shakespeare wants to say 'thank you.'

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Aug 18, 2015
Jilly's Legacy

By Yvonne Wallace Blane | Director of Rehabilitation

First fawn

Jilly was found near death, cold to point where only warm intravenous fluids over 48 hours brought her body back to normal temperature--emaciated, she was too weak to stand or suckle, so we fed her by stomach tube for several days.

We celebrated every milestone, every morning she was still alive. When she finally took a bottle on her own, it was the best day ever.

If Fellow Mortals had been unable to help Jilly, she would have died. Instead, she grew strong and was given a new family where hers had been lost.

Fellow Mortals provided care for deer from 1989 to 2003, when a policy change by our state agency made it illegal for us to help. As part of an advisory group to the Wisconsin DNR, I helped to create a policy that would allow licensed wildlife rehabilitators to again care for injured and orphaned fawns.

Fellow Mortals is just one of a handful of facilities equipped and willing to take on the financial burden of rehabilitating injured and orphaned deer. It is an expensive endeavor. The cost to rehabilitate one fawn to release is $1,000.
We want to help all the deer who need us, but we need to complete a larger deer habitat in order to that date.

We have gone forward on faith and the one-acre enclosure is complete! At a cost of $30,000, we still have to raise $10,000 to pay the contractor. Thanks to gifts made on bonus day, we have raised nearly $4,000 toward the this expense, but are still $4,000 shy of what is needed.

This beautiful habitat is located on 52 acres of private property where there is no hunting and where the deer can be released on site.

Please consider being a part of a future of healing through a special gift to Jilly's Legacy, our microproject on Global Giving, to make a gift that will keep helping orphaned and injured deer for years to come.
http://www.globalgiving.org/microprojects/give-life-to-a-baby-deer/

Thank you for what you have given in the past, and thank you for considering this special need, in tribute to Jilly.

Yearling doe

Jilly

Injured older doe with orphaned newborn

Links:

Jilly's Legacy on Global Giving

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