A herring gull was among the fifty-two animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida this past week. Other admissions include a fox squirrel, a red-tailed hawk, a great egret, a common loon and a peninsula cooter.
The herring gull, as well as a brown pelican, mourning dove and sandwich tern, were transfers from the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) on Sanibel Island.
CROW suffered significant damage from Hurricane Ian and is still working to rebuild many of their outdoor recovery enclosures. The staff at the von Arx Wildlife Hospital continues to work closely with CROW on the transfer of patients that require further recovery time in outside flight recovery enclosures.
The herring gull was admitted to CROW with symptoms associated with red tide toxicosis and received intensive care at that facility for two weeks. The herring gull was transferred to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital to finish its recovery process.
The gull spent one night in the bird room at the hospital to ensure no issues arose from the transfer and was moved to one of our outdoor flight enclosures the following morning. Time outdoors allowed the gull to gain strength and acclimate to the current outdoor temperatures. After five days, the gull was cleared for release.
Wildlife rehabilitation facilities often work together to ensure native wildlife receives appropriate care and can be returned to the wild. Please visit our website to see our wishlist of supplies needed to care for native wildlife. All donations are greatly appreciated and help us care for all the injured, sick and orphaned animals admitted to our facility.
Recent Releases
A marsh rabbit, four eastern cottontails, and two brown pelicans were released this past week.
Opportunities to Help
Please check the Conservancy website to view all of the amazing volunteer opportunities at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Your volunteer time, donations, and memberships are vital in helping us continue our work to protect Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife and future.
Joanna Fitzgerald is the Director of the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, 1495 Smith Preserve Way, Naples, Florida 34102. Call 239-262-2273 or see conservancy.org.