Two white ibises and a gopher tortoise were among the one hundred animals admitted to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida this past week. Other admissions include a snowy egret, a black-crowned night heron, a brown thrasher, a black vulture, three marsh rabbits, and a Florida softshell turtle.
A woman called to report two white ibises in her yard. She said the ibises looked unwell and debilitated. She texted a video that showed one of the ibises lying helpless in the grass while gasping to breathe. Its legs were flaccid so it was using its wings to propel itself forward when it did try to move. Hospital staff explained we do not have a rescue service as we are a small non-profit with limited staff, and asked if she could cover the birds with a laundry basket to keep them safe until we could find a volunteer to help with the rescue. The woman did not oblige our request for assistance. When Wildlife Critter Courier Nancy Spahl arrived on the scene to rescue and transport the ibises to our facility for care, both had disappeared. Nancy was unable to find them since she was limited to where she could search on private property.
Later that evening, a neighbor of the woman who originally called to report the ibises actually found one ibis back in a preserve area. The ibis was suffering from a spinal injury that caused paralysis. It was difficult to see how much suffering the bird endured before finally being rescued. The following morning, another neighbor found the second ibis and brought that one in for care.
Please, if you find an animal that is sick, injured, or orphaned, contain the animal, do not attempt to offer food or water, and bring it to the von Arx Wildlife Hospital as soon as possible. If you are unable to transport the animal, at a very minimum please cover it with a ventilated box or contain it in a pet crate. Anything you can do to keep it from wandering off is incredibly important. Sick and debilitated animals know they are easy targets for predators so their instinct is to hide making it challenging, if not impossible to find. Keep a box, towel, and gloves ready so that if the need for a rescue arises, you are all set to offer help. The sooner a sick, injured, or orphaned animal receives medical attention, the less suffering the animal endures, and the chance the animal will make a full recovery increases exponentially.
The gopher tortoise was injured after being run over by a car when a man backed out of his driveway on his way to work. The man saw the tortoise grazing in his yard the previous evening but never thought to look under his car the following morning. The man was devastated. Unfortunately, the tortoise was severely injured — her carapace was crushed leaving her spine and internal organs exposed. The damage done was too significant and the only option was humane euthanasia.
This was such a devastating loss of life, especially because gopher tortoises are a keystone species and are listed as threatened in the state of Florida. With increased habitat loss and development, many tortoises are being displaced and it is becoming more common for tortoises to be run over in driveways or parking lots.
Please, if you have tortoises in your yard, or you’re visiting a natural area that has a resident gopher tortoise population, always look under your car before driving away. Tortoises will often seek shelter from the sun in the shade provided by parked vehicles.
Recent Releases
A loggerhead sea turtle, eight northern mockingbirds, a black racer, a Florida softshell turtle, an anhinga, four blue jays, a gopher tortoise, and an eastern cottontail were released this past week.
Opportunities to Help
Visit our website at conservancy.org to learn about opportunities to get involved. Please consider volunteering. Animals need all the help they can get and we can’t do this work without the help of caring volunteers in our community. If you are unable to give your time as a volunteer, become a member or donate. Donations are tax-deductible and make a tremendous impact on our ability to procure needed supplies. As a non-profit, balancing resources is always a challenge. Your support helps the Conservancy continue to protect Southwest Florida’s water, land, wildlife, and future.
Joanna Fitzgerald is 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.