wild life rehab Flashcards
why do Kangaroos usually come into care?
- Hit by car - Bush fires - Caught in fences
what causes difficulties in the rehabilitation of kangaroos?
- their complex gut - kangaroos undergo stress myopathy
why dose their complex gut cause difficulties?
- Lower metabolism rates; if overfed predisposed to obesity - Feed needs to be of high quality because coarse, sharp or abrasive food items can cause oral trauma - Feed cannot be too soft, as they do not adequately toughen the oral mucosa or wear the teeth to allow molar progression - Ensure feed is not infected → prone to toxoplamosis infections from hay infected with cat pee such as hay kept in barns - Feed elevated from ground to avoid infection - Sweet mix feeds and high amounts of fruit and vegetables lead to GIT disease and teeth infections. - Vit E is required to prevent myopathy or White muscle disease
explain stress myopathy
- When stressed muscles degrades - Muscle activity under the influence of adrenaline and other catecholamine’s results in a change from aerobic metabolism to anaerobic metabolism. - Metabolic acidosis and lactic acidosis occurs leading to muscle damage and oedema – Kidney failure - Sudden death
This condition occurs due to loud noises, being hit by cars, sudeen disruption of a group etc.
- Medication such as analgesia to manage pain and therefore stress and use of glucose to reduce ketone production and acidosis can help manage associated problems
- Signs: o Panting, licking forearms, chest, abdomen and/or hind legs and intense drooling.
explain when a kangaroo would be euthanised
- Broken legs always - Broken or highly worn down teeth – do not return to wild will die from malnourishment o These can live in captivity need permanent care such as zoos or reserves o Will need to be given a high protein supplement - Anytime where their welfare will be impaired. - In most cases of tendon injuries - Injured kangaroo must be thoroughly examined before treatment or euthanasia is performed to ensure either or are justified.
explain a rehabilitation program of a kangaroo
STEP 1. REMOVAL FROM FENCE - Cover head and IM inject tranquiliser - Carefully untangle sedated animal from fence without causing any further damage, remove joey from pouch at this time and place in an artificial pouch - Rescue needs to occur as quickly as possible STEP 2. DETERMINING IF THE KANGAROO SHOULD BE TREATED OR EUTHANIZED - Deemed treatable if: - Can stand unsteadily with minimal help - There is movement and/or pain response in affected limb - The head of the femur is in place and the wounds encircles less than 50% the limb to the bone. - Sedate and examine wounds STEP 3. TREATMENT - animal should be under anaesthetic, where not possible perform when the macropod has had diazepam and analgesia - Shave around wound - Thoroughly flush wounds with saline and debride to removal all dead skin and underlying dead tissue - Once wound is clean apply betadine ointment, soffban for padding, crepe bandage and latex cohesive dressing such as Vetwrap. - Always bandage whole food to the toenail to ensure prevention of oedema forming distal to the dressing. - Knuckling may be a sign of tendon injury - In cases of fractures adequate vit D and calcium should be supplied to encourage healthy bones. STEP 4. REHABILITATION - myopathy and muscle trauma causes muscle stiffness helped by gentle exercises such as flexing and extending the hind limb joints 20 times several times a day. - 1st: help animal stand and supporting it until it regains strength to be able to stand alone→ often hay bales are useful for them to lean on and support themselves. Put food on flat ground in front of them until they slowly achieve enough flexibility and strength to lean forward and reach their bowls - 2nd: regain hop, once they have achieved hop through trial and fail improvement is often very rapid - 3rd: regain ability to get to standing position without help, harder when knuckling has been a problem - 4th: punting is the last stage of recovery, most difficult to regain. Some animals will learn to move both hind legs alternatively more like walking until punting can be achieved.
describe housing and feed requirements for kangaroos in care
- Kept outdoor grassed enclosure will readily eat whatever grass is available diet should be supplemented with kangaroo pellets and lucerne (large % of leaf stalk) - In cases where movement restriction is needed such as in fenced injuries can be kept in can be kept in boxes on gym mates covered in straw, plenty of access to water and bottle formulas can also be given. Supplements such as nutigel an oral vitamin and carbohydrate supplement can be used especially for animas with compromised nutrition. - Vit E supplementation is required.
describing handling requirements for kangaroos in care
- Avoided if possible - As prone to stress and can be dangerous to handler - If necessary should only occur in coolest part of day as they are prone to stress - Never make more then 4 attempts at trying to capture- causes stress - Make handling brief or tranquilise; in cases of fence capture handling has to occur.
when would you euthanise an orphaned joey
- Before fur has grown always - Sometimes when really young even after fur may need to but much better survival rates after fur - When attempting to keep them alive will impair their welfare
describe methods of rehabilitation for an orphaned joey
- The joey is place in an artificial pouch o Handling needs to be limited o The joey is handled only to have their physiological needs met - Keep pouch clean to prevent development of thrush - Orphaned joeys need to be fed with specialised milk formula according to their growth stage; Wombaroo has a number of specifically developed formulas for macropods. o These adequately mimic the natural changes in macropod milk, the packets show illustration of different growth stages to assist in determining correct formula; formula used is joey specific. - Feeding patterns: o Finely furred joeys lower teeth emerging – 6 bottles per day every 4 hrs o Sleek fur upper teeth emerging 5 bottles per day every 5 hrs o Long sleek fur and emerging from pouch 4 per day every 6 hrs o Dense fur spending time out of pouch 3 per day - Joeys fully emerged from pouch enter a transition period from milk to grass to other feed types - Once the joey is psychologically ready (not based on age, size or weight), they are released, into there own family mob with their own social structure already in place
describe the two systems of joey release programs
- The soft release - At an agreed time the joey goes into some form of large or pre-release enclosure with other joeys - After either urged into a larger enclosure and/or released from there and taken o a release site with slowly decreasing supplemental support such as frequent observation and provision of some food and water 2. Hard release - Released directly into the wild from either the pre-release enclosure or directly from care and provided with no additional support.
describe limitations and difficulties in the restoration of an orphaned joey
- Some joeys when hand raised become too calm around humans leading to problems later in life - Needs to be a higher standard of care than basic animal rights, not to be confused with applying the same level of love as would be applied to a human baby but instead applying the same quality and standard of health care that would apply to a human premature child or infant - Pens need to think about animals who have been there before o Toxicity o Parasites o Pens need time outs for years between species. - Detailed studies are required to understand whether or not a release is successful and to identify key processes or elements which have contributed to the success or failure - Without any scientific data a successful release is considered when a joey is released into the wild with no follow up - Need to provide the joey with the best environment to prepare them for success in the wild, a higher degree of knowledge of the variables and pressures that need to be managed for their long term survival needs to be achieved to equip the joeys with the ability to survive. - Stress myopathy as with adults; use of known carers, pouches and bottle feeding in quiet environments can help decrease associated problems.
WHY reahabititate wildlife?
conservation
welfare
education
research
give pros and cons of conserving wildlife
Conservation
Reasons for:
individuals in critically endangered populations
large numbers/entire populations affected
Reasons against:
in most cases there is no demonstrable conservation benefit
risk of introduction of disease to healthy wild populations
give pros and cons of rehabilitation for welfare indications
Reasons for:
Treatment, pain relief, euthanasia of suffering animals
No one else to deal with suffering wildlife
Potential moral and ethical obligation?
Reasons against:
Often there is a risk of adverse welfare outcomes in wildlife rehabilitation
assessment of welfare can be difficult in wild animals
