Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News

2009

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Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Opossum
Published: Monday, March 30, 2009 - Empire Tribune

	Among the mix of Erath County wildlife is an unassuming creature that once roamed with the dinosaurs 70 million years ago. Hard to believe, but the lowly opossum, most commonly encountered as road kill along county roads, is an enigmatic and remarkable animal.
	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

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Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Squirrel
Published: Monday, February 17, 2009 - Empire Tribune

	Some folks in Erath County may call her a nut, but when it comes to squirrel rescue, Birgit Sommer knows her stuff. As a licensed rehabilitator and founder of Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, Sommer has worked with dozens of squirrels endangered by natural disaster...
	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

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Know your Neighborhood Wildlife - The Cottontail Rabbit
Published: Monday, March 2, 2009 - Empire Tribune

	Most folks living in Erath County have encountered rabbits. Coexisting with these furry, fertile creatures is not difficult once you understand them. The most common rabbit species in Texas is the eastern cottontail, identified by its 2-3 lb. body, brown or gray coat, white belly, and distinctive white tail.
	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

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Leave the Mothering to Nature
Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care
By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Tuesday, February 17, 2009

	Spring is just around the corner, and as the new season arrives so do the offspring of a variety of wildlife. Kindhearted humans sometimes find -- and try to take in -- young birds, squirrels, fawns or rabbits that appear to be abandoned. Roy Johnson, Taylor County game warden, said most of the time this is not the case.
	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

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Honey and Trinity Success Story
How two dogs can create a lot of human winners
Published: Sunday, April 5, 2009 - Empire Tribune

	Not everybody in Erath County knows about the Humane Society Animal Shelter and its adoptable pets. A few of the people that do know about it have the wrong impression. They often think of it as dog pound-hell. Maybe after reading the following story of the combined efforts of many people to make happy endings happen, they will change their minds and convince more pet lovers to adopt a pet instead of purchasing one from a pet store or a breeder.
	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

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2008

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Orphaned squirrels find refuge in Stephenville
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:07 AM CDT

	When natural disasters strike, a mobilization of relief workers from various agencies such as the Red Cross, National Guard, and FEMA are ready to respond, bringing in food and water, working to restore power, and setting up temporary shelter to assist in returning the disaster zone and the lives of those within it back to normal.
	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

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Locals build ‘homes’ for orphaned squirrels
Published: Tuesday, September 30, 2008 9:06 AM CDT

	The gray baby squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike now have a cozier place to play - and sleep - while temporarily residing in Erath County. Volunteers spent the better part of Saturday building a mesh enclosure at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue Center in Stephenville so the little ones will have room to move around until they can be taken back to the coast.
	Read the entire article HERE >>>>

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Rescuing Animals
Published: Sunday, May 2, 2008

	One local woman works to save abandoned and mistreated pets Birgit Sommer has been a Stephenville resident since 1991. She was born in Germany and just last month, after passing a test correct answering questions covering U.S. government and history, she took an oath before officials and became a naturalized citizen of the United States. "It just feels great to become a citizen of this country," Bridget said. "I studied hard in order to pass the test and now I can vote in this important election."
Birgit didn't wait to become a registered voter before taking the responsibility of foster care of homes and abandoned animals in Erath County. Having a great love for animals, she was attracted to the animal shelter maintained by the Erath County Humane Society, shortly after becoming a resident in Stephenville. During the past few years she has given loving, expert care to hundreds of dogs and cats including entire litters of puppies and kittens.
	Read the entire article HERE >>>

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Stephenville woman takes in 'squirrely' hurricane victims
Published: Monday, September 22, 2008

	STEPHENVILLE -- Appropriately nicknamed "Miss Doolittle" when she was just 5 years old, Birgit Sommer is taking in orphans from Hurricane Ike. Not the human kind. The small, furry kind. Infant gray squirrels were found everywhere after Ike moved through the Houston area, blowing down their nests, and residents were desperate to help them.
Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said before Ike had even moved out of the Gulf area, her phone began ringing off the wall and the e-mails started piling up. People were contacting her to see if she could help.
Read the entire article HERE >>>

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Donations helping baby squirrels left orphaned by Hurricane Ike
Published: Sunday, September 28, 2008

	STEPHENVILLE -- Several volunteers were busy Saturday building a mesh wire enclosure at the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue center in Stephenville to provide shelter for additional gray squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike. Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said members of the Tarleton State University Student Wildlife Society collected $62 in donations and are soliciting area businesses for materials needed to build shelters for the squirrels.
She said she has also received a check for $500 from a Buffalo Gap resident, lumber from Barns and McCullough in Stephenville and numerous smaller donations.
Read the entire article HERE >>>

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Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News

Abilene Reporter News: http://www.reporternews.com/news/2009/feb/17/leave-the-mothering-to-nature/
Empire Tribune (FREE subscription only): http://www.empiretribune.com/articles/2009/02/17/news/doc499979185e5e6763148526.txt

Leave the mothering to nature

Experts say young animals who appear to be abandoned often are in parents' care

By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Courtesy photo Opossums being cared for by Erath County wildlife rehabilitator Birgit Sommer.

Courtesy photo An opossum being cared for by Erath County wildlife rehabilitator Birgit Sommer.

Courtesy photo Birgit Sommer, a wildlife rehabilitator in Erath County, says she also cares for domesticated animals.

Spring is just around the corner, and as the new season arrives so do the offspring of a variety of wildlife.

Kindhearted humans sometimes find -- and try to take in -- young birds, squirrels, fawns or rabbits that appear to be abandoned.

Roy Johnson, Taylor County game warden, said most of the time this is not the case.

"Mother Nature has a way of taking care if itself," Johnson said. "If you see a fawn, I promise you the mama has not abandoned it. She will come back and take care of it."

He said the same is true for other animals.

Johnson said the exception is when someone sees a dead mother. The fawn will not leave it, and in that case, the fawn should be taken to a licensed rehabilitator -- but those are hard to find.

"There are no rehabilitators in Abilene. The closest is Breckenridge or Baird," Johnson said. "I've encouraged four people to get a license, but they don't follow through because it is extremely difficult to obtain and it's at their own expense."

Johnson said to find someone in the area, go to www.tpwd.state.tx.us -- but be prepared to drive to them or to meet them somewhere.

Sometimes, he said, fawns can be seen lying on or near the road. To keep them from being injured, they can be moved and placed over a fence.

"It's a rumor that a deer won't come back to its baby once it's been touched by humans," Johnson said. "That's not true."

Birgit Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in Erath County, said the same is true for most animals. The human touch myth is "just an old wives' tale." And if a baby is found, it's best to try and reunite with the mother if possible.

Sommer specializes in caring for squirrels, but also cares for other wild critters and all kinds of domesticated animals.

She said February is the time of year when young squirrels are often knocked out of their nests. The best policy she said is to place the baby squirrel in a shoe box at the base of the tree where it was found. Because they chill easily, a plastic bottle can be filled with warm water and wrapped in a T-shirt to keep the young animal warm. Sommer said to avoid using terry cloth in the box because the tiny claws will become snagged.

If the baby squirrel could be in danger from predators, such as dogs, tie a basket to the tree.

Most likely, the mother will come back for her offspring if she feels safe to do so; it is best to observe from a distance.

It's a different matter for baby squirrels found during the evening hours.

"Squirrel mothers will not come back at night, so try putting it out first thing in the morning," Sommer said.

Squirrel feeding is difficult, so it's best to take the young to a trained professional because they aspirate easily, she said.

Sommer also has raised opossums successfully. She noted that opossums often are often struck and killed by automobiles.

She said that if an animal is hit, it's good to check the pouch for surviving babies.

"These are the only marsupials in North America and often times, the infants will still be alive -- protected by the pouch," Sommer said. "And they are not known to carry rabies, either."

Baby birds

Young birds are commonly found on the ground, she said.

"Fledglings may look like they are unable to be on their own, but the parents are still caring for these fledglings and keep track of where they are. So the baby bird you see may be a fledgling that is being taken care of by its parents still."

Sommer said that if the bird is not fully feathered, the best thing to do is to put it back into the nest.

"A baby bird might need to eat every 20 minutes in daylight hours depending on its age and species," Sommer said. "The parents can take care of it so much better than you can."

Sommer cautions that if people find wild baby bunnies during the day, "leave them alone." Many folks think they have been abandoned and most times they have not, she said.

Rabbits don't feed their young very often and usually only nurse for about five minutes a day, returning to the nest only once or twice in a 24-hour period.

"If the babies' bellies look plump, then they've been fed," Sommer said. "If a nest has been destroyed, you can rebuild it within 10 feet of its original spot."

Sommer said that if you know for certain that the mother rabbit is dead, locate a rehabilitator because infant rabbits have a high mortality rate, especially cottontails.

Following the law

Johnson, the game warden, said it is against the law to keep any live game animal and that should be considered when someone is contemplating keeping a baby animal they've found.

Before she gained her license, Sommer said, the Erath County game warden fined her $150 for caring for baby squirrels and the action prevented her from obtaining the license for one year.

She said the licensing process is incredibly difficult and because of the expense of buying formula and building shelters, etc., she believes this is why there are so few licensed rehabilitators.

For more information on animals or guidance in acquiring a license, contact Sommer at www.rainbowwildlife.com.

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue and the Community

Thanks to the generous people, students, stores, and organizations, we have managed to build the first enclosure and are ready to accept more squirrels! We are in the process of setting up the details.

The Eagle Scouts will be building one, possibly 2 more enclosures next month, which will complete the main section of the Rainbow Wildlife Rescue.

All that is left is a Storage Shed and trash/storage bins for the different feed.

This allows me to apply for the federal migratory bird permit next year, so I can accept songbirds as well.

Special Thanks goes to:

• The TSU Wildlife Society (especially Dani Meyers)
• Barnes & McCollough for the lumber
• Don and Jackie Wallace for the squirrel houses and all over support
• Gerry Cockrell for the most generous donation
• Northland Cable for the Channel 9 ad
• Empire Tribune for their newspaper stories
• Abilene Reporter for their newspaper stories
• All the other generous friends and strangers that donated via the internet.

Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in the News

Here's the local article
http://www.empiretribune.com/article...9231197745.txt

Orphaned squirrels find refuge in Stephenville
By AMANDA KIMBLE
Staff Writer
amanda.kimble@empiretribune.com
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2008 10:07 AM CDT

When natural disasters strike, a mobilization of relief workers from various agencies such as the Red Cross, National Guard, and FEMA are ready to respond, bringing in food and water, working to restore power, and setting up temporary shelter to assist in returning the disaster zone and the lives of those within it back to normal.



Animal rescuers also play a vital role in rehabilitating disaster touched habitats. One local resident and licensed wildlife rescuer, Birgit Sommer, who operates Rainbow Wildlife Rescue in Stephenville, recently made a trip to the Metroplex to pick up 15 baby squirrels orphaned by Hurricane Ike.

Sommer said with the assistance of locals, she hopes to bring more homeless squirrels to the area.

“Hurricane Ike has left literally thousands of baby squirrels orphaned on the ground in Houston and in the surrounding areas,” Sommer said. “One wildlife rescuers alone received 730 infant squirrels!”

In the days following Ike’s destruction, Sommer said her phone has been ringing non-stop and e-mails began piling up, all from people looking for refuge for baby squirrels they had rescued. She said many of the people seeking help didn’t even have electricity to care for themselves and their families but they were still taking in the tiniest of hurricane victims.

While Sommer was only able to bring 15 squirrels home in her first round of aide, she hopes to bring more to her local sanctuary on East Clifton. She said when she picked up her tiny patients, she was told about 600 more were on their way to Dallas. The problem is that not just anyone can adopt a baby squirrel. You have to have a state wildlife rehabilitation permit, which Sommer does.

“With a little bit of help and effort I could take in twice or even three times as many,” Sommer said. “I just need more outside cages.”

Sommer said donations to her local rescue efforts have been scarce and since she does not get funding to support her cause, she needs help caring for her new furry friends.

Sommer said local organizations, including Ark Veterinary Hospital and the Girls Scouts have offered assistance in the past. She also said the Boy Scouts have offered to help.

“The Boys Scouts are planning a fund-raiser to help get the funds I need to build more enclosures,” Sommer said.

In addition, Sommer said members of Tarleton State University’s Student Wildlife Society have stepped up to help. The club organized a fund-raiser and also plans to visit local hardware and supply stores this week to see if local retailers have any materials they would be willing to donate for the cages. One member of the Wildlife Society, Danielle Meyers, who is majoring in wildlife management, said she and other members are working on a letter to distribute to managers of local supply companies to solicit donations.



How can you help? While taking in a few orphaned squirrels is only an option for licensed rescuers, Sommer said donations would go a long way in saving the baby squirrels. Monetary donations, as well as supplies, are needed.

Sommer said she is in need of materials to build outside enclosures, as well as a garden utility shed to store cages and food. The young orphans are fed milk replacers.

Materials used to construct outdoor enclosures include: 1/2 inch galvanized hardware cloth (most useful at the moment); 50 ft. privacy fence panels; concrete for cage foundations; 2 x 4’s and plywood for bottom frames and back walls. Or if you have unused cages such as large ferret type cages with enough room for squirrels to climb around in, they too would be appreciated.

Anyone interested in assisting with the effort is encouraged to contact Sommer at Rainbow Wildlife rescue at 968-4626 or you may send e-mail to squirrels@rainbowwildlife.com.

For more information on the Student Wildlife society, visit www.tarleton.edu/~wildlifeclub.

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http://reporternews.com/news/2008/se...ely-hurricane/



Stephenville woman takes in 'squirrely' hurricane victims

By Angelia Joiner
Special to the Reporter-News
Monday, September 22, 2008
Photo by Angelia Joiner/Special

STEPHENVILLE -- Appropriately nicknamed "Miss Doolittle" when she was just 5 years old, Birgit Sommer is taking in orphans from Hurricane Ike.

Not the human kind. The small, furry kind.

Infant gray squirrels were found everywhere after Ike moved through the Houston area, blowing down their nests, and residents were desperate to help them.

Sommer, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, said before Ike had even moved out of the Gulf area, her phone began ringing off the wall and the e-mails started piling up. People were contacting her to see if she could help.



"These people were calling and they didn't even have electricity themselves and they wanted to help all the squirrels being found in their yards and around their homes," Sommer said. "I told them how to feed them and gave emergency instructions, but there weren't any stores open to get the food."

Sommer said she was then contacted by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and learned that more than 900 baby squirrels had been dropped off at the nonprofit Wildlife Rehab & Education in Houston. Some of the squirrels are being sent to animal rescue centers around Texas.

Last weekend, 175 of those animals were delivered to the McKinney SPCA of Texas, and Sommer was there to cart 15 little critters back home to Stephenville.

Two Tarleton State University Wildlife Society students, Randi Baldwin and Danielle Meyers, heard about the plight of the animals and offered to help. They collected $62 in donations at their school's football game last Saturday and will begin soliciting area businesses for donations and materials needed to build shelters for the squirrels.



Sommer said she could take 20 more babies if she just had the wire needed to enclose a metal frame a neighbor donated.

"I'm in desperate need of galvanized hardware cloth also called mesh wire," Sommer said. "I'm not allowed to use chicken wire or chain link type wire. What I need is about $140 a roll."

Just a bucket of Esbilac (milk replacer for puppies) is $50, and according to Sommer, it's just what a baby squirrel needs for nutrition.

The goal is to get the animals healthy enough that they can be released back into the wild in their native area.

Sommer also takes in all kinds of other needy animals and has just rehabilitated a young raccoon. She works closely with the Erath County Humane Society by taking in as many dogs and cats as she can and tries to find good homes for them. Sommer said animal control officers and police bring her animals they find injured or sick as well. Area residents also bring her animals.

Sommer grew up in Northwest Germany, and her parents didn't allow pets because they were allergic. But her grandfather, who lived next door, called her "Miss Doolittle" after a fictional doctor who could talk to animals because it appeared that strays followed her home from school. It wasn't unusual for a bird to light on her shoulder. She said all of the animals in Germany are taken care of because "it's so small with so many people.

She believes she's found her place in Stephenville.

"I'm trying to give back one little animal at a time to nature," Sommer said. "That's where they belong. There's a cycle -- we need them."

Donations are accepted at Sommer's Web site at www.rainbowwildlife.com or at (254) 968-4626.

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