Host Gail Buhl invites Partners For Wildlife podcast producer Kirk Klocke to step out of the booth and onto the mic to discuss public outreach, which is a big part of his role as the new P4W Outreach Specialist. Gail and Kirk quickly realize in the course of their back and forth about issues around public outreach communications & education that this discussion can spin off into deep dives across multiple areas, ranging from social media best practices, to how best to help staff and...

Host Gail Buhl is back for a Part-2 with Brittany Turner, Rehabilitation Director at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, or "WRC." The conversation began in Episode 2 with a a look at Brittany's background and career at WRC. In this episode, we get into the nuts and bolts of songbird care, from intake through feeding, housing, and preparation for release. We also touch on a metabolic bone disease that is increasingly being seen in North America. There is SO much to cover about...

I'm so glad you came back to listen to episode 2 of our second season, which began to drop in January, 2023. I spoke with Brittany Turner, who serves as Rehabilitation Director at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota. Brittany has led a fascinating and ambitious career, having started as nursery intern to a Director in just under 10 years! She has experience with all the 200+ species the WRC sees. Over the years Brittany has always had a special place in her heart for songbirds,...

This episode kicks off Season 2 of Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue to Release! I am so excited about this episode. I think you will enjoy listening to it as much as Leslie Kollmann and I had recording it. I know you probably would not normally put “joy” and “infection control” in the same room, let alone the same sentence but when you find out how you can take simple steps to protect yourself and the animals you care for, you may actually stand up and cheer.  Leslie Kollmann is a...

Calling all plant people, foragers and rehabilitators! Ready to forage for a cause? Naturalist Kate Guenther is working to bridge the gap between the foraging community and rehabilitators through her ongoing project Wildfoods4Wildlife. As a website and database designed to share knowledge of wild foods and animals’ diets, Wildfoods4Wildlife is a wonderful resource for rehabilitators, and volunteers interested in the connection between flora and fauna in wildlife rehabilitation.  In this...

I am joined by Tim Jasinski, Wildlife Rehabilitation Specialist  at Lake Erie Nature and Wildlife Center  in Bay Village, Ohio. We talk about an underappreciated bird the Timberdoodle! What is a Timberdoodle you ask? Well it is a Bog Stomper! Bog Stomper is my new favorite name for the American Woodcock (Scolopax minor). Lake Erie Nature and Wildlife Center receives 200+ woodcock every year for rehabilitation. Tim and I talk about the natural history of the Woodcock and  why that makes this...

In this episode, Stephanie McMahon, Board Chair of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Ontario Canada and licensed therapist and Dr. Renee Schott, Medical Director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota rejoin me on the podcast to elaborate on last episode’s conversation on compassion fatigue. We further explore the intersection of self-care and rehabilitation. Listen in to learn about the different elements of self-care and what rehabilitators can do avoid burn out and compassion...

Stephanie McMahon is the Board Chair of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Ontario Canada and a licensed therapist and Dr. Renee Schott is the Medical Director of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota and they take the stage in the next two episodes to bring attention and awareness to a condition many rehabilitators suffer from but may not know they have. Compassion fatigue- what is it, what are the identifying symptoms and more importantly, how does someone prevent or overcome it?...

This is the last in the series of episodes on Eastern Cottontail rabbits. Laura and I had a great conversation talking about housing of cottontails at all ages. They are a little easier to house than many of the other animals rehabilitators care for.  At least there is one thing easier about this species ;) . We also talk in depth about release criteria and all the details to think about to make their transition to the wild as successful as possible. This is a long one---so you may have to...

So you are able to get your young eastern cottontail rabbit eating formula--or maybe you are tube feeding the youngsters. They are growing and developing so quickly! It is time to start weaning the young rabbits. Here in lies the danger however--switching to solid food too quickly can be devastating to the developing gut of the rabbit. Laura Davich Jette and I sit down and have a detailed conversation about weaning young cottontail rabbits. I learned SO much about setting the rabbit and you...

Eastern cottontail rabbits are a high stress prey species. They are one of the hardest wild animals to rehabilitate. This episode I speak with Laura Davich-Jette a Minnesota based wildlife rehabilitator that specializes in cottontail rabbits.  Since stress is a real experience for all young cottontail rabbits everything we can do to reduce stress needs to be considered. For example we talk in depth about intake exams and how to reduce the stress that the rabbit is experiencing. Laura shares...

North America is currently experiencing an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in both wild and domestic birds.  To discuss this devastating disease and the implications for wildlife rehabilitation, I am joined by Dr. Victoria Hall, Executive Director at TheRaptorCenter at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Hall is the Patrick T. Redig Endowed Chair in Raptor and Ecosystem Health. She holds a Master of Science in Preventative Medicine and a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from...

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus-2 is a disease that affects both domestic rabbits and wild rabbits and hares. It is a fatal disease that is also extremely contagious. If that was not bad enough, this disease is very hardy in many environments and is easily moved from one place to another via fomites---clothes, shoes, cages, cage furniture etc.  Laura Davich Jette is a Eastern cottontail rabbit wildlife rehabilitator in Minnesota. In her day job she is an Emergency Room nurse. This makes her...

In our last two episodes on creance flying raptors I talked in depth with Lori Arent, Assistant Director of The Raptor Center (TRC) about her journey to TRC and what eventually led to a study regarding reconditioning raptors using the creance technique. Tune into this final episode Creance Technique in Practice as we focus on what creance flying looks like--the ins and outs of this useful tool to ready raptors for release.  Lori goes into the details of a raptor exercise program including...

I am joined again by Lori Arent, Assistant Director of The Raptor Center (TRC) at the University of Minnesota, for this captivating conversation about how the science of the creance technique for reconditioning raptors was developed.  So much of what is done in wildlife rehabilitation is educated guesses. This episode explores how in this case the educated guesses and trial and error led to a study that looked at the science of reconditioning. It is an art that pulls from biomechanics of...

This series of episodes will focus on creance flying as a reconditioning technique for raptors as the last step before release back into the wild.  I am joined by Lori Arent, Assistant Director of The Raptor Center (TRC) at the University of Minnesota for this interesting set of conversations about creance flying. We talk about Lori's journey from interest in animals to a passion for raptors. She became a falconer early on in her career at TRC to learn as much as possible about raptor flight...

This is part 4 of my conversation with Debbie Sykes about white tail deer fawn. We spend more time on nutrition and the types of plants the young fawns should be exposed to as they are growing to get them ready for release. Housing is discussed ---both indoor and outdoor housing and what the most important factors for each from a fawn's point of view. We also touch on CWD--Chronic Wasting Disease that is affecting deer in many places around the country. We also have a good discussion about...

Debbie and I get into detail on how to evaluate a white tail deer fawn when it comes into care. What are the factors for first housing a fawn? How does groupings of young fawn reduce stress? We also talk a lot about the GI system of deer and how nutrition is as important as we all know it is. What are the components of nutrition and when should you introduce solid foods and in what form should it take?  All of this and we want probiotics for everyone! If that is not enough, we talk and laugh...

Listen as Debbie Sykes of Nashville Wildlife Conservation and I discuss white tail deer fawns and the first point of contact wildlife rehabilitators have with that fawn....the public. We discuss how to enlist the caller/finder as an advocate for the fawn---including when the fawn should be left alone. As rehabilitators, we want to educate the finders on what is the best for the fawn. We discuss strategies to make the right decision for the individual animal. 

Debbie Sykes tells us about how her college biology program led her to discover wildlife rehabilitation as a fulfilling career. In just a few years, Debbie's passion for the field carried her from rehabilitator newbie to expert specializing in North American White Tailed Deer.

Wildlife rehabilitator Peggy Popp, a Wisconsin-based expert in weasel care, discusses feeding techniques, weaning, and the care she provides leading up to releasing the animals back into the wild. This is the final episode of our three-part deep dive discussion with Peggy on the entire process of rehabilitating short-tailed weasels.

Wisconsin-based wildlife rehabilitator Peggy Popp, a longtime expert in weasels and other small mammals, discusses best practices on feeding and care for weasels leading up to their release back into the wild. Since weasels must eat close to every hour, feeding is a delicate and challenging task. But Peggy has it down to a science.

Wisconsin-based wildlife rehabilitator discusses her career and how the wildlife rehabilitation community collaborates to continuously improve upon best practices, including  data collection and sharing.

Wildlife rehabilitator Sara Cole discusses how she became interested in wildlife rehabilitation. Her interest in wildlife rehabilitation began in early childhood, and in this episode we'll dive into the details of her motivation to help wildlife. Currently Sara has a busy day job in Duluth, MN, but that hasn't stopped her from taking on the challenge of rehabilitating wildlife - an endeavor that is in itself an entire second job. 

Wildlife rehabilitator Sara Cole, of Duluth, MN discusses the process of becoming a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and establishing a home wildlife rehabilitation practice.