IFAW's Animal Rescue Blog

Rescued Dolphins go high-tech!

This section of the post was filed by Katie Moore, the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Marine Mammal Rescue and Research (MMRR) team Manager.

Sometimes, the hardest days really do turn out to be the most rewarding! Winter is our busiest stranding season and this day tested our stamina. Our first stranding hotline call came mid morning- four dolphins stranded in Wellfleet. One common dolphin was found in Chipman’s Cove. The other three were on Mayo beach, one of which had died before being found.

The MMRR team responded rapidly to assess the live animals and provide supportive care and medical treatment. It was phenomenal to realize that all three of these dolphins were fit for release. Our team members and dedicated volunteers cared for these animals throughout transport to a safe release location at the tip of Cape Cod where they could be released into open water. Through driving wind and alternating rain and sleet, we arrived in at Herring Cove in Provincetown.

As we were preparing to release these three animals (one fitted with a satellite tracking tag), we received two more calls- one dolphin stranded in Truro and three more at another location in Wellfleet. Although it was hard, we had to focus on the three animals in hand. While the other staff members and volunteers released these animals, I frantically made phone calls to find more volunteers to respond to the new dolphins. (I am constantly amazed by our volunteers who venture out in terrible weather to provide care while we’re en route).

Thinking of Dogs During the Holidays - Continuing Northern Dogs Effort

The following report is coming from Jan Hannah, Project Manager of IFAW's "Northern Dogs" initiative, which centers its work on the dogs living in remote impoverished communities of northern Canada.

We are knee deep in the holiday season which means that planning has begun for the next Northern Dogs visit to northern Quebec. I have sent out letters to each community contact addressing some changes that I hope we can implement in the next set of clinics and another dog data sheet which is intended to help us understand the flux in dog populations. But holiday time also has repercussions for the dogs. Winter has set in and the temperature is dropping, puppies are now weaned and roaming the streets looking for food and shelter, and while the dogs are looking for their needs to be met, it’s a busy time for people who may not think to provide for them. I have been contacted by one community member who says there are so many pups on the street. She asked if IFAW could again help by meeting her in Montreal to take and rehome eight pups in need. Because of her ongoing work in rescue, it is definitely time for her to begin to make contacts in the Montreal area, both for rehoming and for transport. This way, she can create a system that meets her needs and is sustainable from her end. I sent her contact information for numerous Montreal-based groups and also had a helping hand from Nik Gour of Humane Society International - Canada who is well connected in the Montreal area as well. The pups arrived on Sunday and were distributed to different groups for adoption or transport to other rescues. There are so many committed groups and volunteers working on different facets of dog rescue and rehoming across Canada that you just have to hook into the network to benefit and to help others.

IFAW Canada: Northern Dogs - Mano Makes a Major Commitment

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Jan Hannah, working from remote Cree communities, in the James Bay region of Quebec, Canada.

Tuesday: I was in Quebec City enjoying the first snowstorm of the season when I received an email from a southern Ontario firefighter who was teaching a rope rescue course in one of the communities that IFAW’s Northern Dogs services. In his email he said, “I've only been up here a couple of days but I have noticed there are quite a few dogs around and most are pretty skinny… but very friendly. One large, red coloured lab looks like he has mange -- he’s missing much of his chest and under belly fur and his skin looks quite scarred and flakey. He certainly doesn't look like he'll make it through the winter.” His message went on to say that he had seen IFAW’s work on the web and a) wondered if IFAW was still working in the community, b) would appreciate any help that IFAW could give him regarding this particular dog, and c) that he thought what IFAW was doing was great and would love to get involved in some way on his return!

IFAW Canada: Northern Dogs Veterinary Effort - Montreal Pups

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Jan Hannah, working from remote Cree communities, in the James Bay region of Quebec, Canada.

I received a call from a woman in one of the communities that IFAW’s Northern Dogs Project visits each spring. Over a number of weeks she had managed to take in six puppies –not littermates; just picked up one by one. Her question to me… could IFAW help her rehome them if she could get them as far as Montreal. I said yes. If I can get to Montreal and you can get the pups on the plane, it’s a go. Emaciated and mostly too young to be on the street, the pup count kept increasing until the night before she was leaving… final puppy tally = 11. If it had been any later, I’m sure she would have had more. All different ages, colours, sizes and litters. It’s cold up north and pups born at the end of August or early September have the added disadvantage of harsh winters to contend with. Small, young animals certainly feel the cold more than older, larger animals.

Sunday: A good friend volunteered to accompany me and this is such a big treat. Twelve hours of driving is long when you’re alone and a second pair of hands is invaluable when dealing with the pups on the way home, especially for the pee breaks. Lucille is awesome. You want a volunteer who sees something that needs doing and just does it. That’s Lucille.

Monday: We stayed overnight in Montreal last night so it only took us five minutes to get to the airport this morning. The plane arrived, the baggage hatch opened and I could see the crates with the dogs. Just as she said, all different sizes, ages, and colours. It never ceases to make me smile to see the way the baggage handlers talk to the dogs and stick their hands in the crates. Never. They gently offloaded the three crates and wheeled them off the tarmac and straight to us. No matter how dogs are described to you, you always build your own picture so of course none of them looked like I had imagined. There were two chocolate labs (or crosses) about 6 weeks old; one golden retriever cross about the same age; one black lab about that age and two that looked to be about 10 weeks old; one six month old female who looked like a flat coated retriever; one black wiener dog cross; and the only littermates in the bunch, a black and tan female and black and white freckled male, about four months old. Everyone looked in good shape, yapping and wagging their tails as we quickly took them out one by one, walked them around quickly to do their business and stretch their legs, and then put them into the crates in the van. Ten minutes and we are ready to go.

IFAW Canada: Continuing Journal of the Northern Dogs Veterinary Effort

This post was filed by the International Fund for Animal Welfare's Jan Hannah, working from remote Cree communities, in the James Bay region of Quebec, Canada.

Day 1 – It seems like we just got home, found great, committed homes for the five dogs we brought south for re-homing, reorganized supplies, but it’s already time to hit the road again. The van is repacked and ready, the road map is out and the Northern Dogs Team is headed back to James Bay, this time to take veterinary services to under-serviced communities along the coast. Essentials for a 22 hour road trip include an interesting audio book, good tunes and a compatible copilot. Jessica, our humane educator from Animals Teach, is that person on this trip. She’s super supportive of Northern Dogs, she’s super comfortable in the classroom and with our overlapping interests we’ll have no trouble filling the 10 or so hours of driving we have ahead of us today. Reaching the coastal communities means hugging the east side of James Bay via the James Bay highway – these communities are farther away than the last ones. We are starting in the northern-most community which is 100 km west of the main highway just below Radisson (which is where the highway ends). From this community, we will travel south back along the James Bay highway to set up clinics in four other communities, each of which is at least 100 km off the highway. Like the last set of clinics, we have all we need for a fully functioning veterinary clinic in the back of one van. Crystal is once again traveling from Ottawa, meeting us for our first overnight in Mattagami.

IFAW-rescued dolphin spotted with pod in open water

The following report comes from International Fund for Animal Welfare’s Sarah Sharp. Sarah is an Emergency Relief officer and coordinates IFAW’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team.

September is usually one of our slower months for strandings and as I got out of bed on September 1st and headed out the door for a run, I thought how excited I was to be nearly done with the craziness of summer. Unfortunately, before I could get one foot out the door, the hotline rang at 6:45am. A gentleman living in Wellfleet had just seen two dolphins strand right behind his house on Chequesset Neck Rd. He reported that the animals were about 5-6 feet long and lying on their bellies, and the tide would be rising for another 3 or 4 hours.

IFAW Canada: Journal of a Heroic 7 Day Veterinary Effort

This post was filed by IFAW's Jan Hannah, working from remote Cree communities, in the James Bay region of Quebec, Canada.

Day 1 – Today we headed out from the Guelph area on the first of our two day drive to the inland James Bay Cree communities to run veterinary clinics. Everything you need for a mobile veterinary clinic is packed into one mini van – two anesthetic machines, suture material, surgery packs, vaccinations, intake forms, leashes and collars… you need it for a mobile clinic, we have it! It’s always exciting to head north again, knowing the vets and vet technicians provide a service that isn’t accessible. Many of us take our vet clinic for granted -- where we’re headed, porcupine quills can be a death sentence. For a change, we took the 101 up the Quebec side of Temiskaming. No exciting animal sightings to report but the scenery was beautiful! Nine hours of driving down, six more to go.

Day 2 –Crystal drove up from Ottawa and met Jen and I in the hotel just before a wicked thunderstorm blew in last night. But today is clear…and the temperature is reminding me that I didn’t bring my winter clothes like I’d been told to. It’s always difficult to pack hats and mitts when the temperature at home is hovering around hot. As always, we have to drive a section of road, just before you really feel like you’re leaving the south, where you see dogs tied to dog houses, curled up or straining on their chains. Note to self -- stop and drop off some info on responsible dog ownership. We arrived in our first community at about 2 pm and there were the dogs, doing what they do best -- lounge out front of the house, lie on their porch, hang out at the gas station, or meander through town looking for food, friends, or action. Crystal and I are so used to seeing roaming dogs now but when anyone new is on board, it takes some getting used to.

Three wild horses found shot in Alberta

On Tuesday, April 28th three wild horses were found shot to death in the foothills of Alberta, Canada. The latest victims were a pregnant mare, her yearling colt and a young stud. The colt was shot in the chest and ran up a hill for about 100 feet before collapsing. The stud had been shot in his stomach, and suffered a long, agonizing death. His head was caught between two trees when he fell. The mare looked ready to foal within a day or two, and appeared to have gone into labour after she was shot as her birthing sack was visible when she was found.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and wildlife authorities are investigating the killings. They believe the horses were shot from a nearby road with a high-powered rifle.

The winners of IFAW Canada’s 2008 Wildlife Protection Award, Bob and Doreen Henderson of the Wild Horses of Alberta Society (WHOAS) serve to protect these wild horses and lobby the provincial government to enact legislation to better protect them. The death of these last three raises the total to 28 wild horses found shot in Alberta since the formation of WHOAS in 2002. For Bob and Doreen, this type of scene is all too familiar.

WHOAS, with several other animal welfare organizations in Alberta, is offering a reward of $25,000 CDN for information leading to arrest of the person(s) responsible for the shooting. For more information and to find out what you can do to help, click here.

Photo: Bob Henderson

Under wind and rain - IFAW rescues stranded dolphins

Posted by IFAW Communications Officer - Michael Booth

The call for help was received at 1:00pm as we were all busy at our office desks and quite happy to have a roof over our heads as rain started to pour down on Cape Cod.

Three dolphins had been reported stranded along the marsh at the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellfleet and like so many times before everyone immediately burst into motion.

Like clockwork, the team of responders rushed to the warehouse area that houses all the necessary rescue equipment and transport trailers needed to rescue the large cetaceans. It seemed everyone had a phone permanently attached to their ear, getting more information from the field and calling up volunteers.

Within the hour we were there, facing the distressed dolphins. It was cold, it was raining heavily and we were knee-deep in mud but next to us were three Atlantic White-sided dolphins stranded but alive!

Moving them was no simple task, the largest male dolphin was close to 8 feet and carrying his large body on a stretcher through those mud flats required very heavy lifting and patience. Each step was hard-earned but eventually all 3 dolphins were placed inside the transport vehicle where a series of test were done to evaluate their health.

Blood was drawn, tags were being placed on their dorsal fin and there was even an ultrasound device capturing images from inside the dolphin’s organs looking for signs of damage and distress.

It was late in the afternoon when we arrived with the dolphins to Herring Cove. This safe release site is chosen largely because the rescued animals have a clear shot at the open ocean, which dramatically reduces the chances of them ending up stranded again. That day, the ocean surf was far from calm but good enough to send these dolphins back on their way and back to their ocean home.

As they swam away, crowd and volunteers cheered. It was a great ending to a hard working day –a big thank you to IFAW supporters for making these rescues possible.

IFAW conducts Emergency Relief training in Canada

Posted by IFAW Emergency Responder - Deb Gleason

Twenty-five extraordinary individuals who share a common concern for the fate of animals in disasters in Canada joined Dick Green and I for a two day training session last week. We came together to develop goals and common ground for how to handle animals in case of a disaster in Canada, and more specifically, in Ontario. The group was comprised of representatives from the Ontario SPCA and several of their affiliates, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the Toronto Wildlife Centre, Social Services, the Canadian Red Cross as well as local emergency managers and municipal leaders.

Participants were introduced to the world of disasters and in particular, to what IFAW has done internationally to help animals in distress. IFAW’s 36-foot response trailer was on site and participants were given a tour of the trailer. Through this, the participants saw first-hand how our Emergency Response team communicates with the outside world while responding to a disaster, as well as where they meet, eat and sleep.

Disaster assessments, training and equipment, coalition building and lessons learned from past disasters were some of the key areas that were covered. The highlight of the session was a massive table top exercise where the participants had to problem solve their way through a mock large disaster that put thousands of animals in peril. The good news is that not only did they learn a lot about the challenges they would face in a disaster involving animals, they were successful in identifying key issues as well as rescuing and sheltering animals throughout the scenario.