Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release, Inc.

04/21/2024

The Biggest Threat to Baby Wildlife’s Survival
With our chilly weather pattern right now, the biggest threat to baby wildlife is the lack of warmth. If you come across baby wildlife that you think needs help, the most important action to take is to provide warmth. Don’t overwhelm it with too much heat and don’t set it on a concrete floor in a box so that the cold seeps in. Place a towel or something substantial between the box and the floor, Put hot water in a plastic bottle or airtight container, surround it with a cloth, and set it inside the box. Or, you could place hand warmers under the box, Be certain they are not too warm for the baby. Continue to keep a towel between the box and a concrete floor to protect from the cold.

Don’t worry about feeding the baby. It can go a while without food but not without warmth. Once you have it warm, call me at (715) 832-1462.

Thanks for caring about the critters,
Patti

Thank you to all who gave at the end of March. Since then, babies have been showing up daily: birds, squirrels, fox, racoons… It’s definitely baby season! On April 1, no joke, I fell and fractured my left hip in one spot and my left femur in three. I am thankful to be recovering at Dove South in Eau Claire. If you wanted to but didn’t get in a donation three weeks ago, Patti and the critters could use more help. Yes, there are more to rescue, rehab, and release! Thank you from the bottom of my heart as well as Patti’s for any amount you are able to give, Elizabeth Click here to donate square.link/u/4VrslQtP?src-sms.

To help feed, house, and rehab injured wildlife through Patti Stangel's Wildlife Rehab and Release 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

03/30/2024

My Name Is Elizabeth…
My name is Elizabeth. I assemble Patti’s words into the posts that you read about the critters and what she is doing. I am penning this note in my words because what I want to say she will not do. I understand you wish Patti the best and, just by your reading these posts, you show how much you appreciate what she does for you and the critters.

I want to give you a perspective Patti doesn’t allow you to see. She gives every, and I cannot emphasize enough every, minute and ounce of effort she has toward the critters and your concern for them. Not only that, she does whatever she must with the meager amount she receives in donations to house and feed them, frequently denying her own comfort by dipping into her personal funds.

Continually asking for a handout is challenging. More than anyone, Patti understands that living within your means in an economic climate of rising costs and uncertain financial stresses is not easy. Despite all this, I cannot tell you how many times she has shared with me how blessed she feels to be doing what she does, helping those who care about wildlife and the wildlife themselves.

While I am happy to help her in a small way with these posts, I truly want to cry crocodile tears for her lack of funds. When she gets turned down for a grant, as she just did, life gets harder. I understand her supporters would help if they knew the situation, which is why I am writing you. Facing spring baby season, Patti is so low on funds she is struggling to feed the critters she has to say nothing of the new ones which are appearing daily.

If you can possibly spare $5 or $10, would you please send it? An even greater gift would be for you to set up a recurring donation monthly of a small amount such as that so that Patti continually has money for food for the critters. She isn’t close to the $3000 per month she needs to operate. She desperately needs your help.

Now I must get her approval to allow me to send this to you. If you receive it, I have been successful in my plea to her. Click here to donate

Thank you for caring about Patti and the critters. Happy Easter!
Elizabeth

03/17/2024

A Very Special Release
Recently, we were excited to release an owl back into the wild, not only because it was healthy and able to go but because we released it in memory of a special friend, Billy Krause. He and his wife Marjie have been good friends to me and big supporters of what we do. Thank you, Billy, for giving us hours of hearing your music, and thank you both for being special friends to me and the critters.

Releases in memory of a person are particularly special to me because I feel the person who is no longer with us receives a message of our love and remembrance from the owl.

Thank you for caring about the critters,
Patti
PS If someone you lost loved wildlife, send a donation to the critters in that person’s memory. Be sure to send the name of the person, too. Click here to donate

03/03/2024

I Officially Declare We Are in Spring Season…
Stating on March 3 that our season has turned to Spring may seem a bold move, but Mother Nature is in charge. The critters respond to her lead, and their actions tell me she has told them it’s Spring. The birds and mammals are nesting. Get ready to see babies in every species. Look around your yard to make certain you have picked up anything that could be harmful or an impediment to nesting families. Remember to let the parents take care of their young. Restrain from getting involved unless absolutely necessary.

Thank you for caring about the critters,
Patti

PS If someone you lost loved wildlife, send a donation to the critters in that person’s memory. Be sure to send the name of the person, too. Click here to donate

02/19/2024

No Friend of an Owl
Crows are intelligent creatures and no friend to an owl. They like to congregate on carrion and often will want a share of an owl’s kill. Crows will attack an owl to get part of the kill. Just as they do on a carcass, crows go first for the owl’s eyes.

Since crows go to bed early, they are usually not around a half hour before sunset. For that reason, I release owls at that time. It’s the safest time to give an owl a chance to avoid crows. When crows detect a new owl in an area, they have a propensity to attack it whether it is near a carcass or not.

If you hear a murder of crows making a ruckus, they may be attacking an owl…or something else.

Thanks for caring about the critters,
Patti

PS If someone you lost loved wildlife, send a donation to the critters in that person’s memory. Be sure to send the name of the person, too. Click here to donate

01/30/2024

What a Relief!
After distilling about 8000 pages of notes from all the calls and critters I received in 2023 into a forty-six page report for the State and the Feds, I breathed a deep sigh of relief a few days ago. Every January I go through that process in order to renew my licenses. It is tedious, elicits memories, and prompts me to realize how many wildlife and human lives I affected last year. I am grateful for all of them. If you contacted me, your name is among those I included.

Now we are applying for grants in order to completely reconstruct our very worn-out, thirty-year-old caging that can no longer be fixed. We have a three year plan to accomplish that reconstruction and clean up and are thankful for the monies we have received toward the project from the Eau Claire Community Foundation and the Menomonie Rotary.

Thank you for all you have given to help feed and care for the critters.
Thanks, too, for caring about them,
Patti
PS If someone you lost loved wildlife, send a donation to the critters in that person’s memory. Be sure to send the name of the person, too. Click here to donate

01/14/2024

The Owls Made It
I am happy to share with you that all three owls are eating, and the Great Horned Owl even has her attitude back. Thank you for all your well wishes. I appreciate your support. This time of year I am busy preparing my annual report for the state and federal governments, which I am required to submit in order to renew my licenses. I must list every critter I took in, what county it came from, the result of the rehab, and, if it was released, the county in which I released it. The task is enormous and takes me most of January. The report must be postmarked by January 30. I am about one-third through the state and have forty-three pages so far. It’s a good activity for weather such as we are in. Stay safe and warm.

Thanks for caring about the critters,
Patti

PS If someone you lost loved wildlife, send a donation to the critters in that person’s memory. Be sure to send the name of the person, too. Click here to donate

To help feed, house, and rehab injured wildlife through Patti Stangel's Wildlife Rehab and Release 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

01/10/2024

My Two Best Helpers
Through my twenty-six years of rehabbing critters, I have found two helpers to be my best assistants, time and patience. I was reminded of that recently when dealing with three owls who did not want to eat on their own. I had just taken in two of them. The third was my rehab helper, a Great Horned Owl with permanent PMS. That’s not her name, it’s her attitude. Yesterday one finally ate without encouragement, and I am waiting patiently for the other two to do the same. I’m not fond of ripping a rat into pieces to prompt them to eat. Although they haven’t eaten for a week, I have had an owl go for three weeks without eating. After it did, it released the biggest pellet I have ever seen. I am employing my two helpers, time and patience, to fix the situation. Hopefully, in my next communication I will share that the remaining two are both eating on their own. Keep your fingers crossed for them.

Thanks for caring about the critters,
Patti

PS If someone you lost loved wildlife, send a donation to the critters in that person’s memory. Click here to donate

To help feed, house, and rehab injured wildlife through Patti Stangel's Wildlife Rehab and Release 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

01/01/2024

This Time of Year Young Ones Get in Trouble…
I have released six owls lately. As fast as I release them, they are replaced by others that have gotten into trouble. The babies from 2023 are out on their own and having problems. Remember owls can’t move their eyes. When they spot food, they go for it, unaware of anything such as a vehicle coming from the side that may get in its way.

I’ve also had a lot of calls on eagles. The other day I drove past two pair sitting in a field near a carcass. I was reminded that this time of year the parents teach the young ones eating protocol. When the parents find a carcass, they eat first. The young ones perch in a tree and wait for the the parents to finish. Then, they may dig in. If the young ones approach too soon, the parents dive bomb them.

Thanks for caring about the critters,
Happy New Year!
Patti

PS If someone you lost loved wildlife, send a donation to the critters in that person’s memory. Click here to donate

12/24/2023

I Know We Are Two Months Past Halloween, But…

Because of our weather, bats have not yet hibernated. They like 35 degree temperatures. If you find one shaking, it is not due to the temperature but the bat getting its blood flowing. These wonderful but spooky critters can easily be transported to a different location. Place an ice cream bucket over the bat, slide a piece of stiff paper underneath, pick the bucket and paper up, and deposit it outside so that the bat can fly free. Since it is blind, you can do this in the light or the dark. The bat won’t care.

Have a fun Christmas with your friends and family. Take a deep breath. New Years is on its way.

Thanks for caring about the critters,
Patti

12/18/2023

With Deep Gratitude…

As we head into the final curve of 2023 turning the corner into 2024, I am immersed in gratitude. Although 2023 had some lean months for donations, I appreciate every, single penny and drop of sweat each of you has given to help the critters. Thank you. Thank you for caring about the critters. Thank you for learning about the critters. Thank you for doing whatever you could to help the critters. I feel so blessed to be working with the critters and to have made contact with you. Last week an old friend brought me some benches I have long wanted and he had made especially for me. We placed them near the cages to help me exercise my favorite pastime, observing the critters. Doing that gives me enjoyment of their antics, helps me decide where they are in their rehab, and teaches me more about their particular species. I have learned more from watching and working with critters than I have from reading about them. Now I can do that from these beautiful benches. Thank you.

I wish for you to feel the fulfillment of blessings in your life. Happy Holidays and a blessed New Year.
Patti

12/11/2023

Check Your Heated Bird Bath…

With the unusually warm weather we have been having the last two months, heated bird baths have not been as necessary as normal. A caller mentioned the other day that he’d better check his because he had had to chip ice in it. A brief power outage can shut them down, and you don’t know it. While they are nice for the birds, birds can get caught in the ice. I’ve wondered if a smart move might be to position a couple of small branches across the bird bath so that small birds settle on them before trying to drink rather than dipping their feet into the water and risk getting their little feet frozen. That is a sad situation with which I have dealt. At the very least, check your heated bird bath regularly and do whatever you can to keep the little birds’ feet out of the water so that they do not get frozen into it.

Thanks for caring about the critters,
Patti