Stanislaus Wildlife Care Center

05/31/2026

To all the people in Lathrup who are worried about Kevin, the neighborhood peacock, he is doing well so far.

He had a couple of very deep injuries from dog bites. Dr. Donahue at Monte Vista Small Animal Hospital sutured his wounds. He is on antibiotics and painkillers. Although he seems to be doing fine, there is still the possibility of internal injuries and infection. We will know more in a few days.

He has an old fracture of the radius and ulna (wing bones) that prevents him from flying. He is four or five years old.

We cannot let him go back where he was because of the risk of another encounter with dogs. We will try to find a safe place for him to live.

We don’t normally take peacocks because they are domestic animals. But he had a serious injury that needed immediate treatment.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.stanislauswildlife.org

Venmo:.

Paypal – please visit our website https://www.stanislauswildlife.org/

Amazon wish list - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3CM110KIRF8YY?ref_=abls_nvfly_yl&content_source=fb&fb_content_id=Q9-wBQE1OvR49XYl7nuLs0a1zxjPbfvAEqaStfRYY1DNb24BlQbIRShslenZs7sFgg&channel_type=fb&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExR3pUT2w4VUNoWkZBQ045RnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5atn_WZMsrkwUpRorFGI9Qo_3-MOslJgcGIacJdd8VcA9hflGp-B1ulnQ7hA_aem_ZY6YUivsGuJatNi-CBNHcw

05/29/2026

It rained last night. Not a light sprinkle. Over a third of an inch.

Depending upon where you live, that may not seem newsworthy, but where I live, this amount of rain this time of year, without warning, is newsworthy. At least at the wildlife center, where several outside enclosures didn’t have adequate rain protection. After all, we are supposed to be out of the rainy season, so everything has shade protection, but not so much water protection.

Most cages still have their winter covers and, but newer cages weren’t so lucky. A bunch of baby opossums needed to come in and dry off. They are none the worse for their experience. And their cage now has a cover. A couple of squirrels' nests got wet, but the squirrels didn’t seem to mind. They were dry.

The baby hawks got the worst of the downpour. We house large hawk babies, mostly red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, in open boxes on shelves inside an enclosure.

At this age, the birds are not ready to leave the nest, so they are happy to sit on a bed of hay and enjoy the outside breezes, sounds, and smells. We put on a face shield and feed them four times a day.

The rain drenched the birds and their nests.

We put them in open boxes in the laundry shed and turned on a heater that blew warm air over them. Although they were wet, they were not cold. That is, their body temperature was normal, they were alert and hungry.

Since they would normally be in an open nest in the top of a tall tree, the occasional rainstorm is a normal part of their life.

Once they dried off and their nests were ready with fresh bedding, they were returned.

The green, rigid foam prevents birds from seeing each other and hopping from nest to nest. It isn’t pretty, or sophisticated, but it is light weight, waterproof, and free.

When defecating, these birds tend to stand and let fly. So the floor, walls, and even dividers get dirty, as you can see on one of the hanging charts. Every few days, the whole place gets a good hosing.

Once the birds eat on their own and take their maiden flight, usually to another nest, they are ready for larger aviaries.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.stanislauswildlife.org
Venmo:.
Paypal – please visit our website https://www.stanislauswildlife.org/
Amazon wish list - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3CM110KIRF8YY?ref_=abls_nvfly_yl&content_source=fb&fb_content_id=Q9-wBQE1OvR49XYl7nuLs0a1zxjPbfvAEqaStfRYY1DNb24BlQbIRShslenZs7sFgg&channel_type=fb&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExR3pUT2w4VUNoWkZBQ045RnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5atn_WZMsrkwUpRorFGI9Qo_3-MOslJgcGIacJdd8VcA9hflGp-B1ulnQ7hA_aem_ZY6YUivsGuJatNi-CBNHcw

05/21/2026

This is a flammulated owl. They are tiny. He weighs 70 grams, about the same as a lime. They do have very small ear tufts, which are barely visible here. Notice the white feather on the owl’s left (your right) side above the eye. That is an ear tuff, or a feather that he can stick up if he so desires. He has similar feathers on the other side, but they don’t show here.

These tiny owls nest in tree cavities, often old woodpecker nests. They are found in forested areas west of the Rocky Mountains, from southwestern Canada to Central America. Although the population of flammulated owls is stable, it is uncommon for us to admit one.

Although their diet in the wild consists mostly of insects, especially moths and beetles, this little guy prefers mice.

He, or she, we don’t know which, has a fractured humerus near the shoulder. This kind of fracture will never heal well enough for him to be released. However, we have a display cage that he would do well in. If he survives, we will see if it is possible to keep him and let him live out his life at the SWCC.

These pictures were taken in the morning. He managed to get his wing bandage off during the night. We need to keep that wing supported so the fracture heals in a way that lets him hold his wing in a natural position, even though it will never work well enough for useful flight.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.stanislauswildlife.org

Venmo:.

Paypal – please visit our website https://www.stanislauswildlife.org/

Amazon wish list - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3CM110KIRF8YY?ref_=abls_nvfly_yl&content_source=fb&fb_content_id=Q9-wBQE1OvR49XYl7nuLs0a1zxjPbfvAEqaStfRYY1DNb24BlQbIRShslenZs7sFgg&channel_type=fb&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExR3pUT2w4VUNoWkZBQ045RnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5atn_WZMsrkwUpRorFGI9Qo_3-MOslJgcGIacJdd8VcA9hflGp-B1ulnQ7hA_aem_ZY6YUivsGuJatNi-CBNHcw See less

05/17/2026

Black-necked stilts are in the family called Recurvirostridae, which means a backward curving beak. Although the stilts' beak does not curve up quite as much as their close relative, the American Avocet, it does turn up at the end.

They feed on bugs and other critters that live in shallow water or muddy shores. They use their beak to probe the mud to find worms and shrimp. They also catch small fish, tadpoles, and little snails, anything small and living along the shore.

Their long legs let them walk in fairly deep water, so they can travel along grassy shores where the water level may vary. Although they are sometimes seen in grassy areas, they are more often found along the shore in marshy areas.

Stilts are not usually found in towns. This one came from a rural area with lots of orchards and row crops.

He has a wing injury, probably from a collision. This injury will never heal, and he will never be able to fly. However, we hope to place him in a zoo or other facility where he can live out his life.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.stanislauswildlife.org
Venmo:.

Paypal – please visit our website https://www.stanislauswildlife.org/

Amazon wish list - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3CM110KIRF8YY?ref_=abls_nvfly_yl&content_source=fb&fb_content_id=Q9-wBQE1OvR49XYl7nuLs0a1zxjPbfvAEqaStfRYY1DNb24BlQbIRShslenZs7sFgg&channel_type=fb&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExR3pUT2w4VUNoWkZBQ045RnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5atn_WZMsrkwUpRorFGI9Qo_3-MOslJgcGIacJdd8VcA9hflGp-B1ulnQ7hA_aem_ZY6YUivsGuJatNi-CBNHcw

05/10/2026

More on the bobcat kittens.

I apologize for the delay, but I had a family emergency.

One of the kittens developed black stools and died. The post-mortem exam suggested anticoagulant poisoning, so the other two were put on Vitamin K and Iron supplements. They were then transferred to Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue. They have much better bobcat facilities than we do. And they have a volunteer who flies the animals around in an airplane.
That saved the bobcats from a very long car ride.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has the dead mother and will try to determine the cause of death. They also want to examine the dead kitten.

We have not found out if the mother died of anticoagulant poison or not.

Anticoagulant rodenticides, or rat and mouse poison, are often found in wildlife. This is similar to blood thinners that heart patients take. It stops the blood from clotting.

In lethal doses, the blood leaks from organs and veins. Any tiny wound never stops bleeding. Eventually, the body cavity is full of blood, and there isn’t enough left in the veins to keep the animal alive.

A poisoned mouse doesn’t die right away. When a predator eats the mouse, it absorbs all the poison. If it eats enough of these easy-to-catch mice, it gets a lethal dose of poison.

If the poison is treated soon enough, before symptoms appear, the animal has a good chance of recovering. But once the animal is seriously anemic, the damage to internal organs is severe, and there is little chance of recovery. That is why we are treating the kittens before we have laboratory confirmation that they were poisoned.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.stanislauswildlife.org

Venmo:.

Paypal – please visit our website https://www.stanislauswildlife.org/

Amazon wish list - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3CM110KIRF8YY?ref_=abls_nvfly_yl&content_source=fb&fb_content_id=Q9-wBQE1OvR49XYl7nuLs0a1zxjPbfvAEqaStfRYY1DNb24BlQbIRShslenZs7sFgg&channel_type=fb&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAYnJpZBExR3pUT2w4VUNoWkZBQ045RnNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5atn_WZMsrkwUpRorFGI9Qo_3-MOslJgcGIacJdd8VcA9hflGp-B1ulnQ7hA_aem_ZY6YUivsGuJatNi-CBNHcw

05/02/2026

Check out these kittens, especially the huge feet and ear tufts. There is a third one hiding under the blanket. I only got a couple of pictures as we put them into the cage to calm down. They were terrified after their trip from Tehachapi.

Bobcats are secretive and seldom seen, but reasonably common. They appear pretty healthy, but it is hard to tell. We don’t want to stress them anymore until they have had time to rest and eat.

Although they may look like they should nurse, they have full sets of baby teeth. We gave them a few defrosted mice to eat. I peeked in a few minutes later, and several mice were missing.

The mother was found dead under a windmill, so the babies were brought to us by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

We haven’t decided whether to raise them at our center or transfer them to another center.

We don’t have dedicated bobcat caging. Although we have several enclosures that could be modified to house bobcats, they are needed for other animals. We are above our normal number of admissions for this time of year. In fact, we have never had this many admissions this early in the year. Which means that we will have more animals than our cages were built for, even without the bobcats.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.stanislauswildlife.org

Venmo:.

Paypal - please visit the website for PayPal. Facebook cuts off the full link.

Amazon wish list - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3CM110KIRF8YY?

04/24/2026

Opossum babies are the size of small jelly beans when born. They suck in a ni**le, which expands to fill their tiny mouths. They cannot let go. If removed, they cannot be reattached. After about three months, their mouths open and they can come out of the pouch. Although it is another month before they spend any time outside.

We often get opossums with babies in the pouch. As long as mama can recover and be released before the babies wander outside, everything is fine. However, sometimes the babies get big enough to ride on mama. That makes release tricky.

We don’t want mama running off, leaving a trail of babies.

This release went well. The babies clung to mama in the carrier, and when the door opened, she wandered away without dislodging a single baby.

At this age, they crawl back in the pouch to nurse and also sample whatever mama is eating, fruit, bugs, and dog food left outside. They are not fast hunters, especially with a back full of babies, but they aren’t too picky either.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.stanislauswildlife.org
Venmo:.
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Amazon wish list - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3CM110KIRF8YY?ref_=abls_nvfly_yl

04/18/2026

Baby Animal Shower is tomorrow. We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as we can.

04/15/2026

04/15/2026

Baby Animal Shower is this Saturday between 10 am and 3 pm. Because it is a baby shower, we ask people to bring a gift. Here are a few items off our Amazon wish list and what we do with them.

For more information, please visit our website: https://www.stanislauswildlife.org
Venmo:.
Paypal - https://www.paypal.com/donate...
Amazon wish list - https://smile.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3CM110KIRF8YY/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_1_encoding=UTF8&type=wishlist