Ep 100: The Center

[00:00:02] Begin PodFix Network Transmission in 3, 2, 1 This is BewilderBeasts, an infotainment show dedicated to inspiring curiosity for all ages by investigating the ways animals intersect at humanity. I am not a historian, an ethologist, a researcher, a scientist, a zoologist, a trained audio engineer or an expert in... well... anything.

[00:00:26] Y'all, I'm lucky if I can remember to put my clean laundry in the dryer before it gets funky. And while I make every effort to present things as accurately as I can with a fun flair, I'm going to mess up. And that's okay.

[00:00:38] I hope I've given you a nice place to jump off from on your own adventures into curiosity or at the very least, I've given you the key to win your next round of trivia. Me, me, me, me, me, why are you so quiet?

[00:00:54] Maybe I should just play this whole thing in the last episode. See what's up. Why can't I get that voice up? Hellooooo. Ah, that's what I'm talking about. Hello and welcome to Buh Wilder Beasts. I'm your host, Melissa Mekumograt, recording however many miles I am from you today.

[00:01:34] And on today's episode, the last episode exploring the intersection of animals at humanity, the humans who help injured wildlife and the mission to save the planet so we can all exist peacefully together. Ready? Yes, you are. Let's go. This is it guys.

[00:01:59] The very last episode of Buh Wilder Beasts. What a journey. I am not going to do that thing where we go down memory lane. Instead, I'd rather look ahead to what curious stories there are still to tell and explore.

[00:02:10] And I wanted to tip my hat to some very, very special people that the 10 Patreon supporters of Buh Wilder Beasts who stepped up and not only helped pay for hosting fees in Buh Wilder Beasts website, URL and everything for the last few years,

[00:02:22] but every single supporter who wrote in to express what they would like to see with their bonus episodes, every single one said to release them to you. You guys! The Patreon people y'all are my favorite.

[00:02:37] So as a result of the Patreon supporters' kindness and desire to share the love, I will be unlocking all of those episodes on Buh Wilder Beasts pod on Patreon. And I will release each episode onto the main feed at some point which should

[00:02:50] bring our total episode count up to about 125 or so. There were a few of those episodes over on the Patreon feed that were duplicates like the Cocaine Hippos and Biket the Punk Rock Goat and the Goes to the Dogs Live episode. But I will be releasing those somehow.

[00:03:06] If you want immediate access though starting on March 1st, you can go to Buh Wilder Beasts pod on Patreon.com and they should all be there unlocked, I think. I haven't actually checked to see if this is possible.

[00:03:20] If it's not possible, that means I bunged up the text somewhere or Patreon just doesn't give me the option, but they should be there. And if not, I'm still just going to try to find the best way to release those episodes into this main feed here.

[00:03:35] Either three or four a month once a week for 30 weeks, something like that I don't know yet, but I do know Buzzsprout only allows me to release four hours of content a month or I have to shell out more money to have the subscription for that

[00:03:50] hosting thing for the podcast to exist. So I'm cheap and instead of increasing that, I'm just going to figure out a different way to get it to you and you guys will just see it in the main feed. It'll just be leaked over time, I suspect.

[00:04:03] So if you have a preference as to how you think I should do it, let me know. Otherwise, I'm just going to try to unlock everything on Patreon immediately and then continue to release one to one episode a week over here on Be Wilder Beasts on the RSS.

[00:04:18] So stay subscribed and I'm so excited and yeah, I guess it's it. You know how to follow me on social media. I'm not on Twitter anymore. I mean, the handle is still over there on the artist formerly known as Twitter, but I can't seem to access it.

[00:04:34] So it's gone. But Facebook, Insta, email, all those things. Look out for my new book again hopefully next year and keep it real. Stay curious and let's do one more episode focusing instead on the people who dedicate their lives to educating people about animals,

[00:04:49] the environment and some very special animal ambassadors at the Center for Wildlife in York, Maine. And maybe this will make you curious to go visit the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in your own backyard. Let's go. That is the sound, the very real sound of a Merlin Falcon.

[00:05:16] Unlike the peregrine Falcon that dive up to 300 miles an hour making them the fastest animals on the planet, the smaller Merlin Falcon is a skilled navigator through the woods. The Merlin flies and darts around trees through brush at speeds of around 65 miles an hour.

[00:05:32] That's as fast as most United States highways allow us to drive. Though many of us go faster. Their prey happens to be songbirds who flitter and flutter through the trees, but they are no match for the Merlin. This particular Merlin, the one at the top of the segment

[00:05:50] is one that I have actually met. I've met her several times in fact and she goes by the name of Maeve. And she's my daughter's favorite animal at the Center for Wildlife. We first met Maeve at a Birds of Prey event at a local nature preserve.

[00:06:03] They were hosting the Audubon Society's annual bird meeting and they invited some birds for the Center for Wildlife. Featured that particular night was an owl named Gaia who stood heavy and puffed proud. And she just seemed to stare through everyone.

[00:06:16] She was so stoic and though I'm sure it was just stillness because well, owl, she just was so mighty and poised and so cool just standing there staring at everyone. They also had George who we will talk about in a minute.

[00:06:34] He's an unusual little turtle with a back story. And then there was Maeve. We heard Maeve long before we ever saw her. There was a wooden box on the table with a cover and as soon as the cover lifted, screaming. The handler that night, Kristen,

[00:06:51] was evidently clipping Maeve's leg leash to the glove that she wore for protection from the hunter's talons but also to provide Maeve something to hold onto before the audience could see her. The crate shook and the sound screamed and then out popped a mighty predator no bigger

[00:07:06] than a small woman's fist. She was comically small for the sound that was emanating out of her body. Her eyes were that sharp piercing look of a falcon. Her face profile was out of a falcon but it was like a tea cup falcon

[00:07:26] who just had to tell us all about it. And as Kristen was telling us all about Maeve, darting through the woods, the whole thing I had already gone over, Maeve just kept on maving. The room was popped and even though we knew Maeve was probably

[00:07:39] a little distressed given she's a mighty hunter in a brightly lit room with all of these people, her spirit was spunky and fierce and that's what we all ultimately loved about her. My kiddo who is quite nervous in rooms with strangers just seemed to take in Maeve.

[00:07:56] Maeve peaked her interest in a way that cut through any anxiety that she may have had previously and she left with the big smile on her face. All we heard about for weeks was Maeve. A few weeks later at a kids camp,

[00:08:08] kiddo happened to attend the same nature preserve. The Center for Wildlife came in again with other animals but there was no Maeve this time. Kiddo was thrilled to meet some of the other ambassadors but all she kept asking was can we go visit Maeve

[00:08:20] at the Center for Wildlife? And so we did. Instead of a birthday party, kiddo wanted to see Maeve and the Center for Wildlife happens to also do kids parties. I thought it was odd, not a typical Chuck E. Cheese situation but then again kiddo isn't into that anyway.

[00:08:34] She wanted to spend her birthday with Maeve and like three of her real life friends. So we invited three of her real life friends and fortunately for kiddo Maeve was up for showing off that day because here's the thing, when you're an animal ambassador,

[00:08:49] you get to say no to the cameras, to the limelight, to showing off into educating for a particular day. Autonomy is a huge part of the game and a new part of this and a big part of this new work

[00:08:59] and this gig for a few select wild animals and while it wasn't their first choice, I'm sure they would wanna stay wild and free but sometimes a car going faster than 65 miles an hour hits a Merlin Falcon going 65 miles an hour

[00:09:14] and then that Falcon is found by someone who cares a whole lot and someone is able to bring that broken animal to a place who can save her life. Maybe. The mission for the Center for Wildlife is predominantly as a reputable rehabilitation center for wildlife

[00:09:29] and that is to patch up wild animals responsibly using technology like X-rays and medical treatment daily care feeding schedules the whole shebang and it's not like you can just buy a can of wild owl food at Costco. According to Josh, one of the educators at CFW,

[00:09:44] Maeve's favorite food is mice krispies. Little light on the snap, more heavy on the crackle and well pop because carnivorous bird but when animals come to the center including a snake we found caught in some deer fencing when we first moved to our house,

[00:10:00] they go to the front lobby where a care tech will come out and transport the animal to the back. This is a phrase that we've all heard when we take our pets to the veterinarian's office and if you're so moved,

[00:10:10] you can leave a donation for that animal's care. It's going to get expensive most likely. They do the medical magic work in the back and if the animal can be released the team will bring the animal back to as close as where it was found

[00:10:23] in order to be released. So when they released this snake they drove up to our house to ask where the snake was found. I showed them the tree and they just let it out right there. It was a really moving experience

[00:10:34] to know that these people would just drive all this way to give this animal the best shot at finding its territory, its family. Although to be fair snakes to my knowledge not exactly notoriously monogamous or huggy parents but you get the idea. Couldn't they just release the animals

[00:10:51] where they were at the center? Well, sure, but again as responsible and reputable rehabilitators they want to do the best they can for every single animal in their care and that means returning them home. They get 15,000 calls a year that's 60 calls a day about injured wildlife

[00:11:07] in Southern Maine and New Hampshire. Last year they saved over 2,000 animals. 199 different species of birds and reptiles and mammals and some of those aquatic birds need access to bathtubs to learn how to swim or the big birds of prey with injured wings

[00:11:22] need a safe space to stretch those wings to get better. They need to build muscle and sometimes even relearn how to fly. And if you think about human medicine we have specialists, right? Family doctors are the first line of defense but if you need specialized care

[00:11:36] you go to an orthopedist or a dentist for teeth or a pediatrician for kids or a podiatrist for feet on colleges for cancer. Special doctors learn how to be anestheticians. Their only work is knocking people out to the point where they are nearly dead

[00:11:52] but not quite and then wake them up safely. That is terrifying when you think about it and no wonder it's a specialized field. You need specialized training to do this responsibly for humans. Often our veterinarians are also anesthetists, dentists, orthopedist, podiatrist, pediatrician, geriatric medicine practitioners, family practitioners, oncologists

[00:12:15] and they do it for multiple species. And they're also paid but that's a different story for a different podcast. The team at the Center for Wildlife is everything they possibly can to save the animals who come into the center but sometimes when animals are really harmed by cars,

[00:12:34] by poisons, they fall out of nests and cannot be saved they are at least offered a humane and compassionate euthanasia so they no longer suffer. And as we know nothing is black and white. If an animal can't be released due to injury releasing would mean certain death

[00:12:50] as they cannot fend for themselves or get food but what if they are healthy enough to survive with a few minor modifications? Well then it feels really weird and probably not all that great to euthanize an animal, right?

[00:13:03] Well, that's where the maves, the ferns, the georgias, the gaias that's where they all come in. These animals live their day as animal ambassadors eating as natural a diet as possible living with the enrichment as close to the wild is safe

[00:13:16] and they teach people like you and like me and like Kido and like the hundreds of people at the Audubon meeting or the kids at the Nature Center or the craft beer enthusiasts at Main Beer Company or wherever else the Center for Wildlife shows up

[00:13:28] with these impressive birds. They teach them all about the importance of being environmentally aware and when Maeve and her bird friends are not working they stay in their own enclosures on the property with food enrichment that's natural for them. Gaia the owl and her cage mate Galileo

[00:13:43] they're both great horned owls. Galileo is blind in one eye and is often found sitting in the back of his enclosure watching silently as people walk by. Gaia however, she likes to sit facing out but near the window near the visitors. She habituated to people quite easily

[00:13:59] given that she was just found as a wee little owlette who had fallen from a little nest and she fractured her wing and when she perches on her handler's arm you can see that wing. Like many of the bird ambassadors at the Center for Wildlife

[00:14:12] that wing is off kilter on one side making flight challenging and given that Gaia is a bit more peoply than Galileo she often gets to go for social outings leaving Galileo to get a few hours of quiet alone in their enclosure.

[00:14:25] They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Well they must be doing something right because to gather these two owls have fostered over 40 owlettes who have been orphaned and that contributes to releasable owls in the wild in our own backyard even though these two cannot personally be released.

[00:14:41] The other common reason for an animal at the Center to be considered quote non-releasable is if they've been imprinted on humans. When well intending humans take in baby wildlife to quote help especially about this time in spring when babies are babying like whoa

[00:14:55] and they fall out of nests people bring them back into their homes thinking that they are abandoned but often mom and dad are actually right there or will be right back. Not gone in the 80s way of saying I'm off to get cigarettes

[00:15:06] but really truly coming back to the nest. The babies can quickly become dependent on humans if we interfere. Bertram the Raven at the Center for Wildlife is one such animal. He is so smart you guys he's so freaking smart

[00:15:20] but he could not be sent out to fend for himself because he became too dependent on humans which is why if you happen to find a wild animal do not immediately engage even if the animal is hurt. An injured animal can bite out of fear

[00:15:34] and then you have to go get a rabies shot and those hurt and the animal could get more stressed out and hurt itself more and none of this is okay and none of it is good. So make sure to call your like

[00:15:44] your local wildlife center first to see what you can do to help if the animal is in need. Truly and really in need but at no point is the answer with wildlife. I'm gonna bring it into my house and try to help.

[00:15:56] I've seen Instagram stories on this, I got this. Good God please know don't do that. The training reputable rehabilitators go through for each species to figure out food needs, requirements, care needs and they take great care not to be imprinted on so the animals can be set free.

[00:16:13] These are not our pets. They belong out in the wild if it's possible to release them and responsible rehabbers are often unpaid volunteers. Here's a quote from main.gov on wildlife rehabilitation quote, wildlife rehabilitation requires funding for food supplies, caging veterinary bills, utilities, transportation, insurance,

[00:16:34] resource materials, training programs and more. Some of these items may be donated which can involve a substantial time to solicit but many require purchase. Donations tend to be unpredictable so means must be found to ensure that regular funding is available to cover rehabilitation costs.

[00:16:51] Long story short, if you're doing this on your own be expecting to pay a ton of money to save these animals out of your own pocket. These expenses vary by type and numbers of animals but costs add up quickly. Continuing from main.gov

[00:17:06] the majority of funds for home-based rehabilitations often come from the rehabilitators themselves with limited donations from the public to attract any sizable amount of contributions it's necessary to file for non-profit tax exempt status which itself takes time and money ironically to achieve and maintain.

[00:17:25] Larger facilities may have more organized fundraising programs to support the efforts. The government may very rarely provide any financial contribution to wildlife rehabilitation. End quote, keep in mind most of these animals are coming in due to being orphaned so they are totally dependent on the human,

[00:17:42] injured or imprinted on people. Maybe even because it was orphaned or injured and things were not done properly. These animals will need veterinary care by veterinarians who can see wildlife which not every veterinarian can. Many veterinarians cannot legally treat wildlife. We ran into that at an animal hospital

[00:18:01] that I used to work with in Massachusetts. We would get calls all the time I found a sick orphaned animal, can I bring it in? And we're like what animal is it? And if they listed any wildlife we would have to decline it. It hurts to decline it

[00:18:14] because as somebody who works in an animal related field you really wanna help but it's irresponsible and sometimes illegal to do so. In Canada permits are required from most provincial governments which leads me to the big one and this is my favorite, quote. Wildlife rehabilitation licenses

[00:18:33] or permits are required to work with most native species since wildlife is natural resource and consider the property of the collective people The United States Fish and Wildlife Service requires federal rehabilitation permits to work with migratory bird species, marine mammals and species listed under the Endangered Species Act.

[00:18:54] With very few exceptions wildlife agencies require wildlife rehabilitation permits or licenses to rehabilitate wildlife. Contact information for federal and state agencies on wildlife rehabilitation regulations and requirements can be found on page 10. That source document will be in today's show notes. So how does the center,

[00:19:14] a place where they treat so many animals stay afloat? They do so with grants and community donations and they got creative. Remember the birthday party thing? Well instead of a pinata the kids got to dissect and explore an owl pellet ID the bones of the meal

[00:19:29] that the owl hacked up like a cat at 2 a.m. with a hairball and don't even think that I wasn't into it too. I was also cutting into an extra owl pellet with a table full of 11 year old kids. It was really fun. I found a femur.

[00:19:42] I mean it was a small one probably a mouse but I still found a femur. I think, I'm not a boneologist. But birthday parties are another way for a budding nature lover to donate the same amount of money that would normally go to a Chuck E. Cheese

[00:19:56] or cheap plastic toy party favor thing that will end up in the ocean and put that money instead directly toward the care of the animals on site so they can keep going around to educate humans about the natural world. This can inspire curiosity while you're helping wildlife directly.

[00:20:12] Even though I've lived in New England for nearly my whole life I have never ever seen an owl in the wild. Never. I hear them. I see other people seeing them. When I scroll by insta things and face spaces online

[00:20:24] but I have never seen them in person in the wild. To see fern and bivorant to barred owls who are puffy and fluffy and gorgeous and Lucille a little screech owl who while a wonderful bird does look like she would be the one

[00:20:37] who would absolutely call the manager on anyone stepping out of line. And then there's George. We met George that first night and he has one of the more interesting stories at the center. George came into the center for wildlife with a shell fracture.

[00:20:52] One of the cooler things about a turtle is that their spine is their shell. If you look up turtle skeleton and the vertebrae or spine is at the back of the shell on the inside. So if you can just imagine your rib cage just shell shaped, right?

[00:21:08] And covered in bone. That's essentially the turtle shell. They are not like hermit crabs who can change shells or move house whenever they wish or need. They're born with their shell on and that is it. It has nerve endings. It feels pain

[00:21:21] and it needs to be protected at all costs. So George came in with a shell fracture which is common, painful and common. Think about if you broke your leg turtle's leg is bone. Not only did George have a shell fracture that tried to heal

[00:21:36] but he was also missing a front foot. George has seen some things. Unsure if he'd be able to be released. Consultants were consulted, medical teams were medically teamed and everyone agreed that George could likely get along well with one missing foot.

[00:21:49] They ended up driving him up to Unity Main which is over two hours away from where the center for wildlife happens to be. You have to remember, Maine only has one highway. Only one. And not everything is near the highway.

[00:22:03] See when I grew up it took us over an hour to get to the highway and then another hour and a half to get out of state. It is a process to get anywhere here but George is a wood turtle and had critically endangered species.

[00:22:16] It was of utmost importance to release him if he could safely be released and everyone decided that this was the best course of action for George and Unity College two hours away in Unity Main home of common ground fair is an agricultural college

[00:22:30] that happened to be running a turtle study at the time. They have a huge focus on nature and ecology and environment, farming all of it. So if George could be released where people could peep on him from time to time by using GPS monitoring systems

[00:22:44] affixed to his shelf for just a little bit, make sure the little guy was able to be okay and get around why not try? So enrolling George in the study he went out into the field for eight months with a little GPS tracker.

[00:22:57] George as well as the other turtles were monitored and tracked by Unity researchers. George on three legs traveled more than any other turtle in the study which is even more impressive because when the people did finally go to check on him during the eight month study,

[00:23:14] they discovered George has a guardian angel or something because not only did he travel further than any other turtle in the study and not only was he missing one front foot but he was also missing a second front foot. So he lost another foot in the process.

[00:23:29] This time it suspected a predator took a nibble of George's little foot instead of a car that took out his shell and first foot and with that George was picked up and retired and taken back to the center for wildlife as an ambassador.

[00:23:43] Not many people get to see this endangered species up close and George's remarkable story of how he lost two feet and still manages to get around his enclosure is quite the draw. George is also again on two feet decided the lonely bachelor life is completely his game.

[00:24:01] When his team tried to put another turtle in an enclosure with him so he would have a buddy and he wouldn't be lonely. He didn't need a rocking chair, a shotgun and a Clint Eastwood Grimace. He just kept chasing her around to try to beat her up.

[00:24:15] So he gets a single room for the rest of his days at the center given what he's been through I think he's earned it. In my favorite, Violet. Now I do see turkey vultures all the time around here but I've never seen one up close

[00:24:31] and Violet was a vulture who was likely struck by a car and suffered a humorous fracture. The humorous is analogous to our humorous the longest bone in our arm. And you know what the funny bone when you hit it and it hurts so much?

[00:24:44] Yeah humorous funny bone, ha ha. Yeah I didn't think so either. Whoever came up with that was definitely a doctor who was probably cracking himself up after discovering morphine. Guys, guys this is gonna be so funny, get it? But Violet's wings stretch out over six feet long.

[00:25:01] That's way bigger than most people. I'm only five foot four. Her wings stretch out longer than I am tall. And when we go to visit the center she's often outside perched on her handler who must have trapezoids and triceps of steel.

[00:25:17] Because holding your arm out for a bird to perch on it with a six foot wingspan for hours is not easy. Sunning herself isn't a luxury, this is necessary. As one of nature's garbage collectors she gets that bald head into some funky stuff. Her job cleaning up roadkill,

[00:25:35] carrying leftovers from coyote kills, et cetera is one of the most important and misunderstood in the animal kingdom. She does her job so we can stay healthy because if all of that bacteria just stayed around if she didn't clean it up

[00:25:49] it would be mighty smelly with piling death everywhere. Without vultures and animals who are the cleanup crew we would be strolling through death. As a result of their job they have to clean up and no one ever stops to think, whoa who's gonna clean up the cleanup crew?

[00:26:04] Poor vulture, but that's where Mr. Sun comes out. The UV rays that we humans have to protect ourselves from kill the bad bacteria on vultures. So like the sun charging a solar panel the vultures will stand for hours wings outstretched back to the sun

[00:26:20] catching some rays like a teen from the OC. But instead of working on a tan these birds are literally taking a sunbath to clean their bodies. There's one religion in South Asia, Zoroastrianism. And in Zoroastrianism followers bring their dead people to the Tower of Silence.

[00:26:39] It's a rather tall tower with walls with no roof and the departed are placed with reverence in this quiet area. Waiting above are the vultures. Vultures by the thousands wait to help what is called any sky burial. Now other religions may travel up a mountain with the dead

[00:26:55] and leave the body for the vultures there and other corvids, but while some may think that this is gross or scary let's break this down to see what we do here in the West. We pump our deceased full of chemicals

[00:27:06] that stop the process of decay so that way we can view them under hundreds of pounds of fake makeup so our deceased look like they are sleeping. We then often put them in a metal coffin so nothing can ever get in and return them into the earth.

[00:27:22] They are lowered into the ground where they stay unable to return to nature. I think if you look at different cultures, methodologies and judge we need to first look at our own and think about what that may look like to an outsider too.

[00:27:35] The sky burials a natural burial that returns a body back to the earth that is practiced in several religions and countries in Asia including China, India, Mongolia, Tibet and Bhutan. But you'll sometimes see these sky burials in places

[00:27:47] where the ground is maybe too rocky to dig into the earth or a water burial may further pollute the water. It also unlike cremation, does not add tons of carbon into the atmosphere contributing even more to the greenhouse crisis that we are experiencing right now in 2024.

[00:28:04] And as far as I can see it's practical, environmentally friendly and I'd be down for it. This practice has been happening for literally thousands of years until one day not that long ago, a woman snuck into the tower of silence.

[00:28:18] Now this is a big no-no but she wanted to make sure that the vultures had taken care of her mother and returned her to the earth. But instead what she discovered was a distinct absence of vultures which meant that the bodies and I know kids are listening

[00:28:33] did not go back to the earth as intended at this time. So where did the vultures go? I mean vultures come on you have one job right? But like so many things over the last 100 episodes it gets a little more complicated and ties into everything else.

[00:28:49] Vultures were dying by the dozens and hundreds seemingly overnight through India. A biologist wanted to know why. Vultures have an incredibly acidic stomach to deal with all the bacteria and growth things that happen to dead animals. This is what they eat. In fact vultures will pee and poop

[00:29:05] on their legs to keep bugs away. That's how intense their inner workings are. In a radio lab piece called Corpse Demon where much of this is sourced and thank you to reporter Vir Mitra for telling the story about his religion and his experience through his incredible reporting.

[00:29:22] These vultures are basically eating things like rabies. They don't bat an eye, it doesn't bother them. Their stomach acid is 100 times stronger than ours it's likened to battery acid. So nothing is coming out of this. So if something is killing vultures it's safe to assume something

[00:29:42] is horribly wrong and unbalanced. By the time the researcher arrived 95% of Indian vultures were dead, gone, deceased, like they just dropped out of the sky and died and then shortly after Nepal suffered the same thing. So this researcher goes to Pakistan and the birds were actually thriving.

[00:30:05] They were circling, they were doing whatever they needed to do to like eat all the dead things. So whatever it was making its way across the continent had not yet reached Pakistan. There were a few vultures dying but it wasn't like what was happening in Nepal and India

[00:30:18] at least not yet. On the necropsy of some of these dead birds basically opening up a dead vulture to sort out exactly what killed it this bird looked otherwise healthy. The team discovered quote, the organs were covered in white chalky paste. End quote.

[00:30:33] This indicates some sort of kidney failure but what could cause kidney failure in a vulture who eats rabies for breakfast? So it turns out this wasn't a virus and it wasn't a bacteria but nobody could figure out what it was. It took several other researchers

[00:30:48] over several continents over several years to sort out what was going on with the vultures. Another quote from a viewer, yes, it's happening really quick. Like when he first got there there were 3,000 nesting vultures and then the next year it was half that

[00:31:02] and then the next year it was half that again and four years in there down to just 400 vultures. End quote. And this was happening going east to west which made everyone think sickness, virus, avian flew but no. Finally the researchers met in Spain at VultureCon.

[00:31:19] Please somebody get me a ticket to VultureCon. And a researcher named Lindsay Oakes finally asked a question. Well what goes into vultures? Food? Well what kind of food might be contaminating these vultures? Livestock. After some more research the researchers discovered a drug. It's a common pain reliever

[00:31:42] like you or I would take for a headache called dyclophenic. This is found in NSAIDs like a leave or Tylenol for common headaches, muscle pains, fever reducers. These were given to cows because seriously if you're a cow and you're just cowing all day

[00:31:58] I mean I hurt just trying to get up off the floor after playing with a puppy. Can you imagine a poor old thousand pound cow trying to get up after a nap? They get sore yo. So farmers would just give them this medicine.

[00:32:10] The cow dies, the vultures come circling, eat the cow. The painkiller in the cow killed more than the pain. It caused kidney failure in all of these vultures. The medication was approved in India the first place where the vultures were dropping dead four years before Pakistan.

[00:32:27] And then those birds started dropping dead. The countries approving the drug were moving east to west just like the trail of vultures. And we didn't see it in the United States because we eat younger, healthier cattle. But there are some cultures that they see cows

[00:32:40] as revered and part of their religion. They live long lives where they get medical care for pain and arthritis. And that's what ultimately decimated the vulture populations. Someone caring about their beloved cow which I can totally see it. But here's the beautiful part.

[00:32:57] The countries and governments banned the use of diklyphenic for veterinary use and approved a safer, also handy medication to also treat pain in these beloved cattle. The vulture population are coming back which is great. But unlike chickens who can raise up to 300 chicks a year

[00:33:12] for some breeds, a vulture has one chick a year. It's going to take a whole lot of time to get these populations back up to where they were prior to the die-off. In the meantime, humans have to adjust and sort out exactly how to responsibly

[00:33:26] and ethically return the dead to the earth. Some are turning to cremation, some others are doing green burials where a body is laid under the ground without a metal coffin or chemicals, often wrapped in a shroud and the body feeds the trees and nature.

[00:33:43] Others are exploring more Western techniques all while the vultures are coming back from the dead to take up their mantle again cleaning up after everyone. So while Violet sits and suns her wings, even in the dead of winter, on the arm of her handler,

[00:33:57] stretching out and while she will never fly again, she can teach people about these really cool birds who clean up after everyone who are so misunderstood. And by cleaning up after everyone, I mean including us. For when we hit animals with our cars,

[00:34:13] some of them break wings and shells and lose feet and cannot be returned to the wild. Others cannot be saved at all. But the ones like Violet and her friends, the crows, the ravens and the other corvids who help in the cleanup, they take care of the roadkill

[00:34:27] that we leave on the side of the road on our way to school or to work. It's a dirty job but someone's gotta do it. There will be photos of all of these guys on the Patreon feed, so if you wanna see these wild animals,

[00:34:42] you are so welcome to go check out patreon.com slash bewilderbees pod and you'll be looking at the animals for sure. But take a look at the humans who are dedicated to helping these animals where they are. They drive them to and from the woods,

[00:34:57] main lakes, rivers, streams, marshes. They see the injuries, they do the best they can with the tools they have and do everything they can to get that animal back outside. And if that isn't enough, the people at the center like Bob, Josh, Kristen and the others,

[00:35:12] they get to answer the questions the animals can't answer all with enthusiasm and hope. Because if they can reach one kid, maybe a kid like my kiddo or yours, maybe just maybe, those kids will grow up and take the torch helping animals that intersect with humanity

[00:35:29] in years to come. It all starts with an infectious hope that lights spark in someone else. And that spark encouraging curiosity and most importantly, action. So thank you for joining me on the last ever episode of Be Wilderbeath. It's a very big, big thanks

[00:36:00] that I have to give to the people at the Center for Wildlife and y'all know who you are. This has been a really hard year for a lot of ways for my family and our kiddo and your center is magic for her.

[00:36:09] Thank you so much for taking the time and doing everything you can for the animals in your care and going the extra mile for the kids who care too. From one curious animal person to others, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do.

[00:36:21] And if you're interested in the animals and if you are in the area, go check out their collab with Night Walk. This is a cool light up exploration art installation throughout the month of March at the Center for Wildlife in York, Maine. It's well worth the journey.

[00:36:36] The ambassadors, those who are up for a little night stroll will be out and about with their handlers after dark so you can take your family through the woods with these cool millions of holiday lights artistically created trails with some animatronics. Many are fully accessible for all users.

[00:36:53] We did one of these walks at Christmas time and it was just so nice to be outside at night and see the lights and the little mushrooms and the recycled things that they turn into art and then go see the animals. It's a magical experience

[00:37:04] and we will definitely be going in March. This is one way to also help give back to the medical support, the educational support and they are building new facilities on the land to expand their care center. Eagles aren't gonna fly without enough space to get physical therapy.

[00:37:19] They need 75 feet long enclosure so they can spread their wings safely to hopefully be returned to nature. The Center for Wildlife and the nature centers near you can all use your help. Spread the word, get in some cocoa and walk through the woods, go meet Maeve.

[00:37:35] You'll hear her, she has a lot to say. And thank you to you, the listeners from Germany, Australia, South Africa, Scotland, England, Puerto Rico, California, Seattle, Texas, Saskatchewan, Argentina, all y'all. I am floored this little show has reached so many of you.

[00:37:53] It's been my pleasure to tell you, yes you, these stories and I hope you are inspired to go off and follow your own curiosity. Watch this space for Patreon episodes to drop or just go to patreon.com slash bwilderbees pod

[00:38:06] and if it works, those episodes will be available to listen to ASAP. If not because Patreon can sometimes be wonky and picky and release as many as I can a month here on the feed and then you just keep going until we've released everything.

[00:38:20] So say subscribed if you can, pod fix my homies. Thank you for believing in this little show. We will do it again, I'm sure. I just need a little break, but you got my number. And to the kids in Somerville, Massachusetts

[00:38:32] who started this whole thing, y'all started this and most of you are in middle school now or close to it. The pandemic was not forever. If you could get through that, you can get through everything. There's always a little way out of the dark.

[00:38:45] You just have to look for the flicker of light even if you have to make it yourself. I am Melissa McKeem-McGrath for the last time with Mudstuff Media by the Pod Fix Network. You know what to do, go get curious.

[00:38:56] I got today's information from the Center for Wildlife, Wikipedia.org on Sky Barrels and the Radiolab.org podcast by Avere Mitra. This was called Corpse Demon. Go listen to it right now. Seriously, go do it, do it please, go now. And then lastly, main.gov on rehabilitation.

[00:39:18] You might see a raccoon. Don't bring it in your house. Raccoons are not pets. Neither are possums or squirrels. Just call the experts or learn how to responsibly rehabilitate and get licensed. I don't wanna scroll on Insta whatever,

[00:39:30] Xagram and find out that any of you have a pet porcupine. Just go to the Center for Wildlife and meet Poppy instead. She's huge and really fun. Thank you for everything. As my kiddo who used to hate saying goodbye

[00:39:42] I would say instead of goodbye because goodbyes are so final. I'll just leave with this. Peace out yo. You've been listening to a podcast of the PodFix Network. Discover more audible gems like this at podfixnetwork.com. Make sure to catch up to the minute

[00:40:08] networks in Antigones by following atpodfix on Twitter, official underscore PodFix on Instagram, atpodfixnetwork on Facebook. And make sure to subscribe to PodFix Presents wherever you choose to find podcasts. The PodFix Network, artist owned and loved.