G CONTRA COSTA COUNTY 2014 FISH AND WILDLIFE PROPAGATION FUND APPLICATION FROM LINDSAY WILDLIFE MUSEUM December 18, 2014 Investing in Wildlife Rehabilitation Lindsay Wildlife Museum’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital, one of the first wildlife rehabilitation facilities in the country, is a model for wildlife centers worldwide. Last year we treated 5,623 native wild animals, 84% of which were found in Contra Costa County, through nearly $1,000,000 worth of veterinarian and rehabilitation services for animals at no charge to the rescuers each year. Our hospital is also unique in that it serves to support the educational experience of children and youth through the museum’s exhibits and programming. Approximately 45% of the animals we see survive and of those, we were able to re-release over 80% of the animals we treated last year into the wild after rehabilitation. Our goal is to provide the best medical and husbandry care within our resources to regional wild animals in need, as well as release wildlife back to their environment able to thrive and survive. In addition to our 2 full time equivalent veterinarian staff members and volunteer vets, approximately 300 volunteers donate 60,000 hours of service in the hospital each year and among them, specially trained volunteers also provide offsite care for animals at their homes. Today, more than 98% of the animals treated at our hospital are admitted due to adverse contact with human-related activity. Since a child or family often drops off an injured animal, we view this as a unique, exceptional learning opportunity and an enduring way to increase people’s sensitivity to the needs of wildlife, as well as the impacts of human behavior on the natural world. After an animal is admitted to our care, the public can follow the progress of the animal, and, through our exhibits and programming, learn how to mitigate hazards to wildlife and their habitats. Our hospital provides a crucial service to the community and meets the goals of Section 13103 (sections a and b) by providing temporary emergency treatment and care of injured or orphaned wildlife in the area and educating the general public about wildlife conservation. However, due to the specialized nature of our services, we rely on the generosity of donors to maintain the necessary supplies and equipment on hand to treat the many animals that come through our doors. We are requesting $20,083.91 in support from Contra Costa County Fish & Wildlife to provide specialized equipment for our hospital that will replace older models and improve the care we can provide for years to come. We are requesting funds to purchase three different categories of equipment and resources to support the wildlife rehabilitation hospital in its crucial work. These include: 1) a commercial dishwasher to replace our ailing model, 2) a surgical suite comprising different types of equipment to aid in conducting surgical procedures and to ensure the safety of our staff and animal patients, and 3) veterinary resources that provide much needed information and references for our veterinary staff. A Commercial Dishwasher: All animals receiving care at our wildlife rehabilitation hospital are diagnosed, treated, and set up in appropriate housing where they are fed the proper diet. Most animals are fed using an assortment of dishes, such as crocks, crème brulee dishes, dog bowls, plant saucers, etc. depending on the type (and size) of the animal, and their specific diet. Because many of the animals carry diseases that can be spread to other animals or human caregivers, all food bowls must be cleaned and sanitized before they can be used again. Our current dishwasher runs more than 8 times per day and, after approximately six years in use, is reaching the end of its lifespan and frequently needs repairs or service. We would like to purchase a new model to replace our current Energy Star rated dishwasher, to maintain the standards of cleanliness required by the USDA and to prevent the spread of disease amongst our animals. The Surgical Suite: Here at Lindsay, we conduct surgery on approximately 1 out of every 10 patients we treat. An enhanced surgical suite would allow us to provide a safer, quicker procedure for all of our animal patients. The surgical suite would consist of the following: an anesthesia chamber with a latch for our larger mammals, an ECG machine, an Lindsay Wildlife Museum 1931 First Avenue Walnut Creek California 94597 Phone 925-935-1978 www.wildlife-museum.org esophageal stethoscope amplifier, squeeze cages, a gas sterilizer, and pain relief and antibiotic medications. Our present anesthesia chamber is aging and slightly cracked. It does not contain a latch and so poses a risk for hospital staff and volunteers. If any of our staff or volunteers ever dropped the chamber, our current model would more than likely open and/ or break, which would risk an animal escape or injuries for either parties. The ECG machine would be a new purchase for us to monitor a patient’s vital signs during surgery. This is important for our vets to determine if any of the procedures are having adverse effects and to more quickly react if anything goes wrong. The esophageal stethoscope amplifier helps to block out ambient noises and amplifies smaller animals’ heartbeat without having to be placed in the veterinary staff’s ears, creating a safer surgical environment. Both the ECG and esophageal stethoscope amplifier would be portable for use in different parts of the building and to take to the animals wherever they may be, which is useful for us since our animals can be held in any number of places, including throughout the building or in a homecare volunteer’s home. We would like to purchase a medium and large squeeze cage for our larger mammal patients to provide a safer environment for the animal patients and the staff. Additionally, we would purchase a gas sterilizer and refills in order to lengthen the life of our surgical tools and sterilize pieces of equipment that would be damaged by chemical or heat sterilization methods. The sterilizer would help us in controlling the spread of disease and creating more effective sanitation practices for our tools. Lastly, our surgical suite would consist of Meloxicam, Buprenorphine, and Torbugesic- three medications used to reduce pain, as well as Clavamox antibiotics to prevent infections during post-operative care. Veterinary Resources: Like most hospitals, our wildlife rehabilitation staff relies on external resources and references to provide the proper treatment and care for our animal patients, as well as to receive updates on best practices from the veterinary community. We have primarily relied on The Birds of North America Cornell Ornithology online database, the Veterinary Information Network, and veterinary textbooks for our information needs. However, the Cornell Ornithology membership, something we use everyday to fact-check on items such as which are the best trees for a particular bird upon release, was borrowed from a volunteer that may not be able to provide it for us this year. We would like to purchase a subscription to The Birds of North America Cornell Ornithology online for our Hospital Manager to prevent this problem in the future, as well as to access additional resources for improved care and release of animals. Secondly, we would like to renew our membership with the Veterinary Information Network, which our vets use every day to look up different treatments for various species or more information on tricky procedures. Lastly, we would like to update some of the textbooks in our veterinary library that are out of date and not very useful anymore. The books we propose would include updated references for daily treatment of animals and would be used for years to come. They would serve as continuing education for our veterinary technicians and a valuable resource for our volunteers. Project schedule Equipment requested for the surgical suite, commercial dishwasher, and veterinary resources would be ordered as soon as grant funding came through in February 2015. Pain medications and antibiotics would be purchased on an as-needed basis until February 2016 or when funding is depleted. Wildlife Rehabilitation Supplies and Equipment Budget Item Qty. Price (with tax) Total Kitchen Sterilizer (CMA Dishmachine 180UC) 1 7,058.27 7,058.27 Portable ECG Machine 1 $1,027.09 $1,027.09 Anesthesia chamber w/ latch (11.5”x19.5”x11.5”) 1 $720.12 $720.12 Esophageal stethoscope amplifier 1 $216.84 $216.84 Large Squeeze cage (Tomahawk 42”x17”x24”) 1 $337.09 $337.09 Medium Squeeze Cage (Tomahawk 24”x12”x14”) 1 $133.15 $133.15 Gas sterilizer (Anprolene Tabletop AN74ix) plus 1 $6,967.67 $6,496.79 refills for 24 cycles Meloxicam pain medication 11 bottles $108.05 $1,188.55 Buprenorphine pain medication 1 box $72.70 $72.70 Lindsay Wildlife Museum 1931 First Avenue Walnut Creek California 94597 Phone 925-935-1978 www.wildlife-museum.org Torbugesic pain medication 1 bottle 70.66 70.66 Clavamox antibiotic tablets 4 boxes $255.01 $1,020.04 3 year subscription for Cornell Ornithology 1 $100 $100 1 yr Veterinary Information Network membership 1 $800 $800 Amphibian Captive Husbandry & Medicine book 1 $207.19 $207.19 Mader’s Reptile Medicine & Surgery book 1 $164.54 $164.54 Total $20,083.91 Lindsay Wildlife Museum Total Operating Budget: $ 2,328,448 About Lindsay Wildlife Museum Founded in 1955, the mission of the Lindsay Wildlife Museum (LWM) is to connect people with wildlife to inspire respect and responsibility for the world we share. Through our changing natural history exhibits, animal rehabilitation hospital, live collection of non-releasable native California wildlife, and education and community outreach programs, we provide a portal to the natural world for children and adults.