OK, I knowIknowIknow I haven't been keeping up, but it has been PANDEMONIUM here! Bunnies, bunnies, and more bunnies by the boxload! I have 12 at present (little Pink, as featured in the last post, is seen here to the left, at about 2 1/2 weeks). The one that came in with a cat injury, about a month ago (see 7 May post) is about to be moved to an outdoor cage and will then be released- she's doing really well. Then I have about 5 who are weaned, but I want them to get a bit bigger before they are released, and a couple of them still are getting over their injuries/sickness. 6 are still nursing.

Had a very sad thing happen yesterday. One of the two thriving nursing bunnies (all the others have various injuries/broken limbs/upset tummies) suddenly stopped moving her legs. I brought her for an Xray and both legs were broken and there were signs that her bones had not developed well. So now I have everyone on special supplements, etc... to make sure that the same thing won't happen to them. She had to be put down. It was so sad.

I am also starting to wean them, which is a dangerous time in that their digestive systems sometimes shut down and they die, so I'm giving them all probiotics as well. Phew!!

Out of the 12, 4 were dog attacks, 6 cat attacks, one hurt by a lawnmower, and the litter I've been talking about in my last few posts (only 3 still alive of the original 5) were disturbed by a gardener. Between then, they are on 3 different anti-biotics/anti-fungals, painkiller/anti-inflammatory, vitamins & the probiotics.

Two of the weaned babies from 2 different litters (so cute how you put them together and they immediately snuggle!). One was caught by a dog, the other by a cat.

My tiny ones who are still nursing; c/w from bottom left: Catattack, Blue, Brokenarm, Blaze, Gold, Naked & Pink. Naked is the one that I had to put down yesterday :'(

Dr. Connolly and Blaze, one of her patients, caught by a dog at 5 days old. Now doing really well at WTS!!

And what about other species?? This is a picture of a mother opossum at the clinic being treated for a broken arm & jaw. She was brought in and 12 babies were found in her pouch! They are all doing very well. What a good mama! see the little one looking over the food bowl?? So cute!

Bandit visiting WTS.

OK, This was another very sad story. This lovely little Indigo Bunting comes every spring. this year it arrived on the very same day that it arrived last year: 18May. Amazing! It comes all the way from S.America, where it winters. I was so excited that her was back. A week later I found him dead by my house. I couldn't beleive it. They are so unusual. I just hope that he left some babies behind in my woods so they keep coming every year. Isn't he the most incredible colour?!

Guess who's at the feeder....

Meet The Bandit!! This was a picture taken of her last April. She came every night and by July was bringing her babies, 4 of them. Too adorable!!! Well, after a winter hiatus, SHE'S BACK!!! This is so exciting and makes me realise that leaving winter isn't all bad. At first I thought it might be Raindrop, one of her babies from last year, but after looking though photos, I think its her. There are many great tales about her which I'm sure I'll share in time.

Below right is a picture I took of her tonight. You can see, she likes raiding the feeders! I love raccoons, there is something about their solitary quietness that feels safe to me. Hopefully by years end I will have a permit to work with them (as rabies vector species one needs a special licence, though they have rabies far less than most people think). Many injured raccoons are immediately put down because of people's fear about their ability to carry disease, and so few people are registered to work with them. I hope that WTS can eventually have a place for these animals to recover and get healthy.

Besides The Bandit and despite the odd flurry, there are lots of signs that spring is nigh. There were about 100 Robins at the bottom of my driveway in a neighbours yard yesterday. Quite a sight! So they are back too. And there have been geese flying overhead non-stop. The vets at Cornell just had to amputate an irreparable broken wing on a Snow Goose this week who was injured on her long trip back north. They found her a good home to go to once she has healed. There were quite a lot of geese flying over WTS  tonight and you could make out by the light of the moon. It's a clear night which is probably quite good for navigation during their migration back north. Something quite wonderful and reassuring hearing them fly overhead. Despite all of humanity's corruption of wild things there are some things we can't touch; that we don't even understand. For more on geese migration take a look at: http://www.wbu.com/chipperwoods/photos/geese.htm

From left to right: Raindrop, BigMan & Ivy, Bandit's 2007 brood. NB: this was not taken with a zoom lens!