Newsletter

#BackToTheWild

NEWS
We are now enrolled in the Fred Meyer Community Rewards program! You can help Twin Harbors Wildlife Center by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to our organization. Every time you shop and use your card, we receive a donation.
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Twin Harbors Wildlife Center is now a member charity with the Washington State Combined Fund Drive. This program allows us to connect with donors throughout the state of Washington and allows them to donate through payroll deduction. If you are a WA State employee, retired state employee, or higher education personnel, please consider supporting THWC through this program.

THE WILDLIFE
In 2019, we received 207 patients and released 61 of those. Many of the animals were transferred to other organizations for rehabilitation because we don’t have the facilities that are required to keep them at THWC. We will be expanding our rehab facilities by adding housing and recovery enclosures as we receive funding for each project. These enclosures are important because the activity of transferring wildlife causes additional stress to an already traumatized animal.

With the completion of each enclosure, the stress resulting from transport will be reduced and more wildlife will be given the opportunity to survive and be set free. You can support the construction of enclosures with a monthly gift using the donate button on our website. Join us on our mission to release them back to the wild.

In the first 6 weeks of the year, we were able to release three of last year’s patients! Two red-tailed hawks and a great egret were released back into the areas in which they were found, which is protocol for adult patients.

We currently have no patients in care here in the center, but we have several still in care up at West Sound Wildlife, where we send our raptors and large birds for outdoor flight cage time. We have a barred owl who will most likely be coming back down for release soon. A second barred owl, on whom Dr. Sonnya did surgery to remove barbed wire from its wing, is doing very well there, and will be there until the feathers grow back into the healed wound area. We also have a great horned owl who was very sick and is now doing very well and eating lots of dead mice and rats! West Sound hopes to move this owl into a flight cage in the next week or so.

Early in January THWC received a male black bear cub orphan from the Quinault Indian Nation.  We stabilized him as arrangements were made to transport him to a facility that was equipped and permitted for bear.   Unfortunately, all the facilities in Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho were full.  In the meantime, a second similar-sized cub was spotted wandering a few miles from where this cub was found.  After several days, he too was also captured and brought to THWC.
After petitioning, The Idaho Black Bear Rehab (IBBR) was granted and exception from Idaho Fish and Game to take the cubs.  Volunteers transported the boy cubs to IBBR in Garden City, Idaho.

Several weeks earlier, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Region 6 had received reports of an orphaned bear cub in the Pacific Beach area.  The cub had traveled about 10 miles to Taholah in search of food before WDFW conflict specialists and Quinault Indian Nation Natural Resource Officers captured her.  She weighed in at 28 pounds, was in good condition overall and was named Quin.

When the male cubs arrived at IBBR, it was obvious that Quin was their sister.  She was immediately protective of them and they followed her around.  Quin had not been adjusting well to her stay at IBBR, but as soon as her brothers arrived, she settled down and began to thrive.  The boys, however, were much thinner than her, having been out foraging and orphaned for a few weeks longer.

The boys have been named Chompers and Chitwin. Chitwin means black bear in the Salish Quinault language.  Once the triplet cubs are ready, they’ll be returned to the Olympic Peninsula.   You can follow their story on the Idaho Black Bear Rehab Facebook page.

VOLUNTEERS
In January we had a work party to clean up and prepare our outdoor cages for spring, and to deep clean and reorganize the wildlife building. We were able to move some things out into the new storage container, which will give us much needed room in the wildlife building for baby animal care.

Our first volunteer orientation of the year was held on February 13th at the Grays Harbor Veterinary Services clinic. Species specific volunteer trainings will begin in March. We are also beginning to train three volunteers who want to become rehabilitators, and we are considering beginning an internship program this year.

A volunteer appreciation dinner is being held in Montesano on February 23rd for the 50 volunteers that donated 611 hours of service in 2019. This special event is to celebrate the people that donate their time to Twin Harbors Wildlife Center. Their dedication, commitment and compassion are remarkable, and their contribution improves the quality of care we can provide to the wildlife that come to us. It is inspiring and heartwarming to see so many people supporting us.

DONATIONS & NEEDS
We now have an Amazon account and you can find our wish list by searching for us there. Follow us on Facebook or visit our website for more information on what’s happening at the center.

Thank you for your support!
Twin Harbors Wildlife Center