Sanctuary News
December 2006
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Greetings!

We hope that you and your family, human and non- human alike, are sharing a wonderful holiday season. As another cold front moves through South Texas, we are working hard to be sure that all of the animals in our sanctuary have a warm and comfortable place to bed down for these long winter nights. And now that the winter solstice has passed, we are looking forward to the longer days to come. With the new year upon us, we are already making preparations for the impending baby season. It won't be long before our clinic is filled with hundreds of tiny mouths needing round-the- clock attention. On their behalf, and from everyone at Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation, have a happy New Year and best wishes for 2007!

It seems unthinkable that mere palm-sized, newborn pups still blind and deaf to the world, their tender cries pleading only for warmth and nourishment, could be torn from their mother and tossed into a cold city dumpster. But that was the fate of 11 mixed-breed puppies discovered on Friday, December 8 by a resident of the Studio Six motel apartments in San Antonio. Resident Tracy Evans was taking out her trash when she heard the whimpers of pain and hunger. By the time she reached them, one had already perished. The rest were cold and wet, huddling for warmth in the filth of the refuse. I’m a dog lover,” said Evans. “It just sank my heart so deep that I just cried.” Evans’ next step was finding help. It proved not so simple. The local Humane Society was full, she was told, and could not help her. Folks at the Animal Defense League told her they could not receive the animals until they could track down a foster family. And that, they told Evans, was unlikely to happen. Stung by the rejections, she frantically thumbed the phone book again and eventually found Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation in Kendalia, Texas.

Though WRR’s mission is geared to wildlife and farmed animals, Founder Lynn Cuny could not say “No” to the animals when the call came. These little ones had experienced enough rejection already. "Although we already have an abundance of animals to take care of we sometimes accept the role of ‘last resort’ when other organizations don't step forward," said Cuny. "These dogs had already experienced some of the worst human treatment of animals and I think it's important to finally give them the care that was deprived them when they were taken from their mother, and to remind the public that we all must do better toward our fellow creatures." What resulted was a flurry of media attention, with two San Antonio television affiliates giving the story prominent and repeated play. Lists of potential adopters and some donations followed. But WRR will put strict restrictions on any would-be parents: Each must agree to come out and meet their future companion animal before any adoption, possibly even taking a shift or two feeding the group to help relieve WRR staff performing the unexpected duty. For information about adoption or donations, please call WRR at (210) 698-1709 or (830) 336-2725.
Urban drivers jockeying along illuminated city blacktop have only fellow frazzled drivers to fear as they race from home to work and back again. But as more and more dissatisfied city-dwellers move to the hills outside San Antonio and Austin, they quickly discover that they share these winding roads with a variety of new neighbors – and not just the two-legged kind. Too often, we meet our neighbors at a dangerous disadvantage: under the glare of our own headlights at speeds that often make collisions unavoidable. The dark ribbons of roadway intersecting the hills of the Texas Hill Country were laid thousands of years after families of deer, opossum, raccoon and coyote first began to turn over rocks and scour streams in their quest for food and shelter. Thanks to booming development of recent years, wildlife now have more “dark ribbons” than ever before to navigate. This time of year, the most common highway encounter is with the celebrated and stalked white- tailed deer. Thanks to the elimination of nearly all white-tail’s natural predators and a doting Texas Parks & Wildlife Department out to ensure a deer for anyone willing to hoist a rifle and squeeze, deer populations in Texas – steady at 4 million strong – are higher than any time since the days of James Bowie. There are estimated to be 30 million white-tailed deer in the U.S. today. With these wildly elevated numbers comes increased risk of deadly collisions. “Native deer, like all members of the wildlife community have little or no chance of surviving a collision with the cars and trucks we believe to be a necessary part of our daily lives,” said Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation founder and director Lynn Cuny. “We have created a human dominated world and by doing so have destroyed what was once a peaceful and safe environment for wildlife.” With some highways in West Texas now sporting speed limits of 80 mph it may be impossible for drivers there to avoid the animals, but on county roads closer to home the answer to avoidance is surprisingly simple – slowing down.

Simple tips to avoid collisions with deer and other wildlife include: • Slowing down during the hours around sunrise and sunset – especially between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. This is when deer are most active. • Keeping an eye on the side of the roadway and using high beams as much as possible. Remember, if you see a deer there are likely more about since they usually travel in groups. • Using your hazard lights to alert other drivers after you spot a deer near the road. • If a deer appears “frozen” in your headlights, try flipping your lights on and off quickly. • Don’t rely on “deer whistles.” These devices have not been proven and may give drivers a false sense of security. • Always wear your seat belt. Don’t drive when you are tired. Stay rested and sober. Humankind did its best, intentionally and otherwise, to wipe out the wolves and buffalo, the cougar and bighorn sheep – but the javelina and ringtail remain. Thankfully, so do the skunk, fox, jackrabbit, and deer. For these fellow Hill Country inhabitants, and for your own safety, WRR urges area drivers to decelerate during the darker hours this hunting season and beyond. It’s simple and simply humane. If you find injured or orphaned deer, please call Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation day or night at (210) 698-1709.
Tickets for Win a Wild Ride to Save Wildlife are going fast. Don't miss out on your opportunity to win a 2007 Lexus ES350. A $250 ticket includes one chance to win the 2007 Lexus ES350 and admission for two to the gala event. Only 350 tickets will be sold.

This is the biggest fundraiser of the year for WRR. It will be held at the San Antonio Museum of Art on Thursday, April 5, 2007, from 6:00–9:00 p.m. This gala evening includes live music by jazz combo, Small World, food and beverages from several of San Antonio's finest restaurants, breweries, and wineries, live and silent auctions and the highlight of the evening — a drawing for a luxury 2007 Lexus ES350 automobile!
The Do No Harm Farm at Wildlife Rescue is made up of 250 farmed and domestic animals who have been rescued from the indignity and abuse of slaughterhouses, factory farms and petting zoos. Some of the residents have been discarded because they were born with physical imperfections. Thanks to the Do No Harm Farm, and despite society's designation of them as commodity animals, they now live a life of freedom and peace on the WRR acreage.

One of our newest farmed animal residents is a young, blind calf. Born a twin, he was separated from his brother who had the good fortune of being born fully sighted. Thankfully, instead of killing the calf, the former owners brought him to WRR and released him permanently into our care. Only a few weeks old when he arrived, he took to consuming quarts of formula each day and is now growing bigger, stronger and more confident. Part of his confidence no doubt comes with the companionship of a young cow named Chester who befriended the sightless newcomer and is busily showing him the ropes of pasture life.
If you enjoy reading the e-newsletter, you can find more information and heart-warming stories in our paper newsletter editions. Newsletters since 2004 are posted on our website. Just click the link below to read on.

If you would like to be added to our list to receive future mailings of our paper newsletters, email your name and address to bradyh@wildlife-rescue.org.

Please feel free to share our newsletter with family and friends! Thank you for supporting Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation.

Sincerely,
Angela Grimes, Director of Operations
Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation

phone: 830-336-2725