Tales from HAWS'
Animal Rescue Team
WHY USE HUMANE TRAPS?
Recently one of our Animal Rescuers and 3 private citizens took almost 3 hours to catch a raccoon that had been hanging around a neighborhood in the City of Muskego. At the time of capture the animal was hiding under a deck out of reach and a net was needed to reach him.
The raccoon was found to be stuck in a leg-hold trap, with a very ugly wound - swollen, exposing flesh and bone underneath. Infection had set in and the animal had to be humanely euthanized.
Unfortunately, leg hold traps are legal in Wisconsin. This animal got caught in the trap and ran off, causing even more pain and injury as it dragged it behind.
If you are working to control "nuisance" wildlife in your area, please use humane traps only! These traps have doors which close securely behind the animal once it takes the bait in the cage, holding them inside but not injuring them. The animal can then be released in a more desireable location.
DATELINE: May 5, 2008
Ferrets are notorious weasels (no pun intended!) for getting into things.
A Pewaukee couple called HAWS frantically when their ferret tried to go through the cable access hole behind their entertainment center, and of course, then became lodged in the hole with only the rear legs and pelvis - the widest part of the ferret - not making it through.
The tired and stressed ferret tried to bite the owners who did not know what to do but simply wanted to help their companion. One call to HAWS later and the hole was enlarged by a HAWS worker and the little gal was coaxed into backing out of her predicament.
All her hard work was for naught - after all, she spent about an hour trying to find a way to redirect the cable splitter to her ferret den...
April Showers
Recently, Mark Hess, HAWS' Operations Manager, received a call from a citizen of New Berlin regarding a cat which had run up one of her trees. Mark suggested the lady wait to see if possibly the cat would come down on it's own, rather than to traumatize it with much ado.
But, the next day the cat was, in fact, still "hanging out" in the tree, and now moving from branch to branch. With threatening weather approaching, Mark went out to see if the cat could be reached.
In the rain, a wet cat and wet employee became friends - and a warm, dry spot at the shelter along with a bowl of food awaited the now very hungry guest. Hopefully the cat's owner will come in so we can reunite them!
The days of calling the fire department to remove a cat from a tree are long gone - these days our Animal Rescue Team handles felines in distress. If you spot a cat in a tree, try putting some enticingly aromatic food at the base of the trunk - and be calm and patient. Hiring a trimming service with their bucket trucks is costly, and usually with a little gentle coaxing the scared pet will come down.
The best way to help in this situation? Keep your feline friend in the comfortable confines of your home - let them do their climbing...inside! But not on your drapes.
Check back again for more animal rescue stories!
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