Kat’s Eye by Katlean DeMonchy

Every weekend you have choices of what to do. You can have fun and make your money matter this weekend.

I’ve invited Dr. Scarlett Magda who is being honored at the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife rescue to tell you why she hopes to see you there.

Wildlife: Why it matters and how you can play an important role

By Dr. Scarlett Magda

It was a cold November evening when two angels came to the clinic with a Red tailed hawk that was badly wounded. My nurse grabbed it from the bin and was horrified to see it covered in viscera (guts). She immediately wanted to put it out of its misery, but I thought something about this doesn’t seem right.

An eviscerated animal couldn’t survive such a long car ride given the organs I was identifying. So I told her let’s take a closer look and do an exam. It was revealed that the viscera were from another animal, but this poor guy had a big hole in its chest. We took an x-ray and I saw nothing was broken, there were no bullets just a lot of air (which is what can happen when your skin is cut). So I decided to suture the hole closed, give it fluids, heat support and rest.

The next day the Hawk was looking stronger and was standing up! We called the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center and they came to get it. Three weeks later the bird was rehabilitated and able to be released back into the wild! I share this story with you because this rescue could not have happened without the dedicated volunteers, who found the raptor and brought it to me, as well as the police officer who called wildlife rescue in the first place! We all play a vital role to contribute to our planet, just as wildlife does.

Don’t forget that you can make a difference. If you see an injured animal please call 631-728-9453. You can also sign up to get trained and be a wildlife rescuer yourself, we need you!