Jun 28, 2014

It's raining red bats in Texas

Photo by Josh Henderson.

Bonnie Bradshaw, founder and director of 911Wildlife has been busy responding to calls about "grounded" red bats. Mother red bats. 


Photo by Chris Harshaw.


The female bats are suffering from exhaustion caused by what Bonnie calls - Failure to Launch.

Red bats are unique in that they are solitary - they don't live in groups in caves, or crevices, but singly, in trees. 

During the day, a red bat will fold its wings and hang in a tree (upside down - bat-style), and look quite like a dried leaf. At dusk, it will take flight for a night of hunting moths and other insects, but may not return to the same tree to roost.






Red bats usually have three to four young - more than any other bat. 

When the babies are young, the mother carries them with her on her night flights. As they get older, she carries them when changing roost locations. 

Red bat babies are able to fly at about 3 weeks and are weaned, usually, at five or six weeks. Usually.


Photo by Josh Henderson.

The bats found grounded in Texas, were females with young that were still clinging to her, even though they could fly - Failure to Launch. 

The mothers become so exhausted - weak, dehydrated, that they just drop out of the sky.One mother (pictured below), was found with 5 babies clinging to her.


This mother bat is so exhausted, she's resting on her back. Photo by Bonnie Bradshaw.

The rescued bats, mothers and young, were transported to a licensed bat rehabilitator where they will be cared for for a few days before being set free.

Find out more about Bat World, in Texas, a leading authority on bats and bat rehabilitation and how you can support their program, HERE.


A REMINDER: NEVER TOUCH OR HANDLE A BAT. THEY ARE CONSIDERED A RABIES VECTOR SPECIES AND WILL BE EUTHANIZED FOR TESTING IF A PERSON OR PET IS THOUGHT EXPOSED. 

AS THIS STORY HIGHLIGHTS, NOT ALL GROUNDED BATS ARE SICK OR SUFFERING FROM RABIES. MANY ARE SIMPLY EXHAUSTED.







Jun 27, 2014

Byington Winery bobcat rescue

By Rebecca Dmytryk



This morning, we received a call about a bobcat acting peculiar. It was crouched underneath some bushes alongside the entrance of Byington Winery off Bear Creek Road in Los Gatos. 

It would take us an hour to get there. The folks at the winery were very helpful and offered to keep an eye on it for us.

As we exited the 17 onto Mount Herman Road, I felt the adrenaline kick in. The excitement of the "hunt". The nervousness, hoping we were prepared, mentally, physically, equipment-wise. The worry... will the animal be so far gone that it needs to be euthanized, like so many,... or will this one make it?

On scene, we found the bobcat quietly resting in the shade of a hedge, facing away from us. Head low. Eyes shut. Not a good sign.

Duane approached with the open-ended hoop net. I backed him up to the side. We were on asphalt, so we made no noise as we snuck up on the cat.

In one swift move, Duane covered the cat with the net.

Startled and terrified, the cat jumped to its feet in a defensive posture - ears flat, back arched. A good sign!

Next, we had to get the cat out of the bag...




The open-ended net is excellent for securing the more dangerous mammals. It allows rescuers to contain an animal in a carrier without having to touch it. Check out the video: 



We transported the cat to the WIldlife Center of Silicon Valley - a 45 minute drive. There, Ashley Kinney, Wildlife Rehabilitation Supervisor, Dr. Chad Alves and a team of experts sedated the cat and examined it thoroughly.



The adult male bobcat had sustained some major trauma to the front of its head - possibly from striking the side of a passing car straight on. It would need surgery to repair the mandibular symphyseal fracture. It also suffered a degloving injury and laceration of its tongue and was emaciated, understandably, from not being able to hunt or eat much since being injured.

The cat was administered fluids, pain medication, and Dr. Alves cleaned and sutured the wound on its chin. 

Stay tuned for updates!







UPDATE: 6-28-14

The bobcat underwent surgery today to repair the fracture of its jaw. The surgery was generously provided Adobe Veterinary Hospital in Los Altos. Prior to surgery, the animal's blood was tested and it showed exposure to rodenticide.

UPDATE: 8-1-14 

Just over a month after being rescued, this beautiful bobcat is on its way to a full recovery, thanks to the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley and Adobe Animal Hospital. Here he is posturing in his enclosure - looking very intimidating! Thank you to WCSV for the photo and update!

Photo credit Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley.










Jun 26, 2014

Help for a great blue

Photo courtesy Doris Sharrock
With nowhere else to turn, we're seeking the public's help, especially birders, to assist us in establishing this great blue heron's behavior - where it likes to land and where it roosts at night. 

This is the only hope we have of capturing this poor animal!

It was observed a couple of days ago at the American Canyon Wetlands, south of Napa, CA. 

Pictured here, the heron with a dragonfly it caught. It was never able to swallow the insect for the fishing line wrapped around its bill.

Please, if you can help, please email us at admin@wildlifeservices.org. Report sightings to 831-429-2323 or 866-WILD-911 X 4.



PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE THE BIRD!!!


Jun 21, 2014

Owl Egg Odyssey


Photo by Barbara Rich.


On April 1, Smokejumper Training Supervisor, Gerald Spence, was at the firefighter's training camp in Redding, preparing for this season's program, when his assistant, Mitch Hokanson, discovered a barn owl nest and four eggs.

The nest was inside the Exit Tower - a fuselage-like structure meant to resemble a small plane from which rookie jumpers practice repelling and parachuting. 

A perfect barn owl nest site!

But, it was not possible for the nest to stay where it was, and there would be too many disturbances in and around the structure that nest abandonment was certain. 



Gerry knew the nest and eggs were federally protected, so he reached out to Forest Service biologist, Kelly Wolcott. State and federal wildlife agencies were contacted and the rescue community was notified.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service responded quickly with authorization to allow removal of the eggs. WES' founder, Rebecca Dmytryk, advised on possible options.

If there were owlets, it would have been possible to relocate the chicks to an owl box where the parents could continue raising them, but that would not work with eggs. Especially owl eggs. 




Unlike some birds, especially precocial species, that wait until the last egg has been laid to begin incubation, owls and other raptors begin incubating their eggs immediately, resulting in what's called asynchronous hatching - where the first egg laid is the first to hatch. Chicks can be hours, days, even a week apart in age. Asynchronous hatching allows the greatest success of a brood based on available food resources.

A female barn owl will stay on her eggs for about 30 days until they hatch and then continue brooding her young for a couple of weeks longer. During this time, the male owl delivers food to her and the owlets.



When Mitch first climbed the jumper's tower, an adult owl flush from the structure. The eggs would get cold if she stayed off of them for too long, so the crew made sure to limit disturbances in the area so the female owl would continue to incubate her eggs until the time came to move them.

A plan for what to do with the eggs and hatchlings began to take shape. The owl eggs would be transferred to the "Egg Lady" - egg salvage expert Loretta Gardiner. 

Loretta oversees hatchery operations at Rancho Esquon - a sprawling 10,000 acre rice and almond farm in near Chico, CA. The farm serves as a "nursery" for hundreds of young waterfowl and gamebirds each year, taking in eggs that would otherwise be abandoned or destroyed from local farming operations. They also take in all the orphan ducklings from International Bird Rescue. More, HERE.

Although Loretta had never hatched owl eggs before, she was their best hope.

A couple of days before the transfer, two eggs were lost, perhaps destroyed by a raccoon. The two remaining eggs were collected on the morning of April 9th by Smokejumper Don Graham. He carefully placed them in a warm, foam-insulated box with plenty of padding to keep them safe during the hour-and-a-half drive to Durham.

Once at the hatchery, Loretta candled the eggs to check to see if they were viable. Indeed they were! They had good vein development and there was even some movement. She estimated they were about 2 weeks along.

Sure enough, the oldest egg hatched on April 23rd and the second egg was pipped, meaning the chick had started to break through the egg shell.

Second owlet, hours old. Photo by Barbara Rich.

The first owlet was transferred to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, Karen Scheuermann, who runs Tehema Wild Care in Cottonwood, California.

On April 25th, the second chick hatched. It stayed at the hatchery in the incubator for a couple of days before being transferred to Tehema Wild Care.

Unfortunately, the first chick did not make it. It may have gotten chilled. Hatchlings are extremely susceptible to hypothermia and often unable to recover.


Owlet at 3 weeks of age.

Once transferred, the second chick was housed in an incubator until it was thermoregulating. It had a voracious appetite and ate readily.

Ideally, the owlet could be wild-fostered int o barn owl family. At the very least, it needed a buddy to grow up with, as wild animals can imprint on their human caregivers and be unreleasable.

Dmytryk reached out to Alex Godbe, with the Hungry Owl Project (HOP). Her program is dedicated to promoting natural predators, such as owls, to control rodent and other pests. If anybody would know of a suitable wild foster family, Alex would.





While Alex did not have a suitable wild nest to add the chick to right away, she did have an open hack box at a home where barn owls were nesting nearby. She also had a potential buddy lined up.

WES facilitated arrangements for transport of the owlet to HOP, receiving the Okay from California Department of Fish and Wildlife for the county transfer. 

On May 21st, WES volunteer Sammarye Lewis drove to International Bird Rescue in Fairfield to meet Karen from Tehema Wild Care. She had driven the owlet from Cottonwood - about 150 miles (Thank you, Karen!!!).

From there, the owlet was driven another 50 miles to WildCare in Marin, where it was picked up by Alex Godbe.

Alex observed the owl's behavior for a few days, making sure it was eating on its own before moving it to the outdoor nest box.

Two days later, on May 23rd, the owlet was placed into its new home - a wooden barn owl nest box secured to a large tree. A screen on the entry hole prevented curious owls from entering. 











The owlet took to its new home very well. It kept up its appetite, consuming about 6 mice (dead) a night, which it would pluck from a pile left by its caregiver.

This is what owlets would do at this age in the wild - they are not fed directly by their parents but learn to pick up what the parents drop into the nest during night feedings.










On June 7th, a "buddy" was introduced into the box.

The new owlet was from Nicasio. It had suffered a few injuries but had healed and was doing well. 

After some initial aggression, the two owlets settled down.

They would grow up together in the box through their fledgling stage - when they take their first flight. 









June 8th, this photo was taken. The Smokejumper's owlet is the one on the left - the larger or the two. 










This June 16th picture shows the owlets starting to look like owls. 

It won't be long before they fledge.











Today's picture - the owls are doing really, really well. Alex will remove the screen from the nest box entrance in about a week. 





UPDATE: 6-29-14 

The screen on the opening of the owl box was removed so the owlets could leave during the night if they wanted to.

This morning, the box was checked and both were still inside. 

Last night, though, several fledgings from nearby boxes were seen above the hack box, appearing to communicate with the two inside.

UPDATE: 6-30-14 

Both owlets fledged last night. This morning, the smokejumper owlet was photographed in a tree, very sleepy-eyed. 






To everyone who helped in this owl's incredible 
journey from an egg - thank you one and all!!!





Jun 19, 2014

Rescue & Release

By Deanna Barth


It had been a while since I had checked the waterfowl at Pinto Lake in Watsonville. This would be my location of choice for today’s rounds.  

When I arrived, I was shocked to see a large gaggle of Canada geese, perhaps 50 or more - the last time I had visited, there were maybe a dozen.

I approached slowly, on foot, with only camera in hand, and applied just enough pressure to cause each bird to rise from its seated position.  

I scanned the group for injuries until I found one with fishing line hanging from its right wing. The goose was pecking at the line, trying to pull it free of its feathers.


At first glance, the hook appeared to be lightly sitting inside the wing, as if it would fall out on its own, however the line was more than a foot long and I was worried about it getting snagged on the bushes as the goose entered and exited the water.  

I went back to my vehicle for my bag of grain to bait the bird close for capture.  

Once the geese saw that I had food, they quickly encircled me, except for the one with the line, of course.

This goose was very, very skittish, and no matter how many times I changed my position, it refused to stand to my side - which is where I need it to be to capture it. 

At one point, the bird became frantic to get away, so I quickly positioned myself between the bird and the water - now it was on full alert!  

I had the advantage, though, because most of these geese, including this one, were flightless. It’s that time of year, their annual feather molt, when they shed and re-grow their outer feathers. This goose was vulnerable when it couldn’t get to the water and it knew it!  

I gave up trying to catch it on my side. I would try something new. I felt I had nothing to lose.

So, the next time the goose was in front of me, I dropped to the ground and had my hands over its wings. It wasn't pretty, but I got my goose!



I carried the goose to my vehicle to better assess the injury.

I placed a pillowcase over the bird’s head to reduce stress as I evaluated it.

As I had thought, the hook hadn't penetrated the skin, but rather, was caught on a pin feather - a blueish tube-like structure encasing the bird's new feathers. As moulting birds preen, the waxy coating breaks away and the new feather unfurls.


I was able to remove the hook and line easily. With no further treatment necessary, I carried the goose back to the water's edge and released it. 

Thank you to Donna and her husband Daniel who took photos for me!




Jun 13, 2014

HELP WANTED

We have exciting news - the WildHelp app has been approval by Apple! 

Once we've compiled the nationwide database - the list of specialists the app pulls from, we'll be ready to launch the app!

WildHelp will revolutionize the way people find help for animals they've found.

It streamlines the reporting process, linking finders with the right people who can help, taking the guesswork out of whom to call.

There is no other app like it - not even close! More, HERE.



Right now, we're building the nationwide database of wildlife professionals from around the country. We're not simply taking their names from an existing list, we're reaching out to each one to be sure we have their correct information. We're also adding state and federal agency contacts.

As you might imagine, this is extremely time consuming, so we're looking for assistance. 

If you'd like to help by taking on a state (or two), email Rebecca, HERE.

We're also updating the WildHelp web site. If you have web development skills, especially if you're familiar with Dreamweaver (AKA Nightmare-weaver), please contact us, HERE.

Stay tuned for the launch of the Wild Help app!


Jun 4, 2014

Duck family escorted to safety


Early this morning, Robert Caposio, a security officer with First Alarm, had just started his shift in Santa Cruz when he was flagged down by a citizen. They informed him of a mother duck and ducklings in a busy intersection nearby.

Officer Caposio located the duck family and herded them out of the road, then contacted WES for help.

WES' volunteer Amy Harte, was on scene within 15 minutes. 

The two of them worked together to gather the ducklings into a small pet carrier. The mother duck stood by, watching, nervously.

Once ducklings hatch the mallard hen will lead them to a body of water - one that she's familiar with from her flights. 

The hen must have had her nest nearby - perhaps Laurel Park, and was probably leading her brood to the San Lorenzo River - just a couple of blocks away. 

Amy was going to have to escort them there.

There are two ways to walk a duck and her brood to water - either by herding the ducklings, or collecting them and leading the mother. 

It was a busy intersection so herding the ducklings was not an option. 

With the ducklings safely contained, Amy Officer Caposio stopped traffic for Amy to lead the mother across Laurel and down a quieter side street.

They made their way down Spruce and over a berm to the river. When the hen saw the water she flew and landed in the middle of the river.

Amy found a flat spot nearby where the hen could see her babies as they were released from the carrier. She tipped the carrier, keeping the babies bunched together, then removed the carrier and backed away.

The mother joined up with her ducklings and led them into the river. 




THANK YOU OFFICER CAPOSIO!!! GREAT JOB AMY!!!

Jun 2, 2014

Amazing goose rescue

Image credit Grove Pashley.

On May 21st, WES was contacted by Joe Shalmoni - a photojournalist in Los Angeles. He was referred to us by the California Wildlife Center for help with an injured Canada goose he'd seen at the Inglewood Park Cemetery the day before.


Image credit Joe Shalmoni.

Joe was covering the burial services for LAPD Detective Ernest L. Allen. After the service, Joe felt an urge to visit the ground's pond, the Lake of Memories.

There, among a procession of healthy waterfowl, Joe noticed a Canada goose limping badly. 

It had a terrible fishing line injury. Its leg was bound in line and its foot was very swollen. 

For Joe, it was as though fate had brought him there to the cemetery and to the goose. He knew he had to do something, so he started phoning for help.



After calling various local agencies and animal organizations and getting nowhere, Joe finally reached WES. Our founder, Rebecca Dmytryk, took the call.

Joe was very passionate about rescuing this goose, which was great. He was willing to do whatever it took. So, I instructed him to go back to the location with some grain and crumbles to see if the goose would "bait in". This helps us develop a capture strategy.
Image credit Joe Shalmoni.

Joe's notes from the field:
Thursday May 21st I went to the area where the goose hangs out and he/she was not there. I searched the ENTIRE cemetery. I interviewed the security guard (Joe), and he was very helpful, telling me he didn't hear of anything happening to our injured friend last night. I was informed, however, that Animal Control had been there a week ago and tried for 1-2 hours to capture the goose. They left, saying as long as it could walk (though limping), and fly, and they couldn't capture it, the injured bird was free to remain. On your advice, I warned everyone to absolutely not approach him with any kind of net. More tomorrow Rebecca, Sincerely, Joe

Friday May 22nd I went back to the cemetery this afternoon and drove to the Lake of Memories. As I got out of my car the geese flew over in formation, landed, and joined the conference of other waterfowl at my feet. Our injured friend landed 10' away from me. I was so relieved to see it was still alive.
Observations of the wounded goose and gaggle-mates: 
The wounded goose is there with his/her gaggle daily at least from 12:15pm to 1:45pm - I observed this on 2 separate days. 
They leave between 2:30pm-6:30pm when another group of Canada geese arrives, and that second gaggle stays through sunset. 
The wounded one stays on the periphery of his/her gaggle (total 8 adults including him). 
Initially the wounded goose landed close. It exhibited very cautious curiosity, then, as if aware of its handicap, it took to the periphery of the group of waterfowl and remained about 35-40 feet away.   
I worked on gaining its trust, and eventually got it to come closer, about 8 feet away. This trust-building process took 30 minutes. 
Helpful points:  Wonderful, cooperative cemetery staff including gardeners, administrators, security guards. 

Joe kept up his diligent monitoring of his beloved goose and kept searching for someone to help. He called every possible rescue organization in the Los Angeles area and none was able to assist him, though Peter Wallerstein from Marine Animal Rescue said he would try if he had a break in seal rescues.

At one point Joe volunteered to fly WES' Goose Whisperer, Deanna Barth, to Los Angeles to try and capture the poor bird. Before going to that length, though, Rebecca asked that they first exhaust all Los Angeles-based options. She reached out to Grove Pashley, owner and field kayaking guide for LA River Kayak Safari

Rebecca had worked with Grove on capturing a great blue heron on the L. A. River, back in December. Click HERE for the story. He showed talent for reading animals and she believed he had the skill to successfully capture this goose. She called to recruit him.

It was a very busy time for Grove, but he agreed to devote a couple of hours to the rescue. 

On Sunday, May 25th, the two met up near the cemetery grounds and drove onto the property in one car. 

The plan was to try a snare made of fishing line, first, to see if the goose could be lured or "pushed" into it. A net was not an option, as geese typically spook at the first sign of one.

Grove laid a loop of line on the grass and the two men attempted to lure the goose close. It spied the line cautiously and stayed clear of it. They tried again, and again, with no luck. 

At one point, during a break in rescue attempts, a man carrying a multi-colored blanket appeared and started walking toward the injured goose, tossing large chunks of bread to distract it. It was the Embalmer. He works in the back of the mortuary, somewhat isolated, but comes out to visit the goose on his lunch hour. He had been wanting to help the goose for a long time.

With the grounds bustling with visitors and the goose wise to the snare, the team decided to call it a day. Grove went home to practice with the net gun he acquired for the heron rescue, to see if he felt comfortable using it on the goose.

The next day, Joe visited the cemetery again, and this time he could not get the goose to bait in. It seemed as though all the waterfowl were quite satiated from the holiday weekend feedings.

On Wednesday morning, Grove and Joe met at the cemetery. To their surprise, there were no geese, not a one. They waited and waited. They took a breakfast break and went back to the Lake of Memories. The scoured the area, checking nearby parks. Nothing.
Thursday May 29th I visited the cemetery this evening at 7:30pm and saw the goose. He/she appeared robust, but was ground-sitting more. Perhaps its resting its poor good leg upon which all her body weight rests. I noticed, this good leg (because of the added strain, and biometric imbalance), shakes at the knee as she/he stands and walks.
While ground-sitting, sometimes the head is turned to the sleep position, but the eyelids are never closed. 
Grove and I will rendezvous at the cemetery on Monday, June 2nd, given that I spot him/her in the early morning. I hope I find him/her then.
Today, June 2nd, Joe arrived at the cemetery to look for the wounded goose. He found her, and noted the limp seemed worse and that she was ground-sitting more than usual. He alerted Grove immediately.

Grove arrived within 25 minutes with the net gun. He and Joe assessed the situation and walked through the capture plan. Oddly, there were no other geese around, only a few ducks - this would work in their favor.

They would have to first "push" the ducks out of the way to get a clear shot with the net gun, then Joe would have to distract the goose with crumbles while Grove moved into position, 20' away from her. Grove warned Joe it would be fast - the second she puts her head down to feed, he'll fire.

Grove separated the ducks to one side while Joe got the attention of the goose, baiting her with crumbles of grain.

Grove, his heart pounding in his chest, casually positioned himself behind her. He'd have only one shot to catch her with the net gun. 

Her head went down. He fired.

The net opened up perfectly and blanketed the goose's body. 

Terrified, the goose turned, took a few steps and with a few wing beats she was in the air!

Joe and Grove watched in disbelief as the goose climbed with a slow arch into the air and across the Lake of Memories, trailing the net. Grove took off!

Sprinting across the grounds, Grove watched as the goose descended, and touched down on a plaque. He was on top of her in seconds.

Image credit Joe Shalmoni.
Joe wasn't far behind with the crate and scissors. 

Instead of untangling the goose, which would have taken too long and would have been too stressful for the animal, they carefully cut away the netting then placed the goose inside a pet carrier for transport to the wildlife hospital. 


Joe and Grove cut away the netting. Image credit: the Groundskeeper


Image credit Joe Shalmoni.

Image credit Grove Pashley.

Joe transported the goose to aquatic bird experts, International Bird Rescue, in San Pedro - about 30 minutes south. There, the bird was seen by medical staff who removed the line and lure, cleaned the wound and radiographed the leg.

According to veterinarian Rebecca Duerr, the bird stands a 50/50 chance of recovering. If, after treatment, the heavy-bodied bird can maintain function of its foot - if it can stand and walk, the goose will be releasable. If its tendons and nerves are so damaged that it cannot, then the goose will have to be euthanized as eventually the other leg would give out and it would suffer miserably.

From Joe:
Rebecca, I have rarely seen expertise, dedication and commitment akin to the successful actions exhibited by Grove yesterday. It was truly amazing.  He ran after that Goose like a sprinter in the Olympics. 
I am sure it would have taken off again if he hadn't caught it. It was a rare moment in time showing love between human and non-human life forms.  It wasn't easy, it took tremendous courage on Grove's behalf, he basically walked into the fire to save that Goose. 
Incredible. Watching it in flight with the net was almost like seeing eons of time, evolution, and the power of life... all expressed in seconds.
Joe 


Image credit Joe Shalmoni.

A huge HIGH FIVE! to Grove for his successful capture. 
Way to go! Bravo, bravo, bravo!!!


A huge THANK YOU! to Joe for your dedication and the
 time and effort you put in to see this bird was rescued. 

Joe dreams of documenting the annual seal hunt on Prince Edward Island. 
Perhaps someone reading can make his wish come true?


If you'd like to become a volunteer Wildlife First Responder click HERE to apply.

If you'd like to support our Los Angeles team with a donation towards supplies, gasoline, training, and equipment, click HERE.



Stay tuned for updates!



Jun 1, 2014

Incredible deer rescue

Contributed by Gayle M. Landes



Malibu. Early this morning, just before 7:00 am, Malibu Road residents spotted a deer at the edge of the surf.

Residents gathered and formed a large perimeter around the deer to prevent beachgoers and off leash dogs getting too close and chasing it into the ocean.

Deer are flighty animals and will swim into a body of water if frightened. They've been known to keep swimming out and away from danger until they are exhausted, and finally drown.

Authorities were called. A plan developed. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife would sedate the deer for transport to a safe location. A tranquilizer would reduce the chance of the deer injuring itself, rescuers, or motorists should it bolt for the highway that was just yards away.

While waiting for the wildlife officer, an officer from Los Angeles County Animal Care  and Control (LACACC) arrived and stood guard with residents on the beach. Two sheriffs helped, too, but were called away for a human emergency. 


It was about 9:30. The deer was still standing on shore. Beach goers had been very respectful and kept their distance, until a lone jogger blatantly disobeyed signals to stay clear, and ran right between the officer and the animal. 

The deer bolted into the ocean, swimming as fast as it could, next stop Hawaii!

Without hesitation, Malibu Road resident Bo Bazylevsky grabbed his paddle board and hit the water, hoping to head off the deer and steer it back towards shore. 

Two other residents, Michaela Haas and Paige Roberts, ventured out in a tandem kayak.

Bo and an unknown fisherman (also in a kayak) managed to reach the deer just as it was starting to tire and slip underwater

The fisherman grabbed the deer's head and was able to hold it above water while Bo pushed them towards shore. They made slow progress, fighting to guide the struggling animal. 

Michaela and Paige arrived just in time. Michaela dove into the water to hold up the tired animal. Using a dog slip leash, she was able to harness the deer and lead it to shore. 

As they landed, two LA County lifeguards, Wildlife Officer Dennis Rosenberg had arrived to help. 

Officer Rosenberg covered the deer's head with a blanket to keep it calm. Together, the team strapped the animal to a gurney and carried it up the steep bluff to the animal control vehicle. 


The deer was rushed to the California Wildlife Center for a quick assessment, then on to Malibu Creek State Park where it was released back into the wild. 

For all the bad things we humans do to animals, it sure is nice to see such a great effort from so many people to help this wild creature. 



THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED RESCUE THIS DEER!!!