As we try to adjust to social distancing, I wondered about what warrants quarantining at wildlife rehab centers. Indoor and outdoor caging is required to separate incoming injured, and perhaps sick, wild animals from people as well as other wild or domestic animals on site. It is imperative that personal safety and confinement protocols be Read More
Critter Chatter
Critter Chatter is published in the Town Line newspaper and reprinted on the Nature of Maine blog. This column is written by NRCM member Jayne Winters of South China and highlights the wildlife rehabilitation work of Donald Cote of Vassalboro, Maine, at the Duck Pond Wildlife Center.
Does This Maine Wildlife Need To Be Rescued?
We all know that April showers bring May flowers, but for wildlife rehabbers, April also brings desperate calls from well-meaning citizens who are concerned about young animals that appear to be alone. I’m sharing another post written by Carleen Cote regarding the issue of whether to rescue or not: “With the return of warmer, sunny Read More
Critter Chatter — Spring Supply Needs for Maine Wildlife Rehabilitation
*Please note that this piece was written before the COVID-19 pandemic. We are not encouraging people to go out to shop for any of the items mentioned in this edition of Critter Chatter. If we’re to believe the groundhog’s prediction that spring will come early this year, it seems appropriate to share a post written by Read More
Critter Chatter — Winter Break?
I think most of us would agree that, so far, Central Maine has experienced a fairly mild winter, especially in snow accumulation. Donald Cote of the Wildlife Care Center in Vassalboro has had to plow access to the wildlife enclosures only two or three times; snow-blowing and shoveling have been minimal. Icy paths, however, still Read More
Critter Chatter Returns: Part II
Last month I re-introduced readers to Donald and Carleen Cote, who established the Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab Care Center in the mid 1960s. What did that involve? To rehabilitate wildlife, you must hold a valid State of Maine Wildlife Rehabilitator’s Permit. In addition to completing a Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife (DIF&W) application, you Read More
Critter Chatter Column Returns!
December 2019, Part I In light of Donald Cote’s recent recognition by the Natural Resources Council of Maine [Town Line, November 21, 2019] for his decades of wildlife rehab work, the Critter Chatter column is being brought back to readers! As the new writer for this venture, I thought a good place to start would Read More
