I can hear the baby birds in their nests waking and asking for food as I write this in my banyan tree home. Spring is my favorite time of the year. In Florida some may miss the difference in the air if you don’t stop and appreciate the sweet fresh smell of Spring. Whenever I hear the sounds of the infant mockingbirds squawking for food from the slash pines in the yard, I think of all the orphaned or injured baby birds, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, deer and even baby fruit bats who sometimes need a little help from human animals.
One of the programs I present in the schools for all levels with the Animal Hero Kids Kindness Education Series is “Stay Wild,” which focuses on how to co-exist with local wildlife. I am not referring to your human neighbors playing dance music until the wee hours, I am referring to those neighbors who were there before the apartment or house was built. I bet you knew that.
Three Wildlife Saving Facts
If a baby bird falls out of a tree and is uninjured, you can put the baby bird back in the nest.
Never drip water or any liquid down the throat of any animal.
Your backyard can be a haven for resident wildlife rather than a danger.
Three Wildlife Saving Facts1. If a baby bird falls out of a tree and is uninjured you can put the baby bird back in the nest.
This is not commonly known, and the belief in the opposite is responsible for people separating baby birds from their family. If the nest is damaged beyond repair you can make a new nest with a strawberry basket. Put a little grass in it (not too much to block the holes, for it needs to drain if it rains), and then tie this new nest securely as close as possible to the location of the old nest. Mother birds always want their baby back.
2 Never drip water or any liquid down the throat of any animal.
This may seem like a no-brainer but it’s not. I cannot tell you the number of times people say things like I found a baby possum/bird... and used a dropper to put water down the throat. There are two ways for the liquid to go down the throat: into the stomach or down the throat into the lungs. Think about it: If someone found an unconscious human, they wouldn’t put liquid down their throat, but for some reason, people think you can with other mammals. The liquid in the lungs causes pneumonia; combine this with the shock of human handling or whatever trauma caused that particular animal to be where they were found it, and the result is almost always death. Instead, call a local licensed wildlife rehabilitator and then follow the animal’s progress.
3 Your backyard can be a haven for resident wildlife rather than a danger.
One of the points I make in the Animalherokids.org kindness programs is the fact that your backyard had resident wildlife living there before your house was built. When teaching elementary grades, I ask if raccoons wear shoes, and what happens if they step on something sharp. This is good for fostering empathy.
Why not make your yard a haven for challenged wildlife who are looking for a little spot to shelter and be safe? Keep areas around the perimeter natural — think of a mother rabbit or other animal being able to travel in a local wildlife corridor without being seen by predators. Keep pesticides and herbicide chemicals away from anywhere in your yard. As a matter of fact you can leave them at the store, there are so many natural ways to solve issues. It’s so easy to Google answers for the best plants and trees to have in your yard to help birds and butterflies. NatureScape Broward is a great resource.
Mother Nature had to thank everyone at the Animal Hero Kids Vegan MacnCheeze Challenge to Save the Earth! Animal Hero Kids and their supporters gathered together.
The audience choice and the Animal Hero Kids Choice winner was Chef Sheena from Ohm Woke meals for her truffle and coconut bacon MacnCheeze. The Plant Power Choice Award winner was the New Vegan restaurant.
Here is Patricia and Rahein Jones’s recipe. Patricia is a creative cook and doesn’t measure.
Plant Power Choice Award at the Animal Hero Kids Vegan MacnCheeze Challenge to Save the Earth!
Patricia calls her free-style recipe the New Vegan Mac Attack
• Jovial Organic Brown Rice Pasta
• Daiya Cheddar Cheese
• Salt and pepper
• The New Vegan’s Super Food Mix Grilled and chopped on top
• Grilled scallions
• Drizzle with a vegan mayo sauce
