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Editors note:
Photo op, Invite
to Cover: release
of mother duck, hit by
car and her eight ducklings tomorrow May 21, 2003
A t the International
Bird Rescue Research
Center in Cordelia, everywhere you look you see ducklings; inside, outside,
in incubators, in pools, splashing, eating and chasing any bug that dares
enter their world, are little, fuzzy, webbed babies. IBRRC is making a plea
for drivers to be more aware that a duck by the side of the road, may be
trying to cross with a dozen or so of her babies. IBRRC would also like
help, in the form of new volunteers, to care for them all.
One of major reasons baby ducks become orphans is due loss
of safe habitat
as mallards and humans increasingly compete for waterfront
real estate.
Rapid development has occurred in Solano and the surrounding
counties and
this is a major factor that puts ducks and humans at odds,
and the ducks in
danger. Ducks typically nest in the same place each year
and many times the
place that used to be wild is now a subdivision, with deadly
roads and
swimming pools that become death traps for little ducklings.
Many of the mallard ducklings, goslings and orphan wood ducks
are transfers
from centers in counties as far away as Monterey. "They
came in fast and
furious," said the center‚s rehabilitation manager,
Michelle Bellizi,
"hundreds of them, around 500 so far, one hundred short of
the total number
we raised last year, and it's only May! We could use
more volunteers this
summer, just for duckling care."
Ducklings, goslings, baby egrets, herons, killdeer, and
other assorted
orphaned waterfowl find caring hands and hearts at the wildlife
rescue
center, one of the largest in all of northern California,
and one of two in
the state that is totally devoted to waterfowl and aquatic
birds. The
center has a vet, staff, and interns, some of whom come from
around the
world to train at this state-of-the-art center, however,
the center can't run without volunteers.
"Raising and releasing orphan birds
is one of the most rewarding things we
do," says Volunteer Coordinator, January Bill. "Because
our facility is
specialized for waterfowl, we are taking injured and orphaned
birds from ten
counties, but the majority of our volunteers come from only
four. Anyone
who loves birds, and can spare a few hours a week, should
attend our
orientation this Saturday, May 24 from 9 AM–11 AM. No experience
is necessary,
but you must be at least 18 years old." Interested
people should call the
center at (707) 207-0380.
IBRRC is located at 4369 Cordelia Road, a
quarter mile east of the Cordelia
Fire Station, just off the 80. More information about the
volunteer
program, directions to
the center and volunteer
applications can be found at
www.ibrrc.org. IBRRC is a member of California's Oiled
Wildlife Care
Network (OWCN).
Media contact:
Karen Benzel
Office: (831) 622-7588
E-mail: karen@ibrrc.org
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