2014 was record year for wildlife care in Roseville

Published 3:56 pm Saturday, January 3, 2015

ROSEVILLE — The harsh winter of 2014 brought a record number of animals to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville, according to caregivers.

About 9,200 animals that were injured, orphaned or sick were treated at the center — including several unusual cases, executive director Phil Jenni said.

A red-throated loon was found trying to walk down a snowy driveway in Isanti County in February. It was the first recorded case involving the bird at the center during a Minnesota winter.

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In November, staff cared for a rufous hummingbird found by a St. Paul woman. There have been only 16 recorded sightings of that species in the last two decades, Jenni said.

Veterinarian Renee Schott said she gets excited when she’s able to treat a new species at the center, which is a private, nonprofit wildlife hospital funded entirely by public donations.

“You have to spend a lot of time researching the natural history, talking with other experts who work on that species, make sure we have the diet right, the housing right and then any medical issues that species is prone to,” she said.

The center admitted a record number of trumpeter swans in 2014, up nearly 50 percent from the year before. Lead poisoning was the main culprit for the swan illnesses, according to staff. The center also saw cases of swans that had been shot.

“It’s not so much that there are more animals being hurt in the world. I think it’s actually that there are more people that know about us. These are people who are actually making the trek over here and sometimes from three to four hours away,” Jenni said.