Fire Casualty
Things in our immediate area continue to be safe and the nearest fires have been contained…but they continue to rage in other parts of the county. There’s a haze of smoke everywhere and it’s hot . Really hot. Coronado is usually around 70 degrees with clear, cool air. Today it’s hot, dry and thick.
I worked at the wildlife center today and saw one of the first casualties from the fire, a cottontail rabbit. She’d been hit by a car and was also suffering from burns. All the fur on the underside of her body was singed as well as her whiskers and corneas. I imagine she probably had a lot of smoke inhalation problems too.
One would think that the wildlife hospital would be inundated with animals after a fire, but that’s not the case. Intakes drop sharply. Most of the large animals and birds are able to outrun the fire and escape, but smaller birds, mammals and reptiles are incinerated.
The managers at Project Wildlife said that they are not expecting to have a dramatic surge in injured animals and I imagine that next spring’s baby season will also see a decrease in patients since there will be less food and nesting sites for animals that are reproducing. The migratory birds that come through this area next spring will also have problems. They theorized that in the coming days and weeks we may see emaciated animals suffering from starvation.
These fires are a normal part of the natural ecology in the west, but as usual, humans have totally screwed up nature’s balance. In situations like this, sans humans, the animals would carry on as they have for millions of years and recover eventually. But for compromised populations, a fire like this may be something from which they can never recover.
These possums are safe and sound at the wildlife center. They’re used as educational animals in public speaking engagements.
