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Press Releases
March 8 , 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Angela Speed
Phone: (414) 431-6104
E-mail: aspeed@wihumane.org
Help Wildlife this Winter
MILWAUKEE — Concerned citizens have been calling the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center to ask what they can do to help backyard wildlife survive our late winter weather. Late winter can be a fatal time for resident wildlife because less food is available and autumn body fat has been used up to get through the coldest winter stretches.
The following are some tips on how you can help your backyard wild neighbors:
- Keep stocking your bird feeders this winter and make sure you feed good-quality, clean, dry seed.
- Put a corn-cob squirrel feeder in your backyard.
- If you see an animal that you think is sick or injured, call your local licensed wildlife rehabilitator. In Milwaukee County, you are welcome to call the Wisconsin Humane Society, Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at 414-431-6204.
- Start planning ahead now for the needs of next winter’s wildlife. This summer, you can:
- Plant native, berry-producing shrubs that will provide food for birds like Robins and Cedar Waxwings for many years to come.
- Consider creating brush-piles on your property to make a home for small mammals like Cottontail rabbits and shelter for winter birds.
- If it is safe to do so, leave dead trees standing on your property to provide nesting holes for woodpeckers, Screech Owls and other cavity-nesting birds.
- Don’t clear away dead coneflowers, black-eyed Susans or other late-blooming flowers. Birds rely on the seeds during the winter months. Plus, they can be an attractive focal point in your winter landscaping!
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Film/Photo Opportunities: Animals currently available for filming at the Wildlife Center include: several Opossums, Gray Squirrels, a Canada Goose, Two Common Goldeneye Ducks and a Lesser Scaup duck. To schedule an interview with a wildlife representative, please call Angela Speed at 414.431.6104 or email her at aspeed@wihumane.org.
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