A young Barn Owl, healed of a leg fracture and about to be returned to its nest. Photo by MacKenzie Hall
Wildlife rehabilitation is the process of caring for injured, ill and orphaned native wild animals with the goal of releasing each back to their natural habitat. This course is designed for individuals interested in becoming licensed wildlife rehabilitators, rehabilitators who wish to include additional species to their current permit and any person wishing to obtain knowledge about native New Jersey wildlife. Over the course of five (5) weekdays, students will have the opportunity to be taught by, interact with, and build relationships with some of the foremost experts in wildlife rehabilitation.
Course Description
The Basic Training Course for Wildlife Rehabilitation focuses on the skill sets necessary to become a successful wildlife rehabilitator. This course offers information and professional training provided by some of the most knowledgeable instructors in the field of wildlife rehabilitation. It includes history, licensing requirements and regulations, mammal, bird and reptile species identification and anatomy, proper handling, care and nutrition, medical procedures, and much more. Approved by the New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife (NJDEP), this course is part of an alternative route program to meet New Jersey State licensing requirements for wildlife rehabilitators. Successful completion of the course will count for 40 hours toward the 200 hour New Jersey apprenticeship licensing requirement. This course will also benefit anyone interested in the handling and care of native wildlife.
Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, participants will be able to:
better understand all aspects of wildlife rehabilitation
know how to provide safe handling and care of wildlife
have basic knowledge that encompasses mammal, avian and reptile species
The course will run five weekdays Nov 4 through Nov 8, 2013 from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm each day. Completion of the course requires attendance at all classes. The course schedule and instructor bios can be found on the CDI website at www.cditraining.org.
Tuition for this program is $499.00, which includes all materials. Registration will be through Mercer County Community College at 609-570-3311. There is no requirement for prior experience or training to attend this course. Please contact Career Development Institute (CDI) with any additional course content questions that you may have: 732-821-6997, www.cditraining.org.
Jackie Kashmer gives water to a bat inside a flight cage at the New Jersey Bat Sanctuary. Photo by M. Hall
Jackie Kashmer is a bat-saving machine. Surely, no mere mortal is fit for the long, painstaking hours she spends to make the tiny animals well again. But then, no machine could do it with the grace or heart. Let me introduce you to the New Jersey Bat Sanctuary.
For six years, Jackie has focused her wildlife rehabilitation practice on bats alone – a decision that’s given her a special understanding of what makes bats tick. And since all of her patients have similar basic needs, she can provide for them in a consistent and well-oiled way.
Inside the Bat Sanctuary are dark, warm rooms lined with nylon enclosures. The enclosures have a maternal touch, with patterned cloth drapes, cushiony hand-sewn pouches, and little hollowed logs – all for the bats to nuzzle in and feel safe. If you stand there with the lights on, the cages look still and empty, their furry occupants tucked away in the unlit spaces. You hear an occasional chirpy “pz-pz-pzzz.”
But it’s not all darkness and calm. White-nose Syndrome has changed the pace at the New Jersey Bat Sanctuary. Last winter, Morris County’s Hibernia Mine was down to fewer than 800 little brown bats (from roughly 27,000 three years ago). By late February, some bats were moving to the precarious “freeze zone” near the mouth of the cave – a sign that the White-nose fungus was taking hold. Not wanting to see any more bats die, Mick Valent (NJ Fish and Wildlife) called Jackie about helping the bats at Hibernia. Jackie said, “Bring me a hundred. If I can handle a hundred, then I’ll take more.” A couple weeks later she was boarding and feeding around 125 bats from Hibernia Mine – everyone from the freeze zone. Continue reading “A Sanctuary for NJ Bats”
