by Jayne Winters Due to unexpected circumstances, I’m not able to prepare a new column for September. I feel it is appropriate, however, to submit an article written by the late Carleen Cote which was published in September 2005 and is as applicable today as it was 15 years ago: “Ah, sweet September! This is […]
by Jayne Winters I love chatting with Donald Cote at the Duck Pond Wildlife Center. He always has a story (or two or three) to share and I never know what little critters I’ll find harbored in his living room and the area that used to be strictly for his late wife Carleen’s doll collection. […]
by Jayne Winters Donald Cote and his late wife, Carleen, have operated the Duck Pond Wildlife Center for over five decades. Five decades of 24/7 devoted care to nature, large and small, furred and feathered. While we naturally prefer to hear about the successful stories, the “feel good, happily-ever-after” anecdotes, there are certainly sad outcomes […]
by Jayne Winters All wild animals are hosts to parasites: internal, such as tape, hook, pin or round worms, or external, such as mites, ticks and fleas. Some of these little buggers (literally!) are also zoonotic (as noted in May’s article about rabies) and can infect animals as well as people. Mange is an itchy […]
by Jayne Winters As we try to adjust to social distancing, I wondered about what warrants quarantining at wildlife rehab centers. Indoor and outdoor caging is required to separate incoming injured, and perhaps sick, wild animals from people as well as other wild or domestic animals on site. It is imperative that personal safety and […]
by Jayne Winters We all know that April showers bring May flowers, but for wildlife rehabbers, April also brings desperate calls from well-meaning citizens who are concerned about young animals that appear to be alone. I’m sharing another post written by Carleen Cote regarding the issue of whether to rescue or not: With the return […]
by Jayne Winters If we’re to believe the groundhog’s prediction that spring will come early this year, it seems appropriate to share a post written by the late Carleen Cote, published in May 1997. Seasons change, but often planning for the next one remains the same. I leave it to Carleen to remind readers what […]
by Jayne Winters I think most of us would agree that, so far, Central Maine has experienced a fairly mild winter, especially in snow accumulation. Donald Cote, of the Wildlife Care Center, in Vassalboro, has had to plow access to the wildlife enclosures only two or three times; snow-blowing and shoveling have been minimal. Icy […]
by Jayne Winters Last month I re-introduced readers to Donald and Carleen Cote, who established the Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab Care Center in the mid 1960s. What did that involve? To rehabilitate wildlife, you must hold a valid State of Maine Wildlife Rehabilitator’s Permit. In addition to completing a Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife […]
by Jayne Winters In light of Donald Cote’s recent recognition by the Natural Resources Council of Maine for his decades of wildlife rehab work, the Critter Chatter column is being brought back to readers! As the new writer for this venture, I thought a good place to start would be to talk to Don about […]