wildlife

You’re invited to a wildlife baby shower and fundraiser

Support the Wildlife Department through spring baby season

You’re invited to a wildlife baby shower happening Sunday, February 25, from 12-4PM. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from CNC’s wildlife technicians what to do should you find baby birds or other baby animals. Ticketing and member reservations will open on January 24.

Did you know spring is the perfect time of year for baby animals? While they may be cute in their first weeks, a lot goes into caring for them, as CNC’s wildlife rehabilitators can tell you.

Come learn all about CNC’s efforts to help injured wildlife as we celebrate a wildlife baby shower. The wildlife team relies heavily on donations to do their work and provide care for the animals. Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators cannot accept payment for their services; therefore, without the help of the community, CNC will not be able to support all the baby animals who come to us this year. Northside Hospital will match all donations to the Wildlife Department during the month of February, up to $5,000.

Spring brings buds, blooms, and rains, and lots of calls to the Wildlife Department at CNC about baby animals. While CNC is licensed and trained only for raptors, reptiles, and amphibians, the Wildlife Department responds to over 150 requests each month in spring regarding wildlife babies of all species. Almost 300 animals less than one year of age were accepted for care at CNC, while the others were referred to rehabbers of those species if necessary. Generally, it costs about 3 times as much to rehab a juvenile than an adult mostly because they eat so much more food. Overall, CNC takes in over 700 injured animals each year.

This day is a great opportunity to meet wildlife technicians and learn about what they do as well as get up close to some amazing animals. Learn from professionals what to do when you find a baby animal. CNC will have unique wildlife walks with specialists dishing all the best stories about our rehabilitated animals, community partners, and fun games for the whole family to learn about their favorite baby animals.

But what’s so special about spring for baby wild animals?

Wildlife Director Kathryn Dudeck lays it all out: “With warmer weather approaching, plants are beginning to sprout and bud, which is delicious food for several smaller animals, such as rabbits, chipmunks, and songbirds. An ample food supply signals that it is suitable conditions to have offspring. With smaller animals being born, predatory species such as raptors coincide their breeding seasons.”

For instance, Eastern cottontail rabbits typically breed from February–September, and Great Horned Owls (a main predator of rabbits) often lay eggs in January so that there will be ample prey to feed their young.

Caring for young animals can be tricky as well, Dudeck said. Reptiles can be easy; from hatching, the species native to north Georgia are self-sufficient and don’t need a parent. This does not stop people from finding hatchling turtles and, thinking they have been orphaned, bringing them in for rehabilitation. They’re OK! Leave them be!

Raptors are a different story entirely. Two of the primary reasons CNC sees young birds of prey are because of nest loss, due to storms or human interaction, and being clumsy teenagers, Dudeck said.

Yes, even raptors go through an awkward phase.

“Once raptors start to grow their adult feathers, they are too large for the nest,” Dudeck said. “At approximately 6-8 weeks old, they start perching on the branches around the nest and then start building up their flight muscles by jumping from branch to branch. Occasionally, they miss a landing and are found uninjured on the ground.”

Unfortunately, raptors require more care than reptiles. For starters, depending on the age they may need feeding every couple of hours or their food must be specially prepared.

Because they can imprint on another creature (like humans), wildlife technicians at CNC wear a ghillie suit to disguise themselves and play recorded food-begging calls. Since vultures have an acute sense of smell, feathers from our resident vultures can be placed around the baby to give off the right smells.

Whenever possible, CNC will attempt to reunite the youngster with its parents if it is uninjured. If that is not possible, our non-releasable resident birds will sometimes become temporary foster parents.

If you come across a baby animal this spring, here are some tips to help:

1) Observe from a distance to look for the parents. They may be out hunting!

2) If no parents are seen, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Some species leave their young for hours at a time. Do not try to capture the animal or offer it food. Even babies can carry diseases, and the wrong food can kill them.

3) Contact Animal Help Now (ahnow.org) to find your local rehabilitator for instructions on how best to proceed.

How can you help?

Attend the wildlife baby shower on Sunday, February 25. Ticket and member reservations will open on January 24. Watch the calendar entry or the weekly eNews for details!

Bring in an item from the wish list below! You can drop it off any time in the Discovery Center or bring it with you to the baby shower.

Make a donation to the wildlife department. Northside Hospital will match up to $5,000 in donations!

Learn more about the CNC Wildlife Department and the rehabilitation support they provide to raptors, reptiles, and amphibians.

Thank you in advance for all of your support and we look forward to seeing you at the Wildlife Baby Shower!

Partners:

Gina Gallois
Primarily ‘Possums
Wild Nest Bird Rehab
Georgia Wildlife Network
Georgia Department of Natural Resources – Urban Wildlife

Amazon Wish List

Other Wish List items:

Perfume and dye-free laundry detergent (laundry sheets or powder preferred to minimize plastic)
Reptibark substrate
36” cable/zip ties
Zep heavy-duty spray bottles
Amazon gift cards
PetSmart and Petco gift cards
Kroger and Publix gift cards
Home Depot gift cards

Gift certificates to our food vendors:

RodentPro: Frozen Feeder Rodents – Frozen Mice & Feeder Rats for Premium-Quality Reptile and Bird of Prey Food | RodentPro
Mazuri: Mazuri® Exotic Animal Products – You Do ‘Zu
American Rodent Supply www.americanrodent.com
Armstrong’s Cricket Farm: Buy Live Crickets and Worms

Get started with birding

Backyard birding makes it easy to connect with nature

Written by Jana Pearce, Visitor Experience Manager

With the onset of social distancing and working from home has come a hidden opportunity for us to reengage with old hobbies and discover new ones.

I began birding as a way to spend time with my dad, who’s been at it for over 40 years and consistently blows me away with his mental lexicon of songs, markings, and bird behaviors. The sheer amount of natural history surrounding birds felt overwhelming at first, but the longer I observed, the more I began to connect with these creatures who can be hidden in plain sight. I realized that birding is about the journey, and that I should just focus on having fun and enjoying the glimpse into a world that can be mystifying, amusing, and even charming. The know-how will come over time!

Below are some tips on how you can get started at home:

Why birding?

Birding can appeal to all sorts of people. Many like it because it helps them feel connected to nature, or to something larger than themselves. There are many popular community science projects that allow people to come together and make a difference in understanding and protecting birds. Check out more info at Atlanta Audubon’s Community Science page. Others like the prospect of creating a “life list” and seeing how many birds they can rack up over a life time.

How do I attract bird to your backyard?

All living organisms need four things to be successful in their habitats: food, water, shelter, and space. You can provide food by setting up a bird feeder or planting your backyard with native, bird-attracting plants. To provide water, consider setting up a bird bath if there’s not a water source near your home. To provide shelter, you can install a bird box, or (again) do some planting. The more habitat types you have (bushes, tall trees, etc), the wider variety of species you’ll attract. Space simply means you’ll only attract so many birds to your backyard because it can only support so many (imagine an entire school of children trying to come have lunch in your kitchen!)

How do I clean and maintain my feeders?

Be mindful that feeders can attract predators and spread disease if not placed well and maintained.

To protect from predators: try to place your feeder in a spot that has some protection from bird of prey who may be hunting from above. You’ll also want to monitor your feline friends if they’re allowed to be outside near your feeder.

Also consider placing your feeder away from windows, as birds often collide with them when all they can see is reflections of the surrounding flora.

To prevent the spread of disease: wash your feeder every two weeks, or at the very least between seasons. Start with soapy warm water, then use at 1:10 water bleach solution. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry completely before refilling.

How do you identify the birds you see?

When birding, use your sense of sight, sound, and curiosity to help notice characteristics that will help you identify the bird.

Distinctive markings – look for colors or patterns, like a solid white bar around the eye, or a “cap” of a certain color.
Where is it? On the ground? At the tippy-top of a tree? Is it alone or in a group? This can often help you narrow down between possibilities.
What’s it doing? Certain behaviors can be very characteristic of different types of birds. For example, phoebes are usually bobbing their tails.
Songs and calls – close your eyes and try to focus on the sounds its making. This one can be tricky, but birding by ear can become a very valuable skill for a birder. Brush up on your songs, then test your skills while also helping the Cornell Lab of Ornithology improve their educational services.

wildlife northside sammy stork_kingfisher costume_timber ridge wildlife class pitcure

Timber Ridge ES gets visit from Kingfisher, Northside’s Sammy Stork

The Chattahoochee Nature Center would not be able to care for its injured wildlife, educate thousands of schoolchildren, or hold exciting programming without community support. Recently, the community at Timber Ridge Elementary School, in Cobb County just down the road from CNC, showed CNC just how much they care for our work.

The students collected canned goods, gift cards, and more all to donate to CNC’s Wildlife Baby Shower, raising much needed funds for the wildlife department. The effort was organized by Michelle Bonsecour, whose children attend the school.

“This past year, I have made CNC a weekly (usually) trip with my son, William,” said Bonsecour. “When we saw the baby shower donation box on one of our rainy day visits, we knew we could help. We realized a lot of people only visit CNC once, and they were unlikely to bring canned goods with them, so we decided to take the fundraiser to Timber Ridge. Alison Dunford (Timber Ridge STEM teacher) was instrumental in letting us bring this to Timber Ridge.”

As a bonus, CNC had just received a large and generous donation of stuffed otters from the Roswell Rotary Club. Everyone who donated to the wildlife department during the month of February could take an otter home with them. For Bonsecour, these toys were a perfect fit for the school.

“The otters were a huge incentive for the kids, for sure, but we also made sure the kids were learning how close the center is and what you do every day,” she said. The school sold hundreds of the otters for donations.

“We personally LOVE going to CNC after school, no matter the weather, there is something to do and have fun while learning,” Bonseour said. “We absolutely don’t leave the center without having learned something new.”

As thanks for their donations, CNC paid a visit to the school, complete with CNC mascot, Kingfisher, and Sammy the Stork, the mascot of Northside Hospital, along with the entire Wildlife Department staff.

The need for donations and support at the Wildlife Department is constant. Over 600 injured animals come in every year and need food and medical supplies. To help out, click here.

Visitors, Northside Hospital make for successful wildlife baby shower at CNC

ROSWELL, GA. – Visitors to the Chattahoochee Nature Center on February 29 played exciting baby-themed games, such as matching pictures of baby animals to their adults, or guess the animal scat in the diaper. Fun! The day was to support the CNC Wildlife Department’s efforts in rehabilitating injured animals. Check out some photos here.

All told, the Wildlife Department raised over $4,000 from community contributions throughout the month. Add in a dollar-for-dollar match from Northside Hospital and that number doubles. Donations included cash and gift cards, but also cans of wet cat food, bags of dry cat food, cans of various vegetables and bags of “Reptibark,” a reptile bedding. Also, plenty of bottles of laundry detergent.

The day was made possible thanks to a generous gift from Northside Hospital, which matched donations up to $5,000, all to go toward the Wildlife Department. Northside Hospital’s mascot, Sammy the Stork, also came to the event Feb. 29. As the nation’s largest provider of births in the nation, Northside was a perfect choice as partner on the day.

Students from nearby Timber Ridge Middle School also donated hundreds of canned goods and gift cards.

Kathryn Dudeck, CNC’s wildlife director, said she was pleased by the community support for the department.

“We had such an amazing turnout for this day all about wildlife,” said Dudeck. “Through the help of the visitors, donors, and sponsor Northside Hospital, the wildlife department will be well-stocked to help many injured raptors and reptiles this year.”

CNC takes in hundreds of injured animals a year for rehab, with nearly 40 young birds of prey (raptors) and reptiles among them, and hundreds of calls a month from people who have found animals and are looking for advice. The majority of young raptor patients come in due to nest loss, such as from a storm or trees being cut down, and from good Samaritans who might not know when an animal is actually in need of help. Dudeck says it’s best to contact a local rehabber before attempting to “rescue” any animal, especially babies.

With all three full time Wildlife Department staff members licensed for rehabilitation, CNC treats over 600 injured raptors and reptiles each year. If the animals can be released back into the wild, they will be; otherwise they may become resident animal ambassadors on CNC’s grounds for educational purposes. All resident animals at CNC are injured and non-releasable.

For more information about CNC’s wildlife department or to make donations, visit https://www.chattnaturecenter.org/visit/experience/wildlife/

For more information about CNC, visit www.chattnaturecenter.org.

About CNC

For over 40 years, the Chattahoochee Nature Center prides itself on connecting metro Atlanta with nature, through education and experiences unlike anywhere else. Sitting on 127 wooded acres on the banks of the Chattahoochee River, CNC offers amazing access to this important water source through guided canoe trips on the river and a river boardwalk. CNC also forms connections in the wider community through animal encounters with rehabilitated wildlife, excitement on the new treetop zipline courses over our ponds, unique yearlong pollinator gardens, unparalleled family events, and more all year long.

To learn more about CNC, its mission and its programming, visit us online at www.chattnaturecenter.org.

A turtle’s shell is more than its home

By Samantha Kennett

CNC Wildlife Technician

A common myth regarding turtles is that they can leave their shell for another. However, this is not the case. Did you know that a turtle’s shell is a made of bone and is a part of the turtle’s spine? A turtle’s shell is as much a part of its body as our skeleton is to ours. The shell is made of two pieces, the carapace (top) and the plastron (bottom), which are fused together on each side at what’s called a bridge. The carapace is covered by an outer layer of individual pieces called scoots. These are made of keratin, just like your hair and nails. Who knew you had so much in common with our reptilian neighbors.

Contrary to popular belief, a turtle’s shell is actually a part of the animal, like a bone.

A turtle’s shell is its armor and its ultimate protection from many of the dangers of the world. But when that strong shell is cracked or broken, it leaves the turtle vulnerable to infection, bacteria, and predation by other animals. Though turtles are resilient, a severe injury to the shell could cost its life. Working as reptile rehabilitators, CNC’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic receives countless injured turtles each year, many of which sustained injuries to their shells often the result of car collisions. CNC relies on a community of good Samaritans to transport these turtles to get them the appropriate care they need.

The reality of wildlife rehab is anything but warm and fuzzy. Fortunately for a couple red-eared sliders at CNC, a good Samaritan was walking the Roswell Boardwalk at just the right time. These turtles were found in the Chattahoochee River with punctured shells and chained together.

Because a turtle’s shell is living bone, any puncture can lead to systemic bacterial, viral, or fungal infections and be deadly if the internal organs are harmed.

“Because the shell is living bone, any puncture can lead to systemic bacterial, viral, and/or fungal infections,” said Kathryn Dudeck, Wildlife Director at CNC. “Additionally, since the organs are not in a fixed position, but instead housed in a thin membrane called the coelom, the organs themselves can be damaged.”

A turtle’s shell is its greatest defense, but once compromised can be a potentially fatal weakness. With the help of the reptile vets at The Veterinary Clinic West in Marietta and the local good Samaritan who found them and brought them to CNC, these two turtles are on the road to recovery. This particular story will conclude with a happy ending, but that is not always the case.

While it may look pretty and harmless, painting a turtle’s shell can be fatal to the animal. They collect energy and vitamins from the sun; painting the shell blocks that.

Less obviously deadly is paint on the turtle’s shell. While it may look funny or cute to paint the shell, as we have learned, the shell is an integrated portion of the animal. They get their Vitamin D from the sun through their shells. The paint blocks this process and can be fatal to the animal.

“Turtles require UV light and specifically UVB wavelength for Vitamin D synthesis needed for bone and shell growth,” said Dudeck. “Unlike mammals and birds, reptiles cannot synthesize their own Vitamin D and must absorb sunlight through their shells. Painting the shell blocks the absorption of UV and can lead to weakened and deformed bones and shell.”

With paint, different removal techniques are used based on the type of paint, and the removal procedure can take several days.

With proper medications and care, a damaged shell can often grow back, though this can take months to years. If you see an injured turtle in the wild please call the Wildlife Clinic at the CNC at 770-992-2055 x239 or find your local rehabilitator at Animal Help Now.

Christmas Owl Surprises Family

A Newnan home received a unique Christmas gift last week, when a live owl turned up in their tree.

“No joke, we just found a LIVE owl roosting in our Christmas tree. What?!?!?” said Katie Newman, Dec. 12 on Facebook.

Newman said her daughter spotted the Eastern Screech Owl squatting in the tree among other ornaments. (There were many owl-shaped ones, so it fit right in at first). When the “ornament” turned its head to watch Newman’s daughter, they knew something was off.

An Eastern Screech Owl perched on a Christmas Tree — Photo Credit: Katie McBride Newman, Facebook

Newman documented her owl story on Facebook as she and her family tried to get the owl outside through opening windows and shoo-ing it. When that didn’t work, she called the Department of Natural Resources for help. They put her in touch with CNC.

“She called us and I just happened to be driving past Newnan the next morning on my way to Auburn. I told her I would try and catch it and do an exam. If it needed immediate care she would take it to a rehabber,” said Dawn Ellerman, a wildlife technician at CNC. She caught and examined the creature, and said it looked healthy.

Since it is illegal to keep an owl as a pet, Ellerman was able to tell Newman how to release the tiny owl back into the wild.

“We owe so much thanks to the Chattahoochee Nature Center Wildlife team,” said Newman. “Truly good Samaritans who saved our Christmas Owl.”

Read more about the owl in an article at the Newnan Times-Herald.

The family in this instance opened their doors and windows to encourage the owl to fly away on its own. They called the Chattahoochee Nature Center and we were able to come help catch the owl, make sure it was healthy, giving it food and water, and give instructions on care and release.

Do not try to keep a wild animal as a pet, especially owls and other wild birds. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act makes it a federal crime for anyone to keep a native owl who is not a licensed rehabber.

If you find a wild animal in your home, call a licensed animal rehabilitation professional, such as the Chattahoochee Nature Center, or visit Animal Help Now for your local rehabber. They will help identify the animal and help catch it or release it.

The Chattahoochee Nature Center’s wildlife rehabilitation department did a fantastic job helping the bird. As a non-profit, CNC strives to do what it can for the wildlife we see. Please consider helping CNC’s efforts by going here: Georgia Gives.

A Girl and Her Mole

By Emily Belinfante, Camp Kingfisher Registrar

A few weeks ago, while driving into the Chattahoochee Nature Center, I spotted something in the road. I often play a game called “Is it a turtle?” along Willeo Road, typically resulting in “no, it’s a pinecone.” This, however, was not a pinecone. Or a turtle. I stopped, curiosity piqued, and found myself looking at a small, brown, furry mass with the largest front feet I have ever seen for something that small. Naturally – and quite professionally – I touched it. It was no longer alive, so I picked it up. Enthusiastically, I presented it to my co-workers, though I wasn’t exactly sure what it was. I’d seen pictures of moles in school, and I knew they were native to Georgia, but I had never laid eyes on a real one. A quick Google search answered a few questions, which quickly led to a deep dive down the rabbit hole – or, more aptly, the mole hole – into the underground world of Leo (everyone needs a name), the Eastern mole.

The Eastern mole (Scalopus aquaticus) is a small, secretive creature known for its incredibly powerful front feet and the hills that mark its existence to us above-ground dwellers. These subterranean architects dig out extensive tunnel networks that provide all the luxuries a mole could ask for: sleeping quarters, travel lanes, and grub buffets. A typical mole abode consists of one semi-permanent burrow dug below the frost line for long-term use, and smaller temporary tunnels near the surface that are used for hunting. Location and structural integrity are very important to a mole. Nobody wants their hard work destroyed by cave-ins, floods, or other catastrophes. The soft but sturdy earth of fields, woods, local parks, golf courses, and your lovely manicured lawn are ideal. The characteristic mole hills are simply chimneys used to transport soil out of the way as the mole cultivates and maintains its hunting grounds.

Now, if you’re thinking, “wait, moles hunt?” then you’re in good company. I had no clue my new fuzz-ball friend had been a ravenous, cunning predator in its formative… years… months? (We’ll talk about it). Those shallow tunnels are really just worm traps. When the earth gets saturated after rain, terrestrial insects are driven to drier areas like, say, the open space of a tunnel. The mole then feasts, eating up to 50% of its body weight. Daily. How much is that in a lifetime?! I did some math: an average mole lives roughly six years and weighs about 75 grams, meaning it could eat roughly 160-180 pounds of bugs in its lifetime. If there were no moles, and that many more insects, could plant life survive? Moles help balance our delicate ecosystem by keeping insect populations in check. So thanks, moles, for having an insatiable appetite.

With a better understanding of Leo’s life, I now feel confident and comfortable preserving this mole through taxidermy. Then it can live on as an educational tool, shedding light on life below ground for students and visitors for years to come.

Galapagos Gecko Visits CNC

Tiny traveler found in resident’s backpack

ROSWELL, Ga. – What flies halfway around the world in a backpack just to visit the Chattahoochee Nature Center? If you answered a leaf-footed gecko from the Galapagos Islands, you are correct!

One such tiny traveler came to CNC’s Wildlife Department October 23.

According to Kathryn Dudeck, Wildlife Director at the Chattahoochee Nature Center, Wildlife Department staff were contacted by a local family who had just returned from the Ecuadorean locale.

“This family opened up a backpack a week later and he crawled out,” said Dudeck.

Dudeck said the gecko was an adolescent and likes to eat insects. Adults will eat other reptiles and small mammals. This one was only a couple inches long, but adults can get four inches long.

The Galapagos Islands are off the coast of Ecuador, South America. They are known for their biodiversity. Famous naturalist Charles Darwin stopped over there on his world tour.

Dudeck and her staff figured out the genus and then checked the gecko out make sure it was healthy. They then contacted state and federal authorities to determine what to do with the tiny traveler. Biologists from US Fish and Wildlife Service verified that it was not a threatened or endangered animal, so it would not be returned home, but could find a new home in Georgia. The Atlanta-based Amphibian Foundation, which specializes in exotic an endangered amphibians and reptiles, accepted the gecko.

The gecko was sent on its way October 25.

Kings of the Urban Jungle

The transition from backwoods to backyards

*The Eastern Kingsnake can often be distinguished by their black scales patterned with white or yellow chain-like bands*

By Samantha Kennett, Urban Kings Research Assistant and Previous CNC Wildlife Technician

When it comes to snakes, the National Wildlife Federation estimates at least 20% of the Georgia population carries a fear of snakes in some degree. If there is one snake species that people show a softer spot for, it is the harmless Eastern Kingsnake. Eastern Kingsnakes are Georgia native non-venomous snakes. Like many other snake species, Kingsnakes play a key role in managing rodent populations as your own natural form of pest control. But what Kingsnakes are really known for, and the reason they are called the “king,” is their ability and proclivity to prey on venomous snakes like rattlesnakes and copperheads. Though anything with a mouth can bite, Kingsnakes are general docile snakes not known to bite often.

Despite living in a wide range of areas across the Eastern United States, the Eastern Kingsnake has been going through a noticeable decline in population within the Florida and South Georgia areas of their range. According to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, one of the largest populations along their Savannah River site has almost entirely disappeared over the span of 20 years. However, this is not the case in the Metro-Atlanta area where Kingsnakes are spotted frequently and seem to be doing relatively well. It’s exciting to think that these snakes seem to have some survivability in urban environments, but what do these snakes need to survive? How much space do they need? What habitats within an urban setting are they utilizing? What might be limiting their survival? In future urban planning and development, how can we better coexist with wildlife and create livable habitats where they will not only survive, but thrive? These are just a few of the questions the Urban Kings Project is trying to answer.

In 2019, the Urban Kings Project, a citizen science endeavor, began working to understand just how these urban Kingsnakes seem to do so well in developed and developing urban landscapes. This research is focused on understanding how different levels of urban development are influencing Eastern Kingsnake movements, habitat use, health, and overall survival. Part of the goal is to create an evidence-based strategy to help future urban developers and planners create effective green space where wildlife can remain in areas with lots of people. To better understand how populations are changing over time, the researchers are creating a population distribution database filled with Kingsnake sightings reported by citizen scientists.

Being a citizen science project, there is a lot of community involvement. Though this project focuses on the survival and study of these incredible snakes, education and public outreach is another goal. Whether it’s working public community outreach programs or responding to Kingsnake house calls, the people behind this project work diligently to help community members understand the importance of Kingsnakes in their neighborhood. These outreach opportunities are pursued to encourage people to participate in reporting sightings, but also in hopes to alleviate some of those snake fears.

This project would not be possible without the continued support of community citizen scientists, and YOU can be one of them! To participate, please keep an eye out for your neighborhood Kingsnakes. If you see one:

Please call the Urban Kings Project immediately (Bryan Hudson 404-556-1863 or Samantha Kennett 678-315-2020). They need to examine the snakes to collect certain data, such as sex, weight, length, health screens, and to obtain a non-invasive DNA sample (clip a few belly scales, essentially the same thing as cutting your fingernails).
Keep an eye on the snake if possible until you have reached them on the phone.
Try to take a quick picture on your phone without disturbing the snake (trying to keep them from escaping before someone can respond).
And if you find a dead Kingsnake (road kill, cat/ dog kill, etc.) PLEASE collect the specimen by placing it in a few plastic bags. They can still gather lots of important data from these animals, so they do not go to waste! If you can’t collect the dead snake, please call the project immediately and they will try to get out to collect it before it disappears.

If you’re lucky enough to have a larger neighborhood Kingsnake, your snake might be a part of the movement aspect of the study. If the Kingsnake is a large enough individual, the partner team of veterinarians at the UGA veterinary school will implant a tiny radio transmitter just under the skin. This is a quick and easy procedure. The Kingsnake will then be released in the exact spot that it was found. This allows the researchers to follow the animal, which tells them what helps them survive in urban environments. This is the fun part, and the part that you can come out and observe.

We live in a time where it seems a new neighborhood is developing on every corner. As urban landscapes continue to expand, our choices in how to create them are more important than ever in how these actions will impact the world around us. Projects like this one help us take a step in the right direction for choices that support human-wildlife coexistence. For more information regarding the Urban Kings project or to report your Kingsnake sightings, please check out the project page here.

Creating Community between animals and humans

Creating Community Between Animals and Humans

By Jana Pearce, CNC Visitor Experience Manager

All too often we hear about another species that is facing habitat loss and heading for trouble. News reels and online articles bombard us with image after image of downed forests and desolate construction sites. For so many of us, learning and interfacing with animals makes us feel closer to nature, and seeing their homes destroyed can provoke an intensely emotional response. We see those photos and think to ourselves: how awful, poor animals, and what a shame.

But what happens when those animals become “too successful” at adapting to the cities that replace their natural habitat? For some animals, while in nature they had to roam tirelessly to satisfy their basic needs, in a city they can find food, water, and shelter all in one convenient place. It just might happen to be your backyard. Are we willing to share our space? We are delighted to see does with their fawns until they start snacking on our vegetable gardens. What do you do when you have a neighbor that you can’t seem to get along with?

A basic piece of advice is to “treat the problem, not the symptom.” The critter is around because something in the area is meeting its basic needs. Take away or block off the food, water, or shelter they’re after and chances are they’ll move on to greener pastures. It might sound too good to be true, but sometimes bringing in the cat food at night or putting an exclusion fence around the garden is all it takes.

Another approach is to start with a shift in mindset. Humans generally consider our society and the natural world as two separate communities. Now more than ever, as urbanization continues to spread, “humans must view cities as part of—not separate from—nature,” said Suzanne MacDonald, psychologist and biologist at York University in Toronto. How can we learn to live alongside our wild friends?

CNC’s own wildlife tech Samantha Kennett recently began working with Clemson University and UGA on the “Urban King Snake Project,” to identify and track the king snake population in the metro Atlanta area. This snake (which eats Copperheads, by the way) has proven itself adept at surviving in urban environs. How and why does it thrive? If we found out, they could help control the vermin populations in urban areas.

Just like the snake, hawks and owls love small animals, but they often fall victim to the reflective windows of office buildings, hitting them and dying. CNC partnered with the Atlanta Audubon Society to implement a series of special stickers in the Discovery Center that have caused the rate of bird collisions at CNC to dramatically fall. Other businesses in Atlanta has adopted the new system, called Collidescape.

We will all have to do some adapting of our own and challenge ourselves to learn to embrace our non-human neighbors.

If you find you’re in need of more information, search the web for the Georgia Wildlife Resources Division’s “Living With Wildlife” page and UGA Extension’s “Resolving Human-Nuisance Wildlife Conflicts” page for facts, advice, and more.