January 26, 2024 – goat rescued in GGPark

Friday Field Notes with Officer Mullen: Earlier in the week we got a call from the SF Park Ranger dispatch stating that their park rangers had eyes on a goat that was loose in Golden Gate Park near Lloyd Lake. I was sent out to assist the park rangers currently on scene, help them secure the goat and bring it back to the shelter. There were a few park rangers along with several employees of San Francisco Park and Recreation stationed around Lloyd lake on foot and in trucks. The goat was very avoidant of us and ran whenever one of us got near. Thankfully the goat remained in the same general area and kept creating a loop, allowing us to station people in certain areas to keep eyes on the goat and help to guide him away from traffic.

After coming up with a few plans and having the goat outsmart us on all of them, we were finally able to corner the goat into thick brush. He was scared and went deeper into the brush and thankfully got a bit stuck (along with myself). Once he was stuck, Ranger Parker, who was below the goat, was able to get a hold of his horns and keep him from moving. Ranger Burrows and I climbed down to where Parker was standing and were able to secure the goat with a slip lead. At this point, the goat relaxed and allowed us to untangle his legs from the branches and lower him onto the ground. Once on the ground, he let us know that he was not thrilled about being caught, but eventually ranger Parker got a hold of his horns again and helped us guide him to the van. I used a stretcher from the van as a ramp and he walked right in. Once in the van I used a slip lead to make a temporary halter on his head to secure him for transfer. There were many hands involved in this rescue and I know that we would not have been successful without all of the helpers from SF Park and Recreational department and especially the park rangers. I was there for over an hour and they were there for a few hours before I got there. It was a long and athletic adventure, but well worth it when we were finally able to load him up safely into the van unharmed.

San Francisco is the first city in the US where 100% of its residents live within a 10 minute walk of a park. The SF Recreation and Park Dept. maintains over 225 parks, playgrounds and open spaces in San Francisco, plus two outside the city limits; Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the high sierras. They employ more than 2,000 individuals from gardeners, foresters, recreation leaders to park rangers, custodians, electricians and more. The Park Patrol Department utilizes park rangers to provide public safety, protection of park properties and educate people in how to live harmoniously with nature and the wildlife around them.

We don’t know where this goat came from and how he got into Golden Gate Park, all we know is that he is safe now and awaiting his next adventure with our rescue partner, Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary. We are so thankful for the fantastic teamwork with the park rangers and the other employees of SF Park and Recreational Department, it really took each and every one of us working together to safely secure the goat and get him out of harm’s way. We are also thankful to Goatlandia for accepting this wonderful guy into their herd so he can live a long healthy life with other goats.

January 19, 2024 – great horned owl rescued

Officer Mullen reports…
Earlier this week a groundskeeper at a golf course called our dispatch with concern for a Great Horned Owl that appeared to be situated in front of one of the equipment sheds. The owl had been on the ground for quite some time and there was a large group of crows circling above, dive-bombing and harassing the owl. I arrived at the golf course and the person who called me met me at the service road and directed me to where the owl was. Another gentleman was standing guard and protecting the owl from the relentless crows. Great Horned Owls often hunt and kill crows, so as soon as an owl is on the ground the crows take advantage and form large groups to continually harass their predator. The owl was sitting between two service sheds. Not wanting him to get scared and go between the sheds, I approached him from the side, talked softly to him and told him what I was about to do. Wearing bite gloves and using a long net I slowly got closer to the owl. The owl did resist a little and took a short flight, indicating that his wings worked properly, but quickly landed. He was then secured with the net, placed in a wire transfer cage and covered with a towel to reduce stress. Before fully covering him, I took a quick look at the owl to try and determine what was wrong. I immediately saw that one of the owl’s toes was bleeding and affecting the placement, curling the talon under the toe. I took a picture of the injury and texted our partners at Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA Wildlife Care Center in Burlingame. They said that they would gladly accept this Great Horned Owl for rehabilitation and treatment of his injury.

Great Horned Owls have large eyes and pupils that open widely in the dark for excellent night vision. Their eyes do not move in their sockets but they can swivel their heads 270 degrees to look in any direction. Great Horned Owls do not migrate and actively defend their territories that range in sizes of 0.1 to 1.5 square miles. These species mate for life and will return to the same partner every year for breeding. However once breeding and nesting season is over, the mated pair will separate and live solitary until the next season begins. Great Horned Owls have soft feathers to help insulate from the cold and also stifle the sounds of their wings making them almost silent when they are flying and hunting. These owls have the most diverse diet of all North American raptors ranging from small mammals, amphibians and insects to larger mammals such as skunk, rabbits, opossums and even porcupines.

We are very thankful for the person who notified and directed me to the injured owl and for the other bystander who stood guard protecting the owl from the harassment of the crows. They also helped me to document the process by taking photos and video. We were able to successfully transfer this owl to PHS Wildlife Care Center and are hopeful that once the bird heals, he will return back to his San Francisco home. If you see any injured wildlife, please call our dispatch at tel:415-554-9400, we have officers answering the phones from 6am to midnight 7 days a week. Interested in helping injured wildlife? We are always in need of drivers to help bring these animals to our transfer partners, please look at our volunteer page on our website and see how you can get involved (and see some pretty amazing wildlife, too).

December 2023

This darling pup was found as a stray and when no one came to claim her, her finder adopted her. Her new name is Daisy. Check out how fast her little tail is wagging!

 Sweet and fluffy treat Mochi has been adopted.

Lovely cat Esme has been adopted by one of our volunteers.

Mooncake was adopted and now has an Instagram page: mooncake_da_pitt.

“Hello this is Kit. We adopted her from you all 9 years ago next month. We love her so much. Thanks for giving her a great start.”

Gwendil went home to live with a new sibling!

Kitten pair Blinker and Pom Pom went home together. Happy tails!

Handsome Fox is adopted! He’ll have fenced in one acre of land to run!!

“We picked up Wedge (fka Dickens) the Wednesday before Thanksgiving 2022. We were very quickly smitten, and it’s hard to believe it’s already been a year since he joined our family. Lots of new experiences in the past 12 months: meeting his feline “siblings”, travel, hiking, plus lots of play and treats! We’re so happy with our choice to take the leap and bring Wedge into our home!”

Sweet little Mary has gone home! She has a new sibling (hanging out in the bag).

Hunka hunka love Zamboni has been adopted. He has a new pittie sister who he’s already played with and kissed. 

Super cute alum visit: Twinkle, formerly known as Trinket and adopted in 2021, came by to say hello and enjoy some treats. It was great to see her!

Pinto: “We renamed him Petey the dog like in the movie Little Rascals.”

Bonded kittens Soulsby & Sonora have gone home.

Piggy pair Cayenne and Pepper went home together. Double the piggies, double the love!

Lovely lady Violet was adopted and enjoyed Christmas in her new home.

Petite pittie cutie Petal has been adopted.

“I was the extremely nervous person who adopted Claudius on November 4th and was terrified to introduce him to my resident cat. Our little family is still a work in progress, but I think we’re getting there. He’s big on licking her ears.

In any case, Claudius (who has been renamed Clyde) is a sweet, playful cuddle!”

Holly

Lila

Oyster

Pippa

November 2023

Big Boy Atticus!

Happy Bunday foster win! “Happy Holidays! We are so grateful for Oreo (now named Stripes) to become a part of our family. Just in time for the holidays! I fostered him since September and all of us fell in love with him. He’s so good around my kids, playful and adventurous! He is my therapy bunny since he loves to hop on my lap and just gives me the best hugs and attention after a long day from work. I can’t wait to go home to him. Thank you for letting us adopt Stripes!”

“I adopted Mildred back in June and she’s settled in amazingly. She loves hiking, visiting the beach, stealing my dinner, and hanging out with her doggie friends! She also loves visiting different coffee shops and boba stores around SF”

Pretty Princess has found her family. Long may she reign in her new queendom!

 “I adopted Bentley at the beginning of October, im happy to share that he is settling in very well and is a happy gentleman! his name is also now Big Boy as from his adoptive description haha, he’s such a bundle of light and love! so lucky to have adopted him!”

“This is an update on Freyja! We adopted her in late September and she’s gotten comfortable with us very quickly. She’s a very curious kitty who likes to watch birds and people through the window she’s also super sweet and likes to hang out with the people she loves.”

“Hello! I adopted Humphrey in May of 2023, and I thought you guys would appreciate an update. He is my best friend through and through, and I love him dearly! We’ve since gone on so many adventures together and I can proudly say he’s my dog and I’m his person. He’s shown me time and time again that he was nothing but the right choice for me, and he would pick me over most things in this world, with the exception of a good treat. We’ve also moved from San Francisco to Nevada since I’ve gotten him, and being half Husky it was a good choice. The snow is his best friend. I could not be happier with him.”

Big puppy boy Ernie got himself a big family. Happy tails!

Artemis was adopted in March (aka Crackle) and we just got an update: “He’s doing really well. He’s a joy to behold. Thank you for helping bring some joy into our fam!”

“Freddy was adopted from SF ACC in 2017 and is living happily with his 2 other rescue siblings, Sasha and Hank. He’s also a semi-pro model.”

Senior sweetie Juno and shy beauty Ofortuna were adopted together.

Shy cutie Puss in Boots

Sweet scruffy pup Dorothy has found her way over the rainbow to her forever family!

Titus adoption update! “Hi! I adopted this (now grey) hunk from you 10 years ago
Titus has been an absolute blessing to our family over the past 10 years and brings us so much joy. Thank you for all that you do and especially thank you for bringing this love bug into our lives.”

Kitten brothers Leif and Eric the Red were adopted together.

Beautiful Olivia was adopted today and we already got a photo from her adopter! Here she is decompressing in the sink. We’re sure she’ll be moving on to cozy beds soon!

This couple found a stray cat, brought her in to us and when no one came in to claim her, they adopted her (after she was spayed) They named her Sacha Bertille.

Ashiki

Bambi

Biscuit

Dottie and Snow were adopted together!

Duncan

Levi

Lula

Max

Spinach

Starburst