September 1, 2023 – baby squirrels rescued

9/1/2023  Officer Mullen reports…

I received an early morning call from a concerned homeowner, whose dog alerted him to a couple of baby squirrels on the ground in the backyard. The concerned pup became protective of the babies and was reluctant to have their human help in this situation. Fortunately the homeowner was able to wrangle his pup inside and give our dispatch a call at 415-554-9400. I was in the area and was able to get to his house quickly and assess the situation. In his backyard there were three 5-week-old baby squirrels curled up in the dirt with no mother in sight. They were cold to the touch and barely moving. I quickly gathered them up in a towel and got them back to the van. With the heater blasting in the van, they slowly warmed up and started moving more. I placed them in a low-sided box in the front passenger seat of the van. The smallest one was the coldest and at the stoplight I would rotate the little one in front of the heater. When we arrived back at the shelter, I was able to get them better set up in a box with proper heat support. After some quick warm subcutaneous fluids to help with dehydration and hypothermia, they were left alone in the box to continue the slow warming process. Every so often I would check on them and see that they were continuing to improve as they warmed up.

Squirrels are the most diverse of all modern mammals with more than 278 species thriving anywhere from the Arctic tundra to the tropical rainforests and living in environments from farms to suburbs and even big cities. They are born hairless and are both blind and deaf for the first 8 weeks of life and must be fed every 2-3 hours for several weeks. Mothers often build a second nest in case of danger and will carry the young to the new location if she senses a problem. The young remain with the mother in the den until about 4-5 months of age.

Now that the baby squirrels were improving, I had to start thinking of their next step. Thankfully SFACC has a fantastic partnership with Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue (YUWR) and the founder, Lila. I texted Lila and she was happy to accept them into her rescue. As ACOs we text Lila at all hours of the morning and night, and she is always available to answer our questions and ultimately say yes to most of our intake needs. When we arrive at the rescue, Lila is always there to greet us with open arms and a smile, and sometimes if you’re lucky maybe even a cat or two. If you are interested in volunteering or learning more about the wonderful work done at YUWR please visit their website and see how you can make a difference to the wildlife in our urban environment.

August 25, 2023 – raccoons caught in fence

Officer Mullen reports…

This week Officer Sherwood and Officer-in-training Leiendecker were called out for a family of raccoons stuck in a tight situation. When the officers arrived they found two young raccoons stuck in a fence by their back legs. Momma raccoon was able to free one of the kits with the help of a chair that the homeowner had provided to help. After momma took the first kit to a safe spot, she came back to get the second kit, but he was a bit more stuck and momma was having a hard time getting the rear leg freed. The officers used their metal catch poles to separate the fencing from the house, just enough to loosen the grip on the leg. Since this kit was still young, the officers were able to cover him with a towel to calm him. With the protection of bite gloves the officers stood on each side of the animal and gently slid the leg upwards to free the raccoon. Once the kit was free, momma raccoon ran up, inspected her kit, and then ran off with him to rejoin the sibling. Thankfully the homeowner acted quickly; their legs were not damaged.

Raccoons have very tight-knit families. A mother raccoon can give birth to up to seven kits, but on average three to four kits survive each breeding season. The babies are weaned after about 3 months, but remain with their family for 12-16 months. The mother is a wonderful teacher who teaches the young to be independent and adapt to both rural and urban environments. After birthing her young, a momma raccoon will stay in the same den for up to 7 weeks and then once the babies are agile enough to run and climb, the family will find a new den every few days to keep predators from finding them. The average home range for a raccoon depends on habitat and food supply. In the urban environment, the average range for a raccoon is about one mile, whereas in the rural environment it can be closer to 15 miles.

Since raccoon babies are typically born in early spring between March and April, we are now seeing the 4-5 month old kits out enjoying the world…and sometimes getting into trouble. Please call our dispatch line at 415-554-9400 if you see a raccoon in distress, sick or injured. Thank you for alerting us to the needs of our urban wildlife.

August 2023

Playful kitten Randy has been adopted by SFACC Animal Care Attendant Tom and his son, summer intern Jake!

Double rabbit adoption! Bonded pair Egypt & Pharaoh have gone home. Hoppy tails!

Adoption update! “Hello, just wanted to update you on Fritz (previously Jax). I adopted her about 3 years ago and she is the best dog i could’ve asked for! Fritz is always happy to go on adventures and loves the beach + park. She loves spending time in our backyard sunbathing as much as she can and enjoying our fresh berries from the garden. She is happy, healthy and definitely the most spoiled girl ever. Thank you so much for everything you do! You can also follow along to see her next adventures on Instagram @fritzinsf “

Sweet boy Roger was adopted and he’s going to have a new brother.

Guinea pig sisters Blossom & Buttercup adopted after the young adopter presented his research and prep to his family in Power Point!

Fun pup Valentino has gone home! He’s going to have a new canine sister Gidget.

Smart puppy Josey has picked her family. Tag, you’re pawrents!

Rattie sisters Lola & Nikki have been adopted together! Happy tails!

Super sweet bunny Drizzle has been adopted! Looks like lots of fun & love are in store!

Kitten cuties Nigel and Percy were adopted together! We love it when kittens go home in pairs: double the love and fun!

Sweet wee scruffimuffin Angus was adopted today! His adopter has adopted from us not once, but twice before. 

Kitten cutie Ferguson was adopted by one of our dog volunteers!

Darling piggie Emmylou has been adopted! She has a new sibling in forever home.

Sweet kitten boy Ice was adopted! He was the last of his litter; he was just waiting for his forever family to show up.

Big sweetie Eggo has gone home with a canine sibling with a very similar look. Twinning!

Petite sweetie Zelda has gone home!

Darling pup Curtis has gone home with his new family, including a new big canine sister. 

Purrfectly named Just Beautiful has been adopted! 

Butterscotch has gone home with her forever family. Hoppy tails!

Casanova

Extra (on the right, now Barnabas) and his new sister California Sweet Potato (Cali).

Gin has been adopted and going home to an older cat sibling.

Gracie

John

Ketchup

Mason

Momo and Too Cute were adopted together. Yay!

Nook and Cranny are going home together!

Peekaboo

August 18, 2023 – seagull trapped in warehouse

   

Officer Mullen reports…

Earlier this week, I was working in dispatch when I received a call from the DHL warehouse. They heard and noticed webbed feet pacing back and forth in one of the warehouse skylights. Due to the height of the building the best way to gain access was coordinating with the San Francisco Fire Department for use of their tall ladders to reach the bird. Officer Ryer and Officer Quirke were sent out to investigate the best way to free this gull. SFFD met them at the DHL warehouse and were able to help the officers gain access to the roof. After a long climb up to the roof they found the gull stuck in a sunken skylight, unable to get enough lift to get out.

Officer Quirke used a net to scoop up the bird. The bird was unharmed and was able to be released from the roof and rejoin the group of gulls that were circling above.

There are times when we are on calls and need assistance from the Fire Department or Police Department and they are always just a call away and will be there to help. We work closely with these teams and support them when they have animal encounters and need our expertise.

“Seagull” is a general term for all species of gulls. There are over 50 different types of gulls and some do not even live near the sea. Gulls can drink both fresh and salt water. They have a special gland above their eyes that flush the salt from their systems though openings in their bill. This allows them to fly long distances over water and stay hydrated. Gulls are very clever and have been observed passing behaviors on to their young, such as stomping their feet in a group to imitate rainfall to trick the earthworms to come to the surface. Gulls work together as a mob and will harass larger predators and steal their prey.

Gulls are everywhere in the city. The younger grey fledglings are just finishing up their flight school and soon will be wearing the traditional white and grey attire. If you ever notice a gull out of place or injured, please do not hesitate to call our dispatch at 415-554-9400 and we will send someone out to assess the situation. Thank you for helping to keep our urban wildlife happy and thriving.

August 11, 2023 – pigeon caught in netting

I was working at dispatch when a concerned resident called me about a pigeon that he saw when looking out his window. This poor pigeon was caught in netting and hanging upside down in a light well. Many apartment buildings have all sorts of spaces either between buildings or between different units and some try to keep the urban wildlife out by putting up netting. This often results in animals getting trapped in or beneath the netting, which can result in injury or even death to the animal

Thankfully the resident had just noticed the bird outside his window and he could see that the pigeon was still moving with no noticeable injuries. The resident sent me a picture and I quickly dispatched Officer Sherwood to go out and rescue the pigeon. She was able to reach the pigeon from a window above the bird and carefully cut the netting away from the feathers and feet. The pigeon appeared to be unharmed. Officer Sherwood found a nearby spot to set the pigeon down, and after getting his bearings, he waddled off down the ledge until he found an open spot and took flight.

Pigeons are extremely intelligent birds. They have an internal map and compass sense that help them determine direction and have been known to find their way back to their nest from over 1,300 miles away. Homing pigeons can fly over 500 miles at speeds of 60mph or more in a single day without making any stops for food or water. The fastest recorded speed of a pigeon was 92.5mph! Pigeons have no aggressive tendencies which makes them very easy to domesticate. They have served in wars, received medals of bravery, and are responsible for saving thousands of human lives on the front line. Many religions, such as Christianity, Islam, Hindu, and Sikh, honor these birds and give them sanctity and safety in their places of worship.

People often call our dispatch and ask if we help pigeons, and they will say “but it’s just a pigeon.” It’s never just a pigeon to us; these are remarkable birds that deserve to live and thrive in this city. So, if you see a pigeon in distress, please do not hesitate to call our dispatch at 415-554-9400 to report it. We work with rescues that help us with the injured pigeons and help them get back on their feet.