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R.I.P. Chandler

We said goodbye to our beloved opossum, Chandler, Friday night. We noticed over the past week that he was not his usual self. (I.e. not interested as much in food, some “coughing”, or deep abdominal breathing, and generally having a harder time getting settled). Upon exam, he had a prevalent heart murmur, and further assessment late Friday confirmed heart issues. So, with a heavy heart, the decision was made to euthanize him. At just shy of 3 years old, heRead more

Virginia Bear Update–Post #4, Sedation and Safety

We left off the last Virginia bear update with her being wheeled into the room to get ready for the work that was to come. The first part of getting Virginia “seen” by the team of specialists was getting her to sleep– or sedated. Our bear crate has a variety of doors and little “windows” we can use to help make this happen safely. The general plan was reviewed with the team, and then we began: I “called” Virginia toRead more

Virginia Bear Update- Post #3, People

You saw in the last post, Transporting Virginia, how many people we needed. Probably about 20 Museum staff helped. Tasks included preparing the crate, gathering materials for securing the crate, creating the actual “catch” plan, scheduling bodies for lifting the crate, or actual moving of the crate, as well as a few people tending to all the internal and external communicating this effort required. Once in Raleigh, there were probably over 50 people at the College of Veterinary Medicine atRead more

Many More Gifts

The gifts keep coming- and not just from our wish-list. My neighbor has left a few items for the animals recently. The sweet potatoes will be enjoyed by the animals. Thanks Donna. Our volunteers Cassie and Cathy brought in fabric to make animal beds, and Lyndi brought us in a new kitchen scale for weighing food. Thank you all– the hard work volunteering with us is more than enough (but gifts are great too!) And wishlist items, large and small,Read more

Virginia Bear Update- Post #2, Transport

The last post about Virginia ended with us needing to make a plan to get Virginia off the cliff. We gathered our bear crate out of storage and began planning. Numerous ( I think 20) people began working on all the details needed. My notes outline for this project is 6 pages long and it’s called CLIFF CATCH CRATE. (I like alliteration). In general, the points below were those to focus on. crate security and functionality securing crate in positionRead more