Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue to Release

“Whatever you think an animal might need, you need too.” – Tiffany Wentz-Root on self-compassion for wildlife rehabilitators.Partners for Wildlife kicks off its fourth season with the second part of our compassion fatigue conversation. Washington state-based mental health therapist Tiffany Wentz-Root joins host Gail Buhl to discuss the impact of trauma, burnout, balance, joy, boundaries, and the power of memes!This episode contains references to restrained eating habits, military service, negative self-talk, elements of depression, and child-care trauma.Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.Links:Part one of this conversation (https://blubrry.com/3720290/132484823/s3e12-tiffany-wentz-root-on-mental-health-in-wildlife-rehabilitation-part-1/)Check out Lindsay C. Gibson’s book: Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents (https://bookshop.org/p/books/adult-children-of-emotionally-immature-parents-lib-e-how-to-heal-from-distant-rejecting-or-self-involved-parents-lindsay-c-gibson/16712089?ean=9781626251700)Learn more about The Raptor Center (https://raptor.umn.edu/)Finding a therapist through Psychology Today (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists)

Host Gail Buhl welcomes Washington state based mental health therapist Tiffany Wentz-Root to the podcast to discuss self-care for wildlife rehabilitators. This is Part 1 of 2. In Part 1, Tiffany explains her origin story, which includes serving in Iraq for the U.S. Marine Corps in 2003. Tiffany goes on to reveal some of her own past struggles with mental health, how that experience led to her interest in becoming a mental health provider, and how she draws on her experiences to cultivate greater empathy for vulnerable populations she serves. Gail and Tiffany begin to discuss the phenomenon of "compassion fatigue," a specific type of burnout seen most often in caretaking professions that witness suffering of animals or fellow humans. Tiffany describes the broader theme of burnout as an imbalance between stress and the ability to cope. Compassion fatigue arises out of vicarious trauma, Tiffany explains, which is experienced when the caretaker witnesses suffering of their patient. The episode includes some signs and symptoms of unaddressed trauma such as changes in eating habits, diminished memory, and sleep difficulty. In Part 2, episode 13, Gail and Tiffany will continue the conversation on maintaining self awareness of one's own mental health and things to do to move forward when feeling stuck in burnout.Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu) (https://raptor.umn.edu/). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu) (https://raptor.umn.edu/partnersforwildlife).

Host Gail Buhl is back for Part 2 of her in-depth discussion with Minnesota-based wildlife veterinarian Dr. Miranda Torkelson on the medical management of fox. In this episode, Gail and Dr. Miranda touch on topics ranging from the treatment of mange and other parasites to diets, handler safety, housing, and preparation for release. Dr. Miranda urges listeners not to attempt to treat wild fox outside of the guidance of a licensed veterinarian. Dr. Torkelson was very gracious and if you have any questions about fox, fox mange, transfusions (for the veterinarian listeners) etc. please contact her via email: [email protected] episode, Gail welcomes Tiffany Wentz-Root to discuss the mental health & wellness aspects of working in wildlife rehabilitation. Tiffany draws on her own experience as both a therapist and a person who has experienced mental health struggles to be able to delve into the topic in a meaningful way. This is a topic that affects all of us, whether we’re aware of it or not, so we hope you’ll join us for season 3, episode 12! Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu) (https://raptor.umn.edu/). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu) (https://raptor.umn.edu/partnersforwildlife)

Gail Buhl welcomes wildlife veterinarian Dr. Miranda Torkelson for a two-part discussion about the medical management of red foxes. Dr. Miranda starts out with some of her origin story, which includes highlights from her ambitious career in wildlife medicine. Later in the episode, Gail and Dr. Miranda cover the basics of red fox natural history as well as perspectives on often well-meaning but ill-informed attempts by members of the public to try to fight the parasite sarcoptic mange. Dr. Miranda explains why programs such as "Mange By Mail" can do more harm than good and why it's critical to leave treating wild animals to licensed veterinarians. Gail and Dr. Miranda share their own stories of contracting mange (often called scabies when it's an infection in humans). We get itchy just thinking about it! Next episode, in Part 2, Dr. Miranda and Gail continue talking about the medical management of red foxes with topics that include trapping, more on treating mange, itch & pain control, housing and more! Dr. Miranda has a lot of wisdom and experience to offer on foxes, so we hope you'll join us for episode 11!Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu) (https://raptor.umn.edu/). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu) (https://raptor.umn.edu/partnersforwildlife).

In episode 9, Gail Buhl welcomes Amanda Nicholson back to the podcast. If you missed Amanda's first appearance on Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue To Release, check out season 2, episode 13. There she talks with Gail about social media best practices in wildlife rehabilitation.Amanda serves as Senior Vice President of the Wildlife Center of Virginia. In this episode, she virtually visits Gail to talk about having crucial conversations -- those sometimes difficult or touchy talks we have to have with our partners, bosses, employees, or even someone checking on the status of an animal in rehabilitation. Amanda offers some basic guidance on keeping these conversations structured and simple while offering the other person as much autonomy and dignity as possible. She urges the listener to be especially careful about not filling in the blanks with a (often negative) made-up story explaining someone's behavior or point of view. This is a must-listen for anyone working in wildlife rehabilitation, because these conversations come up so frequently. Next episode, Gail talks with wildlife veterinarian Miranda Torkelson about the red fox. It's a fascinating in-depth, 2-part discussion on the red fox's natural history and techniques for caring for it with the goal of release back into the wild. We hope you'll join us!Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Our executive producer and host is Gail Buhl. Our producer is Kirk Klocke.To learn more about The Raptor Center, visit Homepage | The Raptor Center (umn.edu) (https://raptor.umn.edu/). For more on Partners for Wildlife, visit Partners for Wildlife Home | The Raptor Center (umn.edu) (https://raptor.umn.edu/partnersforwildlife).