Wildlife Rehabilitation: From Rescue to Release

“The dead teach the living” – Dr. Mark Pokras on the importance of necropsies.Partners for Wildlife welcomes Dr. Mark Pokras, a wildlife veterinarian and nationally renowned expert on loons and wildlife medicine, to the show. Dr. Pokras and host Gail Buhl discuss his career, imposter syndrome, One Health, common loons, loon biology, sentinel species, and forensic pathology.Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

“There’s a lot of beauty in just being in the dance” – Sara Cole on wildlife rehabilitation.Partners for Wildlife is excited to welcome back to the show, Sara Cole, a wildlife rehabilitator from Minnesota. Join host Gail Buhl for a discussion about baby squirrels, expressions of gratitude, lessons learned, and advice to new rehabbers. Sara shares her insights, and experiences, describing how “the work calls you to be in community and maybe even in communion with living things in a way that just cracks you open.”Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine.

Partners for Wildlife is excited to welcome Dr. Katie Haman, the Wildlife Diversity Veterinarian with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, to the show. Join host Gail Buhl as they explore the concept of One Health. Dr. Haman shares her journey while diving into the interconnectedness of animals, the environment, and humans. They also discuss One Welfare and highlight the essential role that wildlife rehabilitators play as vital contributors to One Health!Special thanks to Partners For Wildlife and The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine. Mark your calendars to celebrate One Health Day next November 3rd!Links:One Health Institute (https://ohi.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/)One Welfare (https://www.onewelfareworld.org/)

“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).