WHY DID THE CHICKENS CROSS THE ROAD?

Well the first bird crossed the road from their winter barn because we noticed that she was too weak to stand up. She looked fine, didn't have any injuries, and when food was put in front of her, she ate. But, she couldn't stand up. We brought her to the animal kitchen quarantine room and kept her in a medium size wire crate. She was propped up with straw, her food pan was within her reach and we added pro-biotics to her water. For some reason she looked like a 'Roxie' to me so that's what we named her. At this point we thought we were keeping her comfortable until her time ran out.

Roxie was in this crate for about 7 days when we noticed her trying to stand - this was a good sign. Within another 3 days she was walking around a little so we took her out of the crate and gave her a larger cage (still in the quarantine room). We added a nest box cut out of a cardboard box, lined it with straw, put newspapers down and she's doing very well. She's also a very talkative little bird and reminds us about her daily treats of bread and lettuce.

The second bird crossed the road because the other chickens were picking on her, and had bloodied the top of her head and her comb. We removed her from the group to check her out, clean her up and prevent her from being picked on anymore. This is a prime example of the 'pecking order'.

We cleaned her off the best we could and put her in the cage next to Roxie's. She was quite curious about Roxie, (who couldn't have cared less), and would stand at the divider staring. We're not sure if this was out of curiosity, loneliness, jealousy or what, but she would just stand there. We gave her the same furniture Roxie has: a box with straw, newspapers on the floor, food and water. With all of the creature comforts a little chicken would need she, like Roxie, is doing very well. She also reminds us about the bread and lettuce treats.

The girls chat with each other and we're pretty sure they're talking about us, but we can't prove anything. After a couple of days we removed the divider so the girls could share an even larger area, but things seemed a little tense so we opted to keep them separated. They each have access to the entire quarantine room for a portion of the day, but then go back into their cages for the night. The only problem we have now is chicken #2 hasn't 'told' us her name. So, we thought we'd leave it up to our readers to come up with an appropriate name. Any suggestions?

The Bison & Elk Roundup, by Kellie Lester [Event Coordinator]

What a fascinating experience I had at the Park's annual Bison and Elk Roundup on Tuesday, 12/1 and Friday, 12/4. This was my first year as a participant so I was excited, but not knowing what to expect I was also a little nervous.

Here is the premise: the bison and elk are all rounded up and herded through a series of enclosures, each a little smaller than the last. They are then herded further into a chute system. The last stop for them in the chute system is the squeeze cage. Don't panic - it sounds intense (and it is), but when you have an agitated animal that weighs upward of 2,000 pounds...trust me when I tell you that you want it in a squeeze cage.

The squeeze cage has metal panels on each side that need to be pushed inward toward the animal to keep them secured, and free of injury from thrashing around. Small trap doors can then be lowered for collecting samples, giving shots, etc. The tricky part comes when a massive bison comes barreling into the cage with plans to keep right on going! Panels in the front have cut outs for the neck area and also secure the animal's head. In front of that is a cage that is only opened once the head is secured between the front panels.

When calves are in the cage their gender is determined and they are also ear tagged, given microchips, tested for tb and brucellosis and any additional testing required by their new owners. In case you're wondering, there's no fancy technology involved in determining gender - the tail is lifted, and a quick look will tell us all we need to know! As you can imagine, this process just cannot be done without the squeeze cage!

When participating in this fascinating event, adrenalin really gets going when these incredibly powerful animals are essentially put in a headlock. They thrash and grumble and you are amazed by what they can do. Then you realize that the animal you're seeing is just a calf. You would think that the largest male would be the most powerful - and they are. However, even though they are incredibly large and strong, I was amazed at the rowdiness of the bison cows. When calves are corralled into the chute their momma will generally follow right behind. They are each contained in a separate metal bin (called a tub), but she can hear her little one thrashing around up ahead of her. By the time it is her turn for testing, she is pretty irritated. Once the adults have gone through the chute system they are released back to the summer pasture, and the calves are put in temporary holding yards.

On Friday, December 04, the Roundup was completed when all the bison and elk calves were once again sent through the chute area to quickly check the tuberculosis results. We are happy to report that all animals were negative for this disease. Once the necessary paperwork is completed the calves can go to their new homes.

This project is referred to as a 'round-up' but is nothing like what you would see in a cowboy movie. Each staff person is assigned their role, and this is not open to the public. We try to do this quietly and calmly, causing as little stress as possible to the animals -and humans. Many thanks go to Dr. Shipley from the University of Illinois and his veterinary students for their diligent help in obtaining, and recording this required medical information.

Many people would like to be a part of something important, something valuable, something that leaves the earth a better place. Recently, a friend of Wildlife Prairie State Park generously left a planned estate gift of $100,000.00. Through our donor’s benevolence, we are able to further our mission in protecting and preserving the environment and the wildlife native to Illinois through our 2,000 acre zoological park.

Your contribution is already working to help the conservation efforts at Wildlife Prairie State Park. Would you like to make your gifts more meaningful while planning your financial goals as well? By naming Wildlife Prairie State Park as a beneficiary of your gift planning, you leave a legacy of conservation, education and recreation for future generations to enjoy as well as possibly gaining maximum tax rewards and maintaining financial security for you and your family. Talk to your advisor about Living Wills, Living Trusts, retirement accounts like IRAs, and securities such as appreciated stock or real estate. If you have already made Wildlife Prairie State Park a part of your planned philanthropy, please have your advisor contact us. We thank you for becoming an important partner in our goal to maintain the beauty of our natural world right here in Central Illinois.

For more information, email development or contact our office at 676-0998. We would be happy to assist you!

Please use the following designation when naming for planned gifts:
Friends of Wildlife Prairie Park, Hanna City, Illinois

How fast can a racing pigeon travel? Between 65-70 miles per hours when they’re in a Mercury Tracer!

Several weeks ago Sterling Middle School contacted the park about a pigeon they had found near the school. They were concerned because the bird had an identification band on its leg. They called us thinking it might be one of our birds and we had them bring the bird out to the Park. (Our pigeons aren’t free-flighted). After checking the internet and making several long distance calls we learned that the bird was one of 500 that had been released for a special race.

Unfortunately only nine of the 500 birds had so far returned home, so we were determined to make sure number 10 got home. We kept her and fed her for a couple of weeks until we could make arrangements for her trip. On Friday 11-06 one of our volunteers drove to Chicago and completed our part of getting #10 to her rightful owner. Hopefully when she’s entered into another race weather conditions won’t be so bad that she gets lost. However, if she or a friend of hers ends up down here…we’re ready with the pigeon feed!

Great Blue Heron Rescue: Our veterinarians from Wyoming Veterinarian Services never know what they might have to deal with down here. Aside from the specified requests, they’ve pretty much learned to expect the unexpected. Last month when veterinarian Dr. Derek McFarland came out to remove stitches from Benny bobcat’s leg he also helped us out with an emergency situation. A Great Blue Heron had gotten entangled in fishing line and couldn’t free itself. Several park staff and Dr. McFarland worked as a team to capture, examine, and release the bird.

Our Executive Director Jeff Rosecrans, and Animal Curator Nancy Ream approached the bird from opposite directions along the water line. (One of them slipped into the water but she shall remain unnamed!). Jeff was able to grab the bird and safely put it into the net Nancy was holding. Herons are beautiful birds but they also have sharp beaks and toes so caution was used. Once it was netted we placed it on the dock to be untangled and checked out. Director of Education, Bonnie Cannon gently held the heron while Dr. McFarland cut away the fishing line and thoroughly examined the bird for any injuries. Everything looked fine so we released it and watched it fly away.

The lake where the heron got tangled is a non-fishing lake, but evidently somebody didn’t pay attention to the No Fishing signs. This is a good reminder to everybody that enjoys fishing….please be careful with lines, hooks, bobbers, etc. that can get tangled in trees, underwater brush, and branches because it can have a devastating effect on wildlife. This heron was fortunate that it was discovered and rescued – it could have turned out differently had it not been spotted by a visitor at a place where people were able to help.�

On September 19th Wildlife Prairie hosted our first annual off-road triathlon. The athletes enjoyed beautiful weather, a challenging course and a great meal. This event utilized a lake and trail system on a portion of the property that has been left alone for many years. We will start hosting off-road running races, mountain bike races, and triathlons from this area. The event could not have been such a success without the dedication of Laura Bertsch, Beverly Enslow, the Peoria Triathlon Club and PAMBA. Thanks again to all of the participants and volunteers!



For race results please go to itsracetime.com

The Triathlon consisted of a 500m Swim, 10k mountain bike trail and 5k trail run. The Biathlon included the 10k mountain bike trail and 5k trail run.

In 2010 this event could become an official Xterra Points Series race - the first Xterra in Illinois.

To view more photos from the race please visit us on Facebook

Yesterday Was Moving Day for Hillary the Cougar.

What could have been a cat-astrophe actually worked out pretty well. Our goal was to move Hillary cougar over to the ‘new' cougar enclosure and we were successful! After veterinarian Derek McFarland tranquilized Hillary we were able to get paint paw prints, clay molds of front and back paws, and she was also updated on her shots. (Some of the paw prints will be sold at our fundraiser next year, which is Year of the Cougar!)

The enclosure she was moved to is where Tipper has been recuperating from a broken wrist since last May. A lot of work has been done in the kennel/den area, and we still need to complete some tasks in the yard, but that should hopefully be done in the next few days. Hillary didn't need any reversal medication, she started waking up before we even had her completely in the den but it all worked out. She was a little ‘cranky', to say the least and was growling a bit at Tipper so the girls will need some time to get reacquainted. They're separated, but have visual and ‘nose' contact. We'll keep everybody posted as to the date they're released to the yard.