This Week at Liberty
February 25, 2025
Hoots, Howls, and Hollers
Megan Mosby
Executive Director
Celebrate Our Living Urban River
It is finally here! The second annual El Rio Vivo event at Liberty Wildlife. For those of you who didn’t make it last year, let me clue you in. First off, Liberty Wildlife is located on the Rio Salado…a desert river, and we are indeed very fortunate. Efforts are underway to bring this ribbon of life through the desert back to its splendor. Years of use and abuse marred the original beauty, and it is time for us to rectify that. In fact it has already started with several small sections, including near us.
Most important to me, is that we show recognition of the beauty and benefits of the presence of water to desert flora and fauna…of which we are an intimate and connected part. Native tribes have long recognized this and early civilizations utilized the Salt River for farming long before we showed up. Now we revisit the importance with a festival.
On March 1st, just a few days away, El Rio Vivo, Art & Music Festival kicks off. First, let me say out loud ….THIS IS A FREE FAMILY EVENT! The doors open at 8am as we gather for a walk along the Peace Trail that follows above the river. Music by Ashley Creighton will entertain you through the gate, coming and going…what a treat! There will be stations along the 1.5 mile walk that will display native animals. If lucky, you might otherwise see some of these beauties as you stroll along the river on an outing of your own. There will be signage on the trail pointing out native plants and sharing interesting facts about the Rio Salado and its inhabitants.
Photo opportunities abound with a chance at the turnaround point to have your photo taken with a bald eagle….a holiday card in the making….Spotting scopes and naturalists will be on the trail to help interpret things you might see and might have questions about. There will be food, too. Brewed Awakenings will be selling coffee and breakfast munchies on the trail for those who didn’t eat before leaving the house, or those who just want a little something to sip along the way.
Returning after the walk, you will be greeted by artist vendors with a variety of items to admire and perhaps purchase. Most artwork features nature or wildlife or the river in some symbolic ways. Early holiday shopping isn’t a bad idea! Further into the campus, a wide variety of conservation groups from River Keepers, to City of Phoenix officials, and Monarch Butterfly specialists, and more will be here to engage you in the latest conservation efforts throughout the Valley. There is something for everyone to engage with.
And, for the young family members there will be face painting, rock painting and conservation-oriented color sheets…animals and desert plants for them to learn about. Last year’s young ones found the dance floor incredibly appealing and interpreted the lively bands’ music with abandon. It was just fun to watch how free they were in their appreciation.
Additional food trucks and ice cream vendors will be on site for those who feel the urge throughout the day. And as always, the Liberty Wildlife Ambassadors and Education Handlers will be present to give you a very close opportunity to see wildlife and to engage with the Educator ….a chance to ask questions that have been forming in your mind since you got to campus!
And, remember, attendance is free from 8 to 4. It is free to hike on the Nature hike and talk to specialists on the way. It is free to talk to all of the conservation specialists and it is free to observe and listen to the music all afternoon. A family event, for you, for the river, for the betterment of our community and all of its constituents.
This Week @ Liberty
The intake total for the year is now up to 430.
It seems prudent to note that every January seems to drag on and on…and on and on and on. Then February hits, and it’s like a freight train just cruising along the tracks with no way to stop until the next month hits. Although I can’t (and won’t) complain, some semblance of normalcy before the actual craziness hits would be nice! While intakes are slow, that won’t last long; soon, orphan care will be upon us, and with it, the busyness that is summer here at Liberty Wildlife.
Like I said, some sense of normalcy…I know that isn’t going to happen, such is the way of life. But, a girl can dream sometimes, can’t she?
Mammal Wellness Day
For anyone who’s followed us for any length of time, you know there’s a few things we chat about a lot. If you haven’t guessed it, I’ll tell you! First, it’s our incredible volunteers and all the amazing work they do with our animal’s day in and day out. And second, it’s our volunteer veterinarians who, on their off time, join in on the Liberty Wildlife action to help even further.
Case in point: these past two weekends were mammal wellness days. Bobby the one-eyed bobcat, Groot the coatimundi, Rocket the rock squirrel and Bisbee the ringtail were all brought in and assessed by the veterinarians. Oh, and Charlie the round tailed ground squirrel and Hazel the grey squirrel were, too! These assessments include radiographs (to ensure organs look good and nothing else is amiss), blood is drawn and sent to ensure levels look good (kind of like our own routine bloodwork), all core vaccines each animal is required to have (on Biz, Groot and Bobby), as well as any additional work that needs done. Which, thankfully for our animals, there is very little we need to worry about. Groot, however, did need a few teeth pulled (nine, in fact!) likely due to poor genetics; everyone else, however, was in amazing health!
And this is all in a day’s work for our volunteer veterinarians. Nearly every Saturday throughout the year, Dr. Lamb and her team come in to assess new intakes, reassess older cases, and come up with plans for each. Sometimes that requires a whole new route, sometimes it’s best to stay the course.
Either way, we are so grateful for the team and all they do here at Liberty Wildlife!
Fun Facts!
Coatis: The Arizona white-nosed coati (which groot is not, he’s a south American ring tail), live in bands of up to 30 individuals. The males live separately than the females and their young during the fall and winter months, reuniting in the spring to mate and breed.
Bobcats: Did you know bobcats are the most abundant species of wildcat in the United States?
Ringtails: While many call these guys ringtail cats, they are in fact part of the raccoon family! They are amazing climbers and can scale walls, cliffs, trees and cacti using their sharp claws. They are also our state mammal (check out your drivers license, they’ll be on there!).
Rock Squirrels: These adorable rodents are beneficial in providing an ecosystem service; they disseminate seeds (moving seeds away from the parent plant) and loosen compacted soil (to assist in new tree growth)!
**all photos in this series are by medical service volunteer Nick Sweeney
Notable Mentions
My oh my we’re here again! And while I’m happy to have you here (digitally, as always), I am hoping I get to see you here in person this weekend for our 2nd annual El Rio Vivo Event! Megan chatted all about it, but make sure to take a look here for the schedule of events (the event is free so no need for a ticket!). I’ll be on the trail (somewhere) to say hello with an animal ambassador as well, so make sure to drop by and say hello!
Of course, that means that, without further ado, here are this week’s notable mentions:
The first jackrabbit baby of the season drops in (1 picture – by Nick)
A juvenile swainson’s hawk hangs in a flight cage while trying to build up her wing strength (1 picture)
Chiquita the American kestrel greets guests at Andaz in Scottsdale (1 picture)
A golden eagle gets a reassessment by Dr. Lamb (2 photos – by Nick)
Thanks again for hanging with me, and of course, remember public hours is here Wednesday, Saturday and Sundays from 10am-1pm. Plus our intake window for the hospital is open rain or shine from 8am-6pm. If you have any wildlife emergencies, make sure to give us a call at 480-998-5550 to talk with one of our hotline volunteers to direct you on the best course of action.
Until next time!
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