This Week at Liberty
June 3, 2025
Hoots, Howls, and Hollers
Megan Mosby
Executive Director
Innovation Brings Hummingbirds and Other Spirit Animals
A year ago, we instituted a new program/giving group called The Innovators. The mission of this group is to determine a novel direction for programs that just couldn’t make it into the budget. The staff and volunteers who had innovative ideas, and no funding to develop these ideas, made “pitches” to the group of Innovators who had each put money into an account to fund the ideas that they felt had the most merit. As a result, we were able to fund a veterinary study on a unique method to aid the healing of bird wings, the construction of a new enclosure for the crested caracara, a new enclosure for the mammals, and we funded the completion of the hummingbird release aviary in Tucson for our sub-permittees, The Southern Arizona Hummingbird Rescue group.
Sunday found a group of Liberty Wildlife staff and board members attending the ribbon cutting for the new enclosure in Tucson. We want to congratulate these hard-working volunteers who save hundreds of tiny hummingbirds annually, and we are thrilled to have them working for hummingbirds and Liberty Wildlife in the southern part of the state.
Another Innovators Project, “Native American Folklore,” compliments the current natural history information provided for our Educational Ambassador Animals on exhibit; with Native American stories and beliefs relating to these ambassadors.
American Indian spirituality has long been associated with the existence of spirit animals and their significance. Spirit animals, also known as spirit helpers, exist in all American Indian cultures. Spirit animals serve as a connection between the natural world and the spiritual world. They act as spiritual guides that help individuals navigate through life’s challenges. These spirit animals are often seen in dreams and visions. Shamanic practices involve the invocation of these spirit animals for guidance, protection, and wisdom.
Two Spirit Animals of cultural importance to Native Americans in our Educational Ambassadors collection are Vulture and Gila monster. The Vulture is known for its incredible stamina and energy. Vulture can soar high into the sky on warm thermals for days searching for food. Vultures’ scavenging behavior is considered cleansing and healing, as they help to maintain a healthy balance of our natural world. Vulture reminds us that even in the face of death, there is always the potential for renewal and growth.
Gila monster is thought by some native cultures to be the original medicine man. Navajo traditional healers, especially “hand tremblers”, relate to Gila monster whose forefoot is thought to tremble when he walks. A hand trembler is a diagnostician among the Navajo who can diagnose the cause of an illness by sensing the illness through his trembling hand and recommend the proper ceremony to cure it. Trembling hands are a sign that one has been chosen by Gila monster to be a healer.
The significance of each spirit animal is based on its characteristics, behaviors, and symbolism within American Indian cultures. Liberty Wildlife is home to many such spirit animals.
Alertness to your own spirituality might help you encounter your spirit animals as you visit our collection of Animal Ambassadors online or on campus.
The Spirit Animal is a powerful ally!
This Week @ Liberty
The intake total for the year is now up to 4100.
We’re almost halfway through the year and I swear it feels like we’ve lived an entire year already! Either I’m getting old (which yes, I am) or the world is just moving at a quicker pace. Between the rain this week (like we haven’t seen at this time of year in over a century) and the wind that’s been rampant these past few weeks, our hospital has been nothing short of busy. Babies are coming in left and right. Adults, too. Plus we’ve seen an influx of mammals (two coyotes, a grey fox, and a raccoon) come through as well. And if you’re wondering what happens to the mammals, often times, we stabilize and transfer them to our colleagues at Southwest Wildlife.
Regardless of the weather (and the fact I’m getting old), our volunteers and staff are ready for these busiest months of the year (hello June and July). We can always use more help, if you’re interested in volunteering. But in general, we’re stocked, we’ve got plenty of water to beat the heat, and we got our game faces on. So bring it!
Sometimes Pigeons be Pigeons
Pigeons have, for many years, been given a bad rap. They’re such a common bird—and one of the most common you’ll see in cities—that a lot of people see them as pests. Which is, truly, an extremely unfortunate opinion to have for such a resilient, incredible bird. In fact, these are a bird we see at Liberty Wildlife pretty frequently, both juvenile and adult patients, and are, for the most part, the ones we know can pull through some of the most harrowing of injuries. Believe it or not, these wild (and domesticated) birds have a long and thorough history with us humans.
Case in point:
- Pigeons have been used as messengers since Ancient Rome. With their incredible ability to “find their way home,” it seemed prudent, even then, to use them to carry messages across long distances. If you’re wondering how they do this, Pigeons are believed to use the earth’s magnetic fields to stay on course. We don’t know how they do this, but scientists believe their brains process it through a mix of sound and smell, along with detecting the position of the sun.
- There is evidence to show pigeons were domesticated around 5,000 years ago. They are present in Mesopotamian tablets to Egyptian hieroglyphs, showing these birds have such a long co-existence with us, historians can’t say exactly how long it’s been.
- Pigeons were often carried in aircrafts and ships during World Wars I and II to send messages when other communication was lost and/or disrupted. Some of the most famous pigeons from this time are:
- Paddy: hailing from Northern Ireland, he was the first to return from the shores of Normandy after D-day;
- I. Joe: alerted British headquarters about a bomb heading to a village;
- 498: wounded in a wing by shrapnel, he delivered a message for help after his owner’s ship was attacked by a German U-Boat.
It can be hard to see (and remember) these incredible things when you see a flock of pigeons hanging around a trash can. But as humans continue to encroach on wildlife, pigeons survive in spite of us by learning to adapt (and trash cans can be a smorgasbord of goodies for the right animal). And that’s not just the case for pigeons, either; it’s all wildlife in all parts of the world.
We’d do well to remember they were here long before us. I imagine they’ll be here long after us, too.
Notable Mentions
Hey all! Remember public hours are still a-go on Wednesday, Saturday and Sundays from 9am-11am; its $5 per person with no scheduled programing, but you still can see all your favorite animal ambassadors (and volunteers).
Without further ado, here are this week’s notable mentions:
- A great egret drops by the classroom to get an “education” (1 picture)
- Our first nestling Cooper’s hawk drops in for a quick assessment before being moved to ICU for a warm, dark, quiet “nest” (soon this bird will move outside to foster care!) (1 picture)
- Yet another great horned owl nestling drops in before moving to foster care (1 picture)
- Radiographs confirm multiple fractures on a common raven; can you spot them? (2 pictures)
- A nestling barn owl gets weighed (with a towel he believes is a toy) (2 pictures – by Nick)
Thanks so much for reading and being here with us. Your continued support is what makes this all doable. And remember, in August we close our public visiting hours, but the hospital Intake window will remain open from 8am-6pm to take in all the injured, orphaned and sick wildlife you find out on your travels.
Until next time!
More Posts from Liberty Wildlife
August 27, 2024
I know I may talk a lot of ‘smack’ about Phoenix and our heat and this insane weather we’ve been having (90+ days of over 100 degrees?! Where are we!)
November 6, 2024
Finally! We made it! Jacket weather is upon us, and with it, a little bit of much needed rain. I was happy to sit outside with my new pups to enjoy it, too.
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