Wildlife Nation Exclusive Clip: New England Wildlife Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure in his home state of Massachusetts. Jeff returns to his roots to help conservationists save a collection of iconic New England wildlife, including an owl ready
Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure in his home state of Massachusetts. Jeff returns to his roots to help conservationists save a collection of iconic New England wildlife, including an owl ready to be released. To learn more about the wildlife featured in the episode, visit www.defenders.org/wildlifenation
Video Transcript:
Jeff Corwin:
Today, we're in my home state of Massachusetts and we're heading to the New England Wildlife Center. The center provides veterinary care to sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife from raccoons to opossums to owls, squirrels, and hawks. The dedicated staff put a lot of time and caring to rehabilitating each animal that comes through their doors.
Jeff Corwin:
For me, what I love about New England, specifically Massachusetts is that, Lindsay, when it comes to nature, there's so many surprises. I don't think a lot of people give New England the credit it deserves when it comes to amazing wildlife and habitat.
Dr. Lindsay Rosa:
They don't, Jeff and in fact, growing up here, I always thought it was wonderful I didn't have to go far across the country to a national park to see wildlife. I had bear and bobcat in my backyard.
Jeff Corwin:
This is Lindsay Rosa. She's the senior conservation officer with Defenders of Wildlife, and I'm bringing her to one of my most favorite wildlife conservation centers on the planet. It is called the New England Wildlife Center. And I have worked with the New England Wildlife Center since I was about 13 or 14 years old and it has been such a joy for me to watch them grow and thrive. And their success is largely the result of the challenges that they face. Why are we having so many challenges in protecting species today?
Dr. Lindsay Rosa:
The more that we continue to grow and spread from cities like Boston, the more we're encroaching into these habitats, which is why conservation comes in so many shapes and sizes and colors now from protecting a plot of land for species to doing some of the great rehabilitation work that's going on at the center.
Jeff Corwin:
Well, speaking of great rehabilitation work, I think you're going to love what these folks are doing. They're good friends of mine. It's going to be an amazing experience. You ready?
Dr. Lindsay Rosa:
I'm ready.
Jeff Corwin:
All right, let's go do it.
Zachary Mertz:
This guy came in about three weeks ago. He was really debilitated, just pretty dazed, stumbling from side to side, which are all hallmarks of lead poisoning.
Jeff Corwin:
Did it eat the lead or was it shot?
Zachary Mertz:
Very often it's trying to get a meal at the bottom of a pond, at the bottom of a lake and they accidentally eat a fishing sinker, accidentally eat an old shotgun shell.
Gregory Mertz:
When lead goes in the body, it circulates in the blood and it attaches to the different nerve endings
and as a result causes neurological disease.
Jeff Corwin:
Lead poisoning from pollution or contamination, but especially from shotgun shell shot that has lead has had a powerful impact in wildlife, hasn't it?
Dr. Lindsay Rosa:
Yeah. In fact, Jeff millions of birds every year are poisoned with lead and it's a big problem to the point that, various countries and states are now taking action and we've noticed changes and even recovery.
Jeff Corwin:
So the good news is there are viable alternatives-
Dr. Lindsay Rosa:
There are.
Jeff Corwin:
... that work. So what do we need to do today?
Gregory Mertz:
What we want to do is get that lead to release. So we add something called calcium EDTA, and that is fairly reactive with lead itself. It will pick it up and allow it to be washed out of the body.
Jeff Corwin: In order to continue the healing process the swan gets an injection of calcium EDTA. Swans, they are incredibly resilient. They can survive a dose of lead poisoning that would kill a human being, which is kind of amazing.
Jeff Corwin:
And finally, after making a full recovery, the swan is released back into the same lake where it was found. We've had an incredible time helping out at the New England Wildlife Center. There's one final animal ready to be released back into the wild, this beautiful barn owl. Lindsay, Greg and I are releasing it into a protected habitat.
Jeff Corwin:
Lindsay, why do you think a moment like this is important?
Dr. Lindsay Rosa:
This habitat as well as most across the nation, we share it with our wildlife neighbors and really we have to be mindful about what we're doing. We know that lead and rodenticide are poisonous. We all have to keep our wildlife neighbors safe.
Jeff Corwin:
You can't protect what you do not love, and you'll never love it if you don't get to meet it and that's why we go in these journeys. So are you ready, Lindsay, to do this?
Dr. Lindsay Rosa:
I'm ready, Jeff.
Jeff Corwin:
3, 2, 1.
Oh, there it goes...
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