WILDFIRES v WILDLIFE:

What happens to the animals in wildfire-stricken areas? After an area has burned and the fire mop-up crews go in, one fireman described it as a silent moonscape.

“There are no animals, no birds, no bodies anywhere, just silence.”

According to Charlie Powell of WSU Exotics and Wildlife Ward in Pullman, this is because animals and birds are smart enough to outrun a fire. WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital only received four kittens from the wildfire-stricken communities of Malden and Pine City. They were only slightly injured, and will soon be returned to their owners. Powell said that in the event some wildlife does succumb to fires, it is part of nature, and the animals become food for returning survivors and insects that will begin the process of rebuilding the new growth in the burned-out areas.

Although wildfires occur every year, this year’s fires have reached near-record proportions in Washington State. Not all of its wildlife has been so fortunate. Suzanne of the Sarvey Wildlife Care Center in Arlington said that due to the Pearl Hill and Cold Springs fires which have burned around 400,000 acres, the sage grouse population, which was reintroduced, was estimated to have been reduced by 50%. Also severely affected were sharp-tailed grouse and pygmy rabbits.

Samantha Montgomery, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said anyone who finds what they believe to be an injured, sick or abandoned animal or bird should call 911, or visit the WDFW website at wdfw.wa.gov. There is information on signs for telling whether an animal/bird is actually injured, sick or abandoned, and what procedures to follow. It is illegal to keep a wild creature in your home, and a statewide list of licensed rehabilitation centers is provided on the website by county.

Rehabilitation centers must be licensed by their respective state. Each one is funded out-of-pocket or by private donations. There is no state or federal funding. They are staffed by volunteers and veterinarians. Each month they are inspected and must provide reports on the number of animals taken in by species, the number of animals which have passed away, and those which have successfully been rehabilitated and returned to a habitat, and the location of that habitat. Not all centers will accept all species, so sometimes it’s difficult to place an animal or bird quickly for treatment.

Washington once boasted 10.4 million acres of shrub-steppe, or sagebrush-grassland. This was home to such animals as mule deer, burrowing owls and lizards. Since the mid-1800’s, Washington has lost 80% of this unique flora to wildfires, farmland development and urban sprawl. Rehabilitation centers have fewer options each year as to where to release healed animals.

Livestock in the wildfire-stricken areas are being accommodated at many fairgrounds. Anyone still seeking help can log onto inciweb.nwcg.gov. Click on the shield icon representing the fire in your area, go to the bottom of the page, and scroll down to find out if your local or county fairgrounds is accepting livestock. There will be a contact name and number to call for all information associated with the fire.

Wildfires are a part of nature and have been around far longer than the human race, as have animals and birds. If we do our part not to start fires, the animals and birds will naturally do their part to survive the other ones.