ADRIENNE BRIGETTE DR_OBRYAN GRANT HALEY_BASTIN JAMIE JAMIE_DIMAURO KRISTIN LESLIE_GILL NANCY NARRATOR NIKKI RESCUER SHARON_HAWKINS SOPHIA VOLUNTEER WOMAN ZACK NARRATOR This time on Bandit Patrol. NARRATOR A high flyin’ rescue. GRANT There you go buddy. NARRATOR Ruffles some tail feathers. KRISTIN Oooooo! Kristin He’s serious about protecting his baby. KRISTIN Don’t you dare! NARRATOR Then. NANCY Ugh! NARRATOR An injured turtle. NARRATOR Gets a sweet shell makeover. BRIGETTE No way! NARRATOR And a squirrelly little chipmunk. BRIGETTE There he is. NARRATOR Keeps giving the rehabbers the slip. BRIGETTE I must have some type of Bermuda Triangle in here. BRIGETTE Get him, get him! NARRATOR It’s spring time in Western Kentucky. NARRATOR And for licensed wildlife rehabber Kristin Allen, that means it’s baby season! KRISTIN There you go, sugar pie. KRISTIN So this time of year we get orphaned newborns coming in almost every day. And they’re adorable, but they require 24-hour care and that’s a lot of work. KRISTIN My gosh. I know you’re hungry! NARRATOR This morning is proving no different as a new animal arrives in need of an emergency exam. KRISTIN I think he’s the littlest screech-owl I’ve ever seen. KRISTIN I just got a baby screech-owl dropped off at my house. Some guy found it in his garden and I’m going to check him out. KRISTIN Open ‘em up for me big guy. He doesn’t seem to have head trauma. His eyes seem to be the same size, though. Let me see your little wings. He doesn’t have primary feathers yet. KRISTIN This little bird, he’s in such good shape. KRISTIN That wing feels fine. KRISTIN He’s good and fat, but I’m wondering if he got a little too close to the edge and he took a little tumble out of the tree. KRISTIN So if your mom was feeding you, why are you out of the tree, huh? NARRATOR A baby bird falling out of its nest is not uncommon. NARRATOR But this little screech-owl, that Sophia has nicknamed Jimmy, could be a sign of a far more serious situation. SOPHIA He seems perfectly normal. KRISTIN I know. I’m worried that something happened to Mom and more babies are gonna be jumping out of the tree. KRISTIN Screech-owls usually have somewhere between two and six babies. So I need to go out there to make sure that there aren’t any other babies that need me. KRISTIN Let’s go, spaghetti-o. KRISTIN Sophia and I are taking our little screech-owl back to the place where he was found. KRISTIN How’s he doing, Sophia? SOPHIA He’s doing really good. He is sitting here. KRISTIN If there are other babies out of the nest, I want to make sure that I get them quickly so that they don’t get eaten by anything. KRISTIN Alright, let’s go see. SOPHIA Where did he say it was? KRISTIN He said he found it in the garden area. SOPHIA Ok. KRISTIN There’s lots of trees. They love to nest in holes in trees so they’re gonna go with a more dead tree than a live tree. KRISTIN Screech-owls are cavity dwellers, so they usually make their house in an old tree that is rotted and hollow on the inside and there’s usually a hole that they can go in and out of. KRISTIN That’s too small a hole. Tell me if you see something. Oh! Oh, oh, oh. Oh, there he is. There’s a baby. Oh my. KRISTIN After I see how high up this hole is, I decide that I’m definitely going to call Grant because I would rather hold the ladder than climb up that ladder. KRISTIN Don’t stand so close to the edge. He apparently didn’t learn his lesson from his brother that fell out of the tree. There’s another one back there too. SOPHIA There’s two? KRISTIN There’s two. KRISTIN It’s hard to know why Jimmy came out of the nest. KRISTIN He could have been pushed out. He could have jumped out. But the bottom line is, we need to monitor him and make sure there’s not something more serious going on. GRANT Hey guys. KRISTIN Hey. Look at him up there, Grant. Okay, now I saw two but there may be more in there. So. GRANT Hopefully the mom doesn’t come get me, right? SOPHIA Or hopefully. [Laughter] KRISTIN Hold onto it. Careful. GRANT I know. NARRATOR Contrary to popular belief, the act of handling a bird will not make its parents reject it. NARRATOR And since grant is a certified raptor rehabber, he knows exactly how to properly do it. GRANT Here you go, buddy. KRISTIN I want to stay with you. GRANT Let go! Come on. GRANT Don’t jump out or anything. Alright? There you go. GRANT The nest that the mom put him in is a little shallow. So I am putting the board up there so that way the hole is smaller, so that way they have a less chance of falling out of it. GRANT I’m gonna leave at least three inches , just to play it safe , so, that way the mom can still get in to feed them. GRANT I’m barely covering it so we’re good. KRISTIN Ok. GRANT It just gives them a little bit extra where they can’t fall out. KRISTIN Alright. NARRATOR Jimmy is back home safe, but why he came out is still a mystery. NARRATOR To be sure he’s out of danger, the Allen’s will keep an eye on the nest site for the next few days. KRISTIN And we just have to wait and see if mom comes back. NARRATOR Outside the small town of Madisonville, Kentucky, Rehabber Nancy Reynolds’ rescue season is really ramping up. NANCY You got a little fight in you, that’s good. NANCY We have a lot of major roads running through the woods. A lot of these animals are crossing these roads and getting hit by cars. NANCY And today, I got a call about a box turtle that got hit by a car. LESLIE GILL Ready to see this turtle? NANCY Ewww. LESLIE GILL Yeah. LESLIE GILL I was on my way to work and I look over and see a turtle that obviously has been hit by a car. NANCY Is the bottom of it cracked too or just the top? LESLIE GILL Maybe just a little bit. LESLIE GILL It looked like he was injured very bad and I really didn’t think he was gonna make it. NANCY Got a lot of energy though. LESLIE GILL He does, he’s really lively. This is not a good wound though. NANCY Ugh! Ewwwwww. NANCY I didn’t think that turtle was gonna live. I knew that if I didn’t do everything just right that I could lose the turtle. NANCY Holes in that little skin, too, that. LESLIE GILL Yeah that little membrane. NANCY Yeah. NANCY So the shell’s gone. Like it’s not even there. LESLIE GILL Yeah it’s gone. NANCY I’m worried about an infection ‘cause, I mean, he’s got like. LESLIE GILL Yeah. NANCY Skin open here, and there may be internal injuries that we don’t see. NANCY So I gotta get this guy home and get some fluids in him, call a few other rehabbers and see if they can give me some good advice. LESLIE GILL Good luck. Let me know how he does. NANCY Will do. Alright, let’s go for a car ride. NANCY I’m headed home. I have everything I need there to stabilize this turtle. NANCY I thought that if it made it through the night that it might have a chance. NARRATOR The damage is beyond anything she has ever dealt with before. NARRATOR So Nancy reaches out to some fellow rehabbers about how to proceed. NANCY Hey Brigette, it’s Nancy. BRIGETTE Hey Nancy! NANCY I have a turtle that looks pretty rough. Thought you might have some advice for me since you have done this before. BRIGETTE Nancy. NANCY Yeah? BRIGETTE Oh Nancy, this is horrible. NANCY I know! I told you it was bad. BRIGETTE It kind of looks like that is an opening directly to his organs so you need to address that probably sooner than anything else. NANCY Okay. BRIGETTE This is just a little bit beyond what I would do by myself. BRIGETTE And I would get a second opinion. NANCY Okay. NARRATOR On Brigette’s advice, Nancy reaches out to fellow rehabber Nikki Christian, who is also a trauma nurse and deals with severe injuries on a regular basis. NANCY I’ve got a question for ya. I just sent you some photos, and. NIKKI Oh my! That is absolutely horrible. That’s a lot of shell missing. NANCY Yeah, I know. I said there was a big chunk of it gone. NIKKI I can see its lung. What is the big white spot in the middle? NANCY I think it’s where the shell poked into it, whenever it probably got damaged, because there’s a corner piece right above it and this piece moves a lot. So I think that corner piece might have poked that a little. NIKKI First of all we’ve got to stabilize those fragmented pieces just because, if it moves even slightly and punctures that lung, this little guy probably won’t make it. NIKKI Well, let me get some stuff together and then I will head on over there. NANCY Thank you. NIKKI You’re welcome. See you soon. NANCY Bye. NANCY The next 24 hours for this turtle is very critical. NANCY Even if it does make it’s gonna have an uphill battle ahead of him. NANCY It’s ok. NARRATOR Thirty miles away, Kristin Allen is responding to an emergency of her own. NARRATOR Little Jimmy has once again fallen from his nest and is in danger. KRISTIN I cannot believe that silly bird fell out of the nest again. KRISTIN If a raptor comes out of the nest twice, you have to feel like there’s some reason that he’s getting out. KRISTIN Alright, I gotta get this baby. KRISTIN The first time he stayed safe so I’m just hoping this time he didn’t hurt himself. KRISTIN Hey little guy. What are you doing back out again, huh? I don’t like all those flies around you. KRISTIN Flies will start laying eggs on the bird, they’ll hatch out and they’ll be maggots. Everything goes way downhill once the flies start landing on somebody. KRISTIN They’re feeding you something. [Owl parent dive-bombs Kristen] KRISTIN Oooo! I got it, I got it! Don’t you dare, don’t you dare! Gosh dag nabit you! NARRATOR Licensed wildlife rehabber, Kristin Allen, is checking in on Jimmy the screech-owl, who’s fallen from his nest for the second time in two days. KRISTIN They’re feeding you something. [Owl parent dive-bombs Kristen] KRISTIN Oooo! That was good. Ok, alright. I got it! I got it. I got it. Your dad hit me in the head. Nice day. KRISTIN So Mom is up in the hole in the tree and she’s trying to figure out what’s going on. KRISTIN Don’t you dare, don’t you dare! KRISTIN Dad’s just dive bombing me with talons and I’m thinking, “Ok, this little guy, he’s serious about protecting his baby.” KRISTIN You can’t stay on the ground, buddy. Okay. Kristin Screech-owl babies are known to fight fiercely amongst each other for food. It is very possible that Jimmy’s brother and sister are forcing him from the nest because they just want more food. KRISTIN These are not fledglings. They’re not big enough to live on the ground! KRISTIN You don’t put him back in twice because you know that he’s going to come out a third time; and the third time he comes out he may break a wing, he may break his neck. KRISTIN You know, sometimes it’s survival of the fittest so Jimmy’s going home with me again. KRISTIN You know what? Keep your baby in the nest silly. Ok, let’s get you a container to go in. Let’s get you in the car and take you home. NARRATOR It’s déjà vu for Jimmy as he arrives at the Allen home for the second time in two days. KRISTIN Let’s check you out and make sure you didn’t get hurt this time when you fell. KRISTIN You’re kind of becoming a little trouble maker in my life, aren’t you? KRISTIN Oh, your talons work well there. Let go. Let me see you. KRISTIN Well you’re good and fat. I can tell that you’re eating from all the poop on my shirt. I don’t know how you fall out of that tree every time and don’t hurt yourself. KRISTIN I’m really surprised that Jimmy didn’t get hurt from either of his two falls from the nest. No injuries. The only thing I’m prescribing is a little rest and relaxation. KRISTIN You just chill out for a while. No more falling out of trees. NARRATOR Jimmy was extremely lucky, but he’s got a rough road ahead of him. NARRATOR Soon he’ll take the first steps on the long journey toward being released. KRISTIN To make sure that Jimmy is ready to go back out in the wild again, we’re going to have to really help him out with his hunting skills and his flying skills. KRISTIN It’s a careful step by step process that will start just as soon as he’s strong enough. KRISTIN I’m just going to check on you later, buddy. NARRATOR The little box turtle with the shattered shell that Nancy has named Rodney is hanging on despite his severe injuries. NANCY I thought it was gonna die overnight because it was just so bad. NANCY It was cracked everywhere and then plus the blood and everything. It was really gross. NARRATOR Fellow rehabber, Nikki Christian, has come up with a plan to stabilize the shattered fragments of his shell. NIKKI Owwwwwww! NANCY See there’s a crack here. NIKKI And you can see him breathing. NANCY This is. Yes, you can see him breathing. NIKKI To sit there and watch his lungs go in and out, this is truly unbelievable, what he’s been through and he’s still alive. NANCY So what do you think about putting this back together? NIKKI Everything that’s, you know, close together, like this crack here or that one, I would want to glue these. Just so they don’t move. NIKKI I can’t believe how much that actually moves, I mean right there. NANCY Don’t get mad, turtle. NIKKI Yeah, don’t bite me. NANCY It’s going to be better, I promise. NANCY A lot of people might’ve given up because the injury was so bad I can’t make myself make that decision to put him down until I’ve exhausted every option that I have. NANCY He wasn’t giving up and neither was I. NANCY We’re gonna start with the top or the bottom? NIKKI Let’s start here just because it’ll be easier. NARRATOR To stabilize the shell fragments, Nikki and Nancy will first fuse the pieces that are closer together with a medical-grade adhesive normally used to close wounds in injured people. NANCY If you would hold still, this would work out so much better. NIKKI When it gets stabilized and he can move around without it shifting back and forth. NANCY Yeah. NIKKI It’s gonna make him feel a lot better. NARRATOR To secure the pieces that are spaced further apart, they’ll start by attaching a series of hooks to the shell. NIKKI So you’re gonna do, like, right there. NANCY Just a dot? NIKKI Yeah, just a dot. Stick it on right there. NANCY I can’t believe we’re gluing a turtle right now. NIKKI Once the hooks are on there, we’re gonna take wire and wrap it around and just kind of stabilize it. NIKKI I don’t want it to be so tight that it puts pressure on it. I just, in case something moves. NANCY Well with the hooks and wire we were just hoping that it would stay together and those, those cracks would heal. Of course I knew the hole wasn’t going anywhere. I had to do something else about it but at least the cracks would fuse back together. NIKKI Sorry, love. NANCY He’s really stressed out. [Turtle pees] NIKKI Ugh. NANCY Okay. That’s a good sign; he’s using the bathroom. NANCY Rodney is pretty angry at this point. He decides, since we’re not giving up, that his last resort is to try to pee on us. [Turtle pees] NIKKI That’s right. Go ahead, go right ahead. NANCY I’ve never seen a turtle pee before. NIKKI Well ya have now. NANCY It’s a really good sign. That means all of the bodily functions are working properly. NANCY I think we did good. NIKKI Yeah, I know. He’s had enough. NANCY Rodney was definitely driven. To survive what he survived, I have never seen a turtle in that bad of shape actually survive. NANCY Alright, time to rest. NANCY You have to keep trying as long as they’re trying, if it’s gonna fight, I’m gonna fight with it. NANCY We got a long way to go but. NIKKI Yeah, he does. NANCY But, fingers crossed, I think he’s gonna look better. NARRATOR It’s a big day for Jimmy the orphaned screech-owl. NARRATOR Licensed rehabber Grant Allen is starting him on his journey to being returned back into the wild. GRANT It’s ok, buddy. GRANT You’re okay. GRANT He’s got most of his adult feathers but he still has a lot of fluff. He needs to get rid of some of that before he hits that fledgling stage. NARRATOR To understand where Jimmy is in his development, Grant will start by testing his eating habits. NARRATOR But it’s critical that Jimmy doesn’t see him as a natural source for food. GRANT Here you go, Jimmy. NARRATOR So feeding him requires a little trickery. GRANT I’m putting this owl puppet in here so that way he thinks that it’s more like a mom feeding him rather than a human. We do not want to imprint him before he goes out in the wild because then he’d go looking to humans for food. So I’m gonna try to see if Jimmy will eat it off the hemostat. GRANT Here you go Jimmy. NARRATOR A nestling will take food directly from its mother. GRANT So I don’t feel Jimmy taking the food. He’s not even attempting for it. NARRATOR But as they develop, owl chicks will eat food dropped onto the floor of the nest. GRANT I’m gonna drop it on the ground, just like its mom would out in the wild. NARRATOR It looks like this little owl needs a little privacy to eat at all. GRANT I’m gonna put Jimmy up over here, where his regular box was, and check on him in a couple hours to see if he ate. NARRATOR A few weeks here to grow and build wing strength and he’ll be ready to move on to a larger enclosure for flight training and a chance to hunt some live prey. BRIGETTE Who wants a treat? You want a treat? Come on. I’ll get you a treat. NARRATOR It’s lunchtime, and someone is jockeying for the attention of licensed rehabber Brigette Williams. BRIGETTE Good boy. NARRATOR Major the groundhog is one of a few animal ambassadors at Brigette’s facility who are unable to live on their own in the wild. BRIGETTE Come on. NARRATOR And with a bunch of newbies in the house, Major is determined to establish who’s boss. BRIGETTE Sometimes animals in here can be a little needy. I think Major is needing a little bit of attention right now. Ouch! NARRATOR Caring for her permanent residents and all the babies she’s recently acquired is a full time job. NARRATOR But that doesn’t stop her from helping out when a new animal is in need. [Phone rings] BRIGETTE Hello? Oh my gosh. I’ll just head out right now. Okay. I know just where you are. NARRATOR A call just came in about a chipmunk rescued while being attacked by a dog. BRIGETTE Unfortunately it’s very common for outside pets to either severely injure or kill wildlife. NARRATOR The chipmunk is alive but is showing signs of an injured paw. BRIGETTE I’m always concerned when the animal is not using either their front or back legs. I can only help so much and it’s up to the animal and how severe the nerve damage is. SHARON HAWKINS Hey, how are you? BRIGETTE Hi there. How are you guys? SHARON HAWKINS We’re good. BRIGETTE Thanks for helping and calling. SHARON HAWKINS Oh no, no problem. BRIGETTE About this little guy. How’s he doing? SHARON HAWKINS Last night he actually tried to get out of the box. BRIGETTE Okay. SHARON HAWKINS I think his left front leg is broken, but I’m not for sure. BRIGETTE Okay. SHARON HAWKINS He’s in here. BRIGETTE Let’s see who we have. BRIGETTE I really like when I hear that an animal is trying to escape. To me, that means the injury might not be as severe as originally thought. SHARON HAWKINS We gave him a little bit of water, like you said. BRIGETTE Okay. BRIGETTE That’s okay. That’s okay. That’s okay. SHARON HAWKINS There’s that leg that I was telling you about. BRIGETTE Now that this chipmunk is contained, I’m gonna take him back home where I can do a more thorough assessment on the severity of his injuries. SHARON HAWKINS He’s so cute. BRIGETTE So are these teeth that are biting my glove. NARRATOR A chipmunk without full use of its leg will have a hard time surviving in the wild. SHARON HAWKINS He didn’t bite me. BRIGETTE I’m sure weren’t holding him, oh shoot! BRIGETTE Okay, where’d he go? Got him? Got him? JAMIE DIMAURO I don’t have him. BRIGETTE Shoot, shoot, shoot. Oh gosh! No one move. SHARON HAWKINS He’s so cute. BRIGETTE They are so cute, right? BRIGETTE Oh. Shoot. Ok. NARRATOR Licensed rehabber Brigette Williams is giving chase to an injured chipmunk. BRIGETTE Got him. Got him. SHARON HAWKINS Grab it, Jamie. Grab it. She’s got it. JAMIE DIMAURO I don’t have him. NARRATOR If he escapes with a wounded leg, he’ll have a hard time feeding and defending himself in the wild. SHARON HAWKINS He’s under the front wheel up there in the front. BRIGETTE If you can shoo him my way, I’m gonna put a box over him. SHARON HAWKINS Right there under the front wheel, Jamie. BRIGETTE Okay. Hold on. No one move. Get him. Got him. JAMIE DIMAURO Got him. BRIGETTE You have him? JAMIE DIMAURO Heck yeah. BRIGETTE Okay. Is he in your shirt? JAMIE DIMAURO He’s trapped. BRIGETTE Okay. Good job. Good job. JAMIE DIMAURO It’s called wrangling children. BRIGETTE Even though this little guy gave me a run for my money, as I’m taking a good look at him, he definitely is favoring one of his paws over the other. BRIGETTE His little wrist is bent. RESCUER Yeah. BRIGETTE Once I get back, I’ll see if I feel any fractures. Thank you guys. JAMIE DIMAURO There’s never a dull moment in our house. BRIGETTE Yeah? NARRATOR Back at the rehab facility, plenty of curious eyes are wondering who the new patient is that just arrived. BRIGETTE First thing I’m gonna do for this little chipmunk, I know he’s gonna need a little pain medicines. Just a tiny bit for a tiny little guy. BRIGETTE Chipmunks are super-fly fast and they don’t really like to be handled. BRIGETTE Here buddy. That’s pretty good. BRIGETTE I don’t immediately feel a fracture. His fingers are responsive, which is good. I’m moving his hand out and he has a little bit of resistance and he’s curving it back. BRIGETTE Over the next 48 hours, I will observe this little chipmunk to make sure that his sprain is not anything more serious. If he shows that he is doing fine, he’ll be out pretty quickly. BRIGETTE I’m going to go ahead and move him to a slightly larger plastic container. BRIGETTE Just going to let this little guy out on his own. Every good chipmunk needs a house. Now I wait and watch. NARRATOR It’s been four weeks since Kristin brought Jimmy the screech-owl home. KRISTIN Let me feel how fat you are. NARRATOR He’s thriving thanks to all the special care and food. GRANT Fattened him way too much. KRISTIN A bird never starves in my care. NARRATOR Now, it’s time for him to move on to the most challenging stage on his journey to being released. GRANT He’s getting all his adult feathers, his flight feathers in. KRISTIN Look at those little tufts on his head. His big boy tufts. GRANT He’s definitely showing the signs of being a fledgling, so we can take him out to the Center, so that way. KRISTIN Let’s do it! GRANT He can start learning to fly! GRANT Today we are taking Jimmy out to Western Kentucky Raptor Center. This is where he will fly around, strengthen his wings, and get prepared to be released back out into the wild. KRISTIN I’m super excited about this. GRANT I think he’s going to fly great, too. KRISTIN I think he is too! KRISTIN I need to make sure that Jimmy can fly before he’s released back out in the wild again. I’ve been the mama owl ever since we got him. But I know that instincts are going to kick in for this boy. As soon as he gets in a bigger space, he’s gonna start flying. GRANT Let’s see how you do, Jimmy! I think he’s going to be loving it in here. KRISTIN I think he is, too. He’s really getting those red feathers now, like his parents. GRANT Ready? Try to fly over there. Are you ready? Nope, not over there. No. Look over there. KRISTIN He says, “The last time I was this tall, I fell out of a tree.” KRISTIN Get him a little closer to the box. KRISTIN Ooooooo! KRISTIN That was good, though! GRANT This is the first time he’s actually had the chance to fly, so. KRISTIN Exactly. GRANT He tried to land on the small branch and missed. KRISTIN He did good! GRANT Good for his first try. KRISTIN Exactly. GRANT But I’m just going to put him up on the branch so that way he has a chance to fly from one to another if he wants to try. KRISTIN Okay, sounds good. NARRATOR Jimmy’s off to a good start, but he still has a ways to go. NARRATOR So Kristin and Grant are going to leave him to work on his technique. KRISTIN Bye, Jimmy! NARRATOR For rehabber Brigette Williams, her routine morning check-in is turning out to be not so routine. BRIGETTE I came in this morning to discover that one of the chipmunks that I had been caring for decided to chew the small air hole into a slightly larger hole just big enough for his escape. BRIGETTE Chew marks here. He has some here and here. BRIGETTE Four people looked for this guy already today and we just cannot find him anywhere. BRIGETTE These guys are super, super quick. They can just jump right past you. VOLUNTEER I found him, I found him. BRIGETTE No way. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. I love you. I love you! Where? VOLUNTEER He’s right here. He just ran back there. BRIGETTE Oh my gosh! There he is! Double fisted. Aaagh! Get him, get him! BRIGETTE No way, oh my gosh! Oh my gosh. I love you. NARRATOR A very crafty chipmunk with an injured paw is loose inside Brigette Williams’ rehab facility. BRIGETTE Where? VOLUNTEER Back there. BRIGETTE Oh my gosh. This is why I pay you so much. BRIGETTE I really need to find this little chipmunk. If he for some reason slips out, I don’t think he’s going to be able to survive in the wild with that leg. BRIGETTE I’m going to get you. Arrgh! You stay on this side. I think he’s probably further back. I hear him. We’re mad at you. There he is! BRIGETTE I must have some type of Bermuda Triangle in here because I see him, I block him. BRIGETTE I don’t think he can get past here because I’ve pushed the tables all the way to the wall. BRIGETTE But somewhere between seeing him and blocking him. BRIGETTE Oh! Saw him. ZACK I saw him too. BRIGETTE Get him, get him! BRIGETTE There’s this Bermuda Triangle that he just gets sucked in and just disappears. BRIGETTE I do see some evidence of him from overnight. NARRATOR It’s important for the team to catch the chipmunk so his leg can be checked before his release. NARRATOR And since chasing him hasn’t worked, Brigette now resorts to plan B. BRIGETTE I decided just to get a small humane mousetrap. I have baited it with peanut butter in hopes that he would smell it and end up in the trap. BRIGETTE This is the last area where the chipmunk was seen. Fingers crossed. Let’s hope for the best. I guess we’ll just have to keep our eyes peeled again. You keep your good eyes peeled! HALEY BASTIN Okay. NARRATOR And just in case this chipmunk is too smart to fall for the trap, Brigette has one more backup plan. BRIGETTE I need to be a little bit quicker next time so I’m gonna practice my quick draws. BRIGETTE I think he’s laughing at us right now. HALEY BASTIN He is probably. NARRATOR In Madisonville, Rodney the box turtle with the injured shell has survived the critical first few days. NANCY You still mad at me? NARRATOR And his tenacity is winning over rehabber Nancy Reynolds. NANCY I don’t usually like turtles, but every time I come near him, he started opening his mouth trying to eat. He doesn’t really love me. He just loves me for my food, but that’s okay. It’s like most males. They just love you for their food. NANCY Still looks gross, but it looks better than it did. NARRATOR The fix she and Nikki came up with is working. NARRATOR But he’s not out of danger yet. NANCY The hooks were staying, the cracks weren’t spreading, but most importantly that that membrane had scabbed over, there was no infection in there. So the only thing left was to cover that hole. NARRATOR Before Nancy can come up with a solution to seal the hole, she has to strengthen Rodney’s shell with a treatment that involves UV light therapy. NANCY In order to protect the internal organs on this turtle, we’re just gonna cover it with a gauze patch so that way the UV light doesn’t cause any damage. NANCY I’m sorry! I know you don’t like that, but we have to cover it so you can get your sunlight. NANCY But we definitely don’t want his insides suntanned. NANCY This lightbulb gives out the same UV rays as the, the sun would. So we use that just to give him a little bit every day to harden up that shell because, without that, his shell is going to get soft. NARRATOR Uv light aids in the production of vitamin D, which supports the absorption of calcium that helps the shell growth process. NANCY And I only do that on half of the cage. That way if it does get too hot for him, he can move over to the other side and it’s not on him for very long. Just long enough to get him a little sun. NANCY I’ll probably keep it on him for about an hour. Turn it off. Give him a break for a couple hours. Cool down, turn it on again for another hour. I give him about two hours a day. KRISTIN I’m super excited about this. NARRATOR Jimmy the screech-owl has been in the flight cage for two weeks, strengthening his wings. KRISTIN Let’s see if he likes this stuff. GRANT Now that we know that Jimmy is flying great, it is time for the next step where he can start learning to take live prey. GRANT There’s Jimmy up on the perch. KRISTIN Ohhh. He is the cutest little screech-owl. He really is! KRISTIN So Jimmy has been fed dead prey up until this point, but out in the wild that’s not what he’s going to find. He needs to be able to hunt and kill live prey before we can release him. KRISTIN Sending him back out in the wild without that ability would put his life in danger. KRISTIN It’s just really important that he eats. I get paranoid about them eating before they go out. The crickets are a really good test. GRANT The way Jimmy reacts to these crickets and mealworms will tell us if he is ready to be released back into the wild. GRANT Let’s head out so that way we can give him some space. That way hopefully he’ll come down and eat the mealworms and crickets. KRISTIN You gotta do it, Jimmy. NARRATOR Jimmy’s journey has led him to this moment. NARRATOR If he fails to take the live prey, his release may be delayed or halted all together. GRANT Well, it looks like he’s looking at ’em. KRISTIN I’m just waiting and waiting and the anticipation is killing me. It’s like almost more than I can take. KRISTIN Come on Jimmy. You know you want to eat. NARRATOR Jimmy the screech-owl is facing the toughest test of his life. KRISTIN It’s just really important that he eats. NARRATOR To prove he can survive on his own, he has to show licensed rehabbers Kristin and Grant Allen that he can catch live prey. KRISTIN You can do it. There he goes! KRISTIN He grabs that cricket and I’m like, “Yes!” I’m so proud of that little guy. GRANT That means he’s got enough agility to go down. He’s got the eyesight to see them. So it’s good news for him. KRISTIN It is. KRISTEN/GRANT Good news for us. NARRATOR Jimmy has passed a critical milestone. KRISTIN He chases them! NARRATOR A couple more weeks to grow and practice his hunting skills and he’ll be ready for release. GRANT Good job, Jimmy! NARRATOR It’s been several weeks since Rodney the box turtle arrived at Nancy’s house with the terrible wounds that nearly killed him. NANCY I didn’t think Rodney was even gonna make it through the first night, much less be where he is today. He responded really well to the UV treatment but we still have that big hole to deal with. NARRATOR To begin the final step of his recovery, Rodney is off to see Dr. Mike O’Bryan, a veterinarian at the Broadbent Wildlife Sanctuary with experience in shell reconstruction. DR OBRYAN Hi Nancy! NANCY Hey, how are you? I brought you a turtle. DR OBRYAN Oh man. NANCY He got hit by a car and rolled a little bit. We had cracks here, here, well, there’s still cracks. DR OBRYAN They rolled all the way over him, didn’t they? NANCY Mhm. He looks a lot better than he did when I got him! NANCY Doc O’Bryan was surprised that this turtle had made it as far as it had. Now it’s up to Doc and his assistant, Scott to cover this hole in the shell. DR OBRYAN We can try an acrylic patch on this side. NANCY And that’s as strong as his shell? DR OBRYAN As strong as that shell or stronger. NANCY Sounds good to me. DR OBRYAN A turtle that has a fractured shell is open to infection and disease, uh, but also predators. Acrylic repair, it allows the turtle to get back into normal function much, much sooner. NARRATOR The procedure is effective, but it comes with a risk. NARRATOR As the chemical reaction that hardens the material takes place, it heats up quickly. DR OBRYAN It gets pretty warm when we put it on him. We don’t want to overheat the insides. NANCY Yeah. NARRATOR But Dr. O’Bryan has a plan that will reduce the danger. DR OBRYAN We’re going to cool him down. DR OBRYAN The acrylic gets hot, and that we were using cold towels. And what that does is it extracts the heat into the towel. NANCY Now we’re just gonna fill in all the little holes in. DR OBRYAN Well, as I said, just a little bit more so we don’t. NANCY It was a little nerve-wracking because if some of that did get in there, like, just by accident, it’s going to, like, boil all his insides. NANCY Oh I think he’s beautiful. Compared to what he looked like when he came in. DR OBRYAN I truly believe that Rodney, with the repair that we made, he will be a very happy turtle. NANCY This is so cool. Dr. O’Bryan VO He will be able to go in the water. He’ll be able to go in the grass and the dirt. DR OBRYAN I suspect that he will live a long happy life. NANCY Awesome. Well thank you so much for helping me. DR OBRYAN Thank you for saving his life. If we can help you again let us know. NANCY Dr. O’Bryan did a great job with Rodney. He sealed up that huge hole with the acrylic and that will keep his insides safe until that shell can grow back. NANCY Not the prettiest little turtle, but that’s okay. NARRATOR Rodney has overcome almost insurmountable odds to get to this point, and if the patch holds, Nancy can start looking for a suitable location for his release. NARRATOR The plan to recapture the injured chipmunk isn’t going well for rehabber Brigette Williams’ and her staff. BRIGETTE Ugh! Clearly he’s not in here. But not all the peanut butter is either. BRIGETTE This little guy has slipped out one too many times. Today I am making sure that my entire team dedicates a lot of time to finding this little chipmunk. BRIGETTE Where’s my net? I need my net. Tracy, can you grab my net? VOLUNTEER If I were a chipmunk, where would I be? VOLUNTEER Oh, I got him! BRIGETTE No, no. Okay, oh , this is the best teamwork ever, ever, ever. Look at this. Oh my gosh. I’m gonna put him down here. BRIGETTE Mhm, yeah. I know, you. This is one of the worst little escape artists, or should I say best little escape artists, ever. I feel like I need to put him inside another cage just for security. Wow! BRIGETTE This little chipmunk had absolutely no problem with evading my entire team. Now that I’m looking at this chipmunk, his leg seems to be perfectly fine. And this, to me, means that he is ready to go. BRIGETTE Alright. It’s time to go. NARRATOR It’s release day for Brigette’s crafty chipmunk. NARRATOR With his paw healed and a boundless amount of energy, he’s more than ready to return home. BRIGETTE Hey gang. Jamie, it’s nice to see you again. Hi guys. How are you? NARRATOR Brigette returns the chipmunk back to the property of the family that found him. BRIGETTE And I’m assuming this is the rock pile that you were talking about. JAMIE Yes. BRIGETTE I see lots of little crevices in there that he can go and hide. BRIGETTE That’s always the best spot for any animal that comes into rehabilitation. This chipmunk is gonna know where its food source is, he’s gonna know where its shelter is and he’s back on his domain. BRIGETTE “Oh I’m so happy!” And I am also so happy to be letting him go. BRIGETTE I feel differently towards every animal that I release. This was one that I am very excited to see go. He has took me for the money in the past few days. BRIGETTE Oh, you’re going, you’re going. And he’s off. He’s like, “I am out of here, man.” You’re welcome! Ok, on to the next adventure. NARRATOR Rodney the box turtle has beaten the odds. NARRATOR It’s time for him to head back outdoors and Nikki has offered up a location on her father-in-law’s property that is darn near a turtle paradise. NIKKI Rodney still needs to take it easy, so we needed to find a spot that felt like home but still had some protection from predators and cars. NIKKI And then Grandpa will show us where to go! NANCY The place that Nikki has got for Rodney to be released is beautiful and it’s perfect. It has water and plenty of room to explore. And it’s fenced in so he can stay here, take it easy until he heals up. NIKKI Just right up here. Just cause he can, you know, be close to the water and go where ever he wants to go. Of course, the whole yard is fenced in so therefore nothing can really get in here and get him. NANCY Alright. Come on, Rodney. We didn’t smooth it because it was gonna be too much stress on him. NIKKI Oh my gosh. NANCY “I got a big glove on me. I’m a happy camper.” NIKKI Oh my gosh, that looks so good. I can’t see your lung no more. I’m so happy. NIKKI I am amazed at how good Rodney looks. When Nancy first called me over, I was skeptical that he’d even make it through the night. NANCY He’s come a long way from what he looked like whenever I got him. NIKKI That very first time I seen him, that was crazy. NANCY You could see him breathing and you could see through that membrane he had. Cracks everywhere. It was bad. NIKKI He’s had a long road to get to this place. From Nancy and I gluing his shell back together to his acrylic patch, and all this time he’s been healing up. He has earned this. NANCY This place is perfect for him because he really can’t get out. There’s food here; there’s water. He can’t get to the road again so he can just wander around here the rest of his life. NANCY It’s a really good place, but I’m definitely gonna miss my mornings when I bring him that worm or those strawberries and he is like lunging at me ready to eat and he just looks so happy. NANCY I’m gonna miss this turtle. NIKKI He’s like, “Momma, I’m gonna miss you too.” NANCY I love you. I never thought I’d get attached to a turtle. NIKKI You’re getting soft in your old age. NANCY Out of all the things to get attached to a stinkin’ turtle. NARRATOR Not far north, the Allen family has gathered to say goodbye to a special little animal of their own. KRISTIN I see a cricket. KRISTIN It is a beautiful night outside, the perfect night for Jimmy to be released. KRISTIN We know that screech-owls really thrive around here. KRISTIN The reason that I chose to bring him here is because there are beautiful old trees here with holes in them and that’s the perfect place for screech-owls to make their home. KRISTIN He’s grown so much. ADRIENNE He’s looking around like, “Is this where I’m gonna be forever?” KRISTIN Exactly. KRISTIN When Jimmy first came to us, bless his little heart. He looked pretty pitiful. And there was a ton of steps that he had to go through before that. He started to fly on his own. He started taking his own live prey. KRISTIN Jimmy is a beautiful, beautiful bird. I truly wish that I could see him in two months when he looks just like his parents. KRISTIN I know. Okay. Let’s try this. Look how handsome you are. Alright. Ready Jimmy? KRISTIN When you get a bird in like Jimmy, you see them grow just like you see your children grow. And you know that eventually that he’s going to have to leave you. KRISTIN Get your wings out. One. Jimmy. KRISTIN But we also know that this is our job. This is what we were put on this Earth to do. KRISTIN One. Two. Three. Go! And up! ADRIENNE Aw. He’s like, “I’ve got a little cubby down here.” KRISTIN I know. KRISTIN As Jimmy flies off, I think he’s probably thinking, “This is awesome. My whole world is here in front of me.” SOPHIA He flew really well. KRISTIN He did. He did. SOPHIA Are you getting teary eyed? KRISTIN No, I’m not getting teary eyed. I’m perfectly fine. KRISTIN I’m good. This is where he needs to be. This is where he needs to be. ADRIENNE He back where he came from. KRISTIN Exactly. WOMAN He was like your little buddy. KRISTIN He was my little buddy, wasn’t he? KRISTIN He says, “I really like it over there.” He’ll make his way up. Alright, let’s leave him to be to be wild now. KRISTIN Bye Jimmy. KRISTIN He really is so stinking cute.