Intuitive Portraits - Artwork Gallery



Artwork Galleries	I donated my time and supplies a few years back to paint a mural in the Operation Wildlife Satellite Center, located at 75th & Nieman Rd. in Shawnee, KS 66214 (in the Trailridge Shopping Center) The images presented here are all from that mural.
	Operation Wildlife is a wildlife rescue operation. They take in animals which have been injured by cars, domestic animals, and other injuries. In addition, baby animals whose mothers have deserted them are rescued by Operation Wildlife.
		The rescued animals are restored to health, or kept healthy in the case of baby animals. Animals which can be released back into the wild are released once they are restored to health. Baby animals are kept until they can survive in the wild, then they are released into the wild.
	Animals which cannot be released are used in community education programs to educate people, especially students, about the wonders of the wildlife around them.
	Baby animals are frequently left on their own for hours at a time. A burrow or cache of baby animals may not be abandoned even though the mother fails to return for hours at a time. Its important to tell for certain that the baby animals are abandoned before bringing them in. A good test is the "string test": place a string across the entrance to the burrow. Return the following day, and if the string is disturbed, the mother is around and tending to her kids. If the string is undisturbed in 24 hours, then the mother probably isn't returning and the babies need to be taken to Operation Wildlife.

		Baby Birds are a slightly different story. Its a myth that humans touching a baby bird will cause the parents to reject the baby bird, so for some birds, you can return them to their nest and the parents will be relieved and puzzled ("huh, the big creature didn't eat the kid."). However, some birds kick their kids out of the nest deliberately. For some birds, such as the spotted grackle, their kids live on the ground for awhile before learning to fly. The spotted grackle has powerful claws which allow their kids to climb trees before learning how to fly.

	If you see an injured animal, Animal Control works with Operation Wildlife to bring in injured animals, so you can call them for assistance. If you feel that you can bring in the injured animal, use a towel or blanket to avoid touching the animal directly, and bring the animal directly to the Satellite Center. For smaller animals, you can place them in a box or pet carrier, your box or pet carrier can be returned to you once the animal is at the Satellite Center.

		Remember that wildlife usually just wants to be left alone. If an animal is uninjured and baby animals are being taken care of by their momma, then look, but don't touch. Some animals, snakes, birds, and reptiles have the means to defend themselves, so its a good idea to avoid touching wildlife if you can.