Annual PSA: Dead, dying, sick, and injured wildlife and other sad stuff

Hi Everyone – 
Hello Dinosaur NM staff and welcome to all our new and returning staff!   Emily and Morgan here with the first of two annual PSAs on wildlife in Dinosaur National Monument…
Summer is almost here.  Birds are singing. Flowers and trees are blooming. Baby animals are frolicking about. Dramatic (windy! cold!) skies move overhead. 

But it isn’t always baby prairie dogs and rainbows here at Dinosaur – sometimes things die. Sometimes they happen to die or fall ill in our developed areas where staff and visitors come upon them.

This is a great time to review guidance on what to do if you encounter or get a report about a dead or sick/injured animal in developed and high visitation areas. Attached are two documents on how to handle and when to report dead and sick/injured animals. Please become acquainted with how to handle these events and distribute copies widely.
I’d also like to scare everyone senseless and remind people how many wildlife diseases are out there  (as if we need reminding of that right now!). The good news is that transmission of every single wildlife disease we know or assume to be present at some level here at Dinosaur is preventable with some basic, common-sense precautions. Please take the time to orient to the wildlife disease FAQs and prevention resources available on the Safety Sharepoint site for hantavirus, plague, rabies, tularemia, hemorrhagic rabbit disease (new in 2020!), and more!

I will also be reviewing these topics at our May 13 All Employee Training Day this year. Come prepared with any additional questions you may have!

As always, please shout with any questions!
Have a great season!

Emily SpencerNatural Resource SpecialistDinosaur National Monument4545 E. Highway 40Dinosaur, CO 81610Cell: 970.629.1137
Morgan WehtjeEcologist
Dinosaur National Monument4545 E. Highway 40Dinosaur, CO 81610Phone: 970.374.3056Cell: 970.620.0607