Passport to Texas

Animal rehabilitator Gail Barnes with fawn at South Plains Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Lubbock, TX.

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Spring is about reawakening, renewal, and baby animals. That last part – baby animals – can be tricky. You see, sometimes we find infant wildlife when we’re outdoors, and want to “rescue” them, which might actually be more like kidnapping.

08—For example, a baby dear [or fawn] will hide quiet and mama will almost always come back. That’s their strategy.

Jonah Evans, a mammalogist at Texas Parks and Wildlife, says unless an animal is injured or in distress, leave it alone. Monitor it at a safe distance if you’re concerned, but even then…

06— I recommend, before touching an animal, call a rehabilitator and ask them.

Licensed rehabilitators know animal behavior and can provide guidance, which may also include instructions to leave the animal alone because of legal considerations.

12—There are actually some regulations about possessing certain wildlife that you have to make sure you’re not violating. Possessing a non-game animal without a license, could be in violation of
certain laws.

You’ll bypass a life of crime when you know who to call. Find a list of licensed wildlife rehabilitators—by county—on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration program supports our series and funds diverse conservation projects in Texas.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Orphaned Kestrels being cared for by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

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Springtime brings with it reports to Parks & Wildlife from people certain they’ve found abandoned baby animals.

09—What could have happened is you walked up there, and mama ran off and hid – and baby is hiding there. And, as soon as you leave, mama will come back.

That’s not true in every case, says Jonah Evans, Texas Parks and Wildlife mammalogist. For example, if you see an abandoned baby possum, mom may be gone for good.

14—With 184 some odd mammals in the state, it’s probably pretty difficult to give you a list of which mothers will come back wand which ones won’t. So, what I recommend is before touching
and animal – call a [wildlife] rehabilitator.

Licensed rehabilitators know animal behavior and can tell you which ones could benefit from intervention.

09—If you contact one of the many throughout the state – and there’s a whole long list of them on our website – they are really the experts in this. Not Parks and Wildlife.

Jonah Evans says although he researches and studies warm-blooded animals, rehabilitators have skills suited to helping citizens’ where abandoned baby animals are concerned.

Find a list of licensed rehabilitators by county on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Rock climbing in Texas

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To these University of Texas at Austin students, climbing to the top takes hard work, but in the end, it’s about fun.

04— I’m Will Butcher; I’m Christina Nguyen; I’m Zephyr Suerte Lutz-Carrillo, and I’m a member of the UT Rock Climbing Team.

They are all members of the team, and you’ll meet them in a segment on the PBS Texas Parks and Wildlife TV series next week.

05— I enjoy rock climbing because it’s really just you and the rocks; so, it’s very meditative in that sense.

Collegiate climbing didn’t exist until this guy came along:

13— I’m John Myrick, the head coach of the climbing team at the University of Texas. Collegiate climbing didn’t exist until 2008 when I started the pilot series here in Texas. And in 2009, the
nationwide collegiate climbing series was born.

During the TV segment, watch these climbers compete against other schools on an indoor rock climbing course.

13— Whenever you see your teammate on the wall, just cheering them on; because that, really, is what helps them get to the top. You push a little further – maybe it’s to the top, maybe it’s not –
but you definitely get a second wind by them cheering you on and having your back.

Find out how the UT Climbing team did at the most recent collegiate championships, next week on the PBS Texas Parks and Wildlife TV show.

Check your local listings.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife, I’m Cecilia Nasti.

He got across…this time.

Wildlife: The Nine-Banded Armadillo Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The nine-banded armadillo is a Texas icon that has captured the imagination and hearts of Texans and non-Texans a like. Sadly, though, the only time some of us have seen an armadillo is in a flattened state on Texas highways.

About the size of a terrier dog…and covered with bony plates the color of pavement…it’s easy to understand why motorists might not see the armadillo as it attempts to cross roadways on summer evenings in search of food.

Speaking of the preferred cuisine of armadillos… they enjoy a diet of worms, beetles, larvae and caterpillars, among other “delicacies.”

Armadillos generally live where the soil is easily dug – because they probe for food beneath its surface. You’ll find the largest populations of armadillos where the soil texture is sandy.

Although the armadillo can swim, it tires easily when forced to go a long distance. Yet, if the stream is narrow enough, you might just see this unusual little creature enter the water on one bank, walk underwater along the bottom, and come out on the other side. Interesting, huh?

They’re also able to ingest air, which makes them more buoyant for the times when they do swim. I bet you never think of armadillos in quite the same way again.

Well, that’s our show…thank you for joining us. For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine on an iPad.

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Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine has a new app.

09— This is a digital delivery of the magazine; you’ll be able to download it to a device like an iPad, and then you’ll be able to carry it with you.

Publisher, Randy Brudnicki says the app provides the core content of the print edition. But, Art Director Nathan Adams says the experience is entirely new.

21— It would be like if you took Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and handed the sheet music to Yo Yo Ma – a classical cellist – you’d expect a certain performance to come out of that. If you handed it over to Elvis Costello and the Roots, you’re going to get a completely deferent feel; different sound from that experience. Although the core music is the same, the experience is very different.

Elements of discoverability in the app will keep outdoor loving techies engaged, says Brudnicki.

11— So I think people will be able to say: ‘Well, what happens if I touch here? What happens if I hit this button, or swipe this way? What happens? We’ll have some instructions, but we’ll
leave some of that discoverability up to the reader.

Free to download from the iTunes store, the app includes video, audio, and a variety of free content. Readers may purchase the magazine individually or as a subscription—print or digital.

11—You’ll be able to tie in the digital version with your print version if you want, and you can do a combo buy, where you can get both the print and the iPad version for just a few dollars more.

Find details on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti