Introductory Wildlife Rehabilitation Training Sessions

Introductory class schedule and availability	Registration form
In-depth species class schedule and availability	Registration form

The Realities of Wildlife Rehabilitation Rehabilitating wildlife and returning healthy animals back to the wild can be a very rewarding experience. Rehabilitating wildlife demands considerable time, money, energy, space and commitment by the rehabilitator. Rehabilitating wildlife also includes stresses with working with animals that may not survive, potentially heavy workload, and the public concerned with wildlife problems. In this recorded session, experienced wildlife rehabilitators candidly and openly describe wildlife rehabilitation activities, required commitments and resources, personal and family challenges, and more. It is designed to provide more information and insight for people who are considering becoming a wildlife rehabilitator. The recorded session will be available in the Summer, 2006.The session builds on the information in the rehabilitation booklet, “Wildlife Rehabilitation: Is It For You?” that is used by rehabilitators throughout North America and several state wildlife agencies. For a copy of the booklet, click here.
In-depth Workshops and Seminars on Rehabilitating Wildlife Additional training that focuses on rehabilitating specific types of wild animals are available. These one day workshops or two day seminars are focused on specific types of common, smaller wild animals that new rehabilitators are more likely to first rehabilitate as Provisional Wildlife Rehabilitators, such as passerines, rabbits, squirrels, and waterfowl. New rehabilitators are encouraged to attend the workshops or seminars on the species they are interested in rehabilitating. These longer and directly applicable programs will provide more complete information to help the new rehabilitator be more effective rehabilitating those species. Topics will include specifics on natural history, common problems, handling tips, health conditions, caging, diets and feeding methods, release considerations, and much more. Handouts and/or manuals will be provided. These workshops and seminars may be helpful for all rehabilitators regardless of experience level – either those who are new, wanting to work with a new type of animal, or just wanting to update their practices on a type of animal. For more information, click here.
A study of all Colorado Rehabilitators Want to see how many wild animals come in to rehab in Colorado? And when? And how many are returned to the wild? Click here to see an in-depth study spanning five years and over 50,000 animals.

Are you interested in getting involved in wildlife rehabilitation? Perhaps even getting your own wildlife rehabilitation license? If so, Colorado requires some minimum training for the person getting started rehabilitating wildlife. A new approach to meeting those requirements is coming together as described below, and you are invited to participate! Here are some frequently asked questions about the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s training requirement and a new approach to meeting this requirement.

Why do I need this training? Considerable knowledge and skill is required to provide effective care and release of wild animals admitted to rehabilitation. This can be and is achieved many ways: reading, training, conferences, volunteering, and more. Some states also require that rehabilitators receive specialized training or apprenticeships.

In the state of Colorado, the Division of Wildlife (CDOW) Regulations state that new rehabilitators who hold a Provisional Wildlife Rehabilitator License must “…complete a basic wildlife rehabilitation curriculum approved by the CDOW prior to their second license renewal” (Chapter 14 – Wildlife Rehabilitation). The curriculum includes general topics that were agreed to by the CDOW and rehabilitation community in 1996. Individuals who held Wildlife Rehabilitator Licenses in 1997 attended live presentations on those topics in order to satisfy this newly implemented requirement. Since then, new rehabilitators have watched videotapes of those sessions that were made available by the CDOW. Those initial video taped training sessions were presented by CDOW staff and experienced wildlife rehabilitators.

Why not just watch the original CDOW videotapes? You certainly can. However, there have been many changes in the field of wildlife rehabilitation since 1997. Some of us believe that those videotapes no longer provide the most current information in order to achieve the objective of providing a satisfactory introduction to the many facets of wildlife rehabilitation needed by new rehabilitators.

As a result, several experienced wildlife rehabilitators in Colorado who sponsor new Provisional Wildlife Rehabilitator License holders assembled a project team to update the curriculum for our provisional license holders. The topics include and update those currently provided in the CDOW videotapes, and include additional sessions on topics that we believe are essential. The sessions cover general topics, such as ethics, regulations, wildlife diseases, talking with the public, first aid, release, and euthanasia. The sessions cover considerably more information than the original training and videos.

What’s the new format? Each session has been designed to work as a live presentation given to a group, or to be packaged with the other sessions as self-paced programs available on CD’s or DVD’s. The sessions will include handouts, PowerPoint presentations, and possibly video. Hands-on workshops may accompany some sessions.

After attending or listening to the sessions, attendees will be asked to write responses to a list of provided questions to ensure that they have developed basic familiarity with the topics (they are encouraged to use the handouts and other resources as needed). Sponsors are then encouraged to work with their provisional rehabilitators to review the answers, respond to questions, and discuss other items of interest.

Who will be presenting the wildlife rehabilitation training sessions? Wildlife rehabilitators, wildlife veterinarians, wildlife agency staff, and others with experience and expertise in subject areas will present the sessions. The presenters’ credentials will be provided with the sessions. Well-known, experienced rehabilitators from around the country also have contributed to the development of these sessions and materials.

Will this new training meet the CDOW requirement? The CDOW has approved the initial concept as meeting the regulatory requirements for provisional licensee training. However, final approval will not be available until the CDOW reviews and approves the final materials and audio recordings (probably late 2006).

How do I attend introduction to wildlife rehabilitation training sessions? The sessions will be held at different days and locations during the Spring, 2006. Time of the individual sessions range from 1-7 hours, thus making the total training 22+ hours – far more than the 8 hours of the previous CDOW videotapes.

People can register for the live sessions by going to the list of sessions and workshops. Download and complete the registration form and follow the directions. A confirmation letter with map to the sessions will be mailed. Registrations are due two weeks before the scheduled sessions.

Registration costs for attending the sessions will be minimized. The cost of the introductory sessions (live programs) will range from $10 to $35, depending on length, cost of materials, and so forth. For more information, click here.

What if I want to attend but can’t? The team plans to record these sessions on audio and/or video media and hopes to have the recordings available later in 2006. The expectation is that future provisional wildlife rehabilitators will have the option to meet the CDOW initial training requirements by reviewing these recordings and materials – or possibly attending the same training in the future. The team is working to make these recordings available for distribution for Colorado rehabilitators via the team and the CDOW for minimal or no cost.

Also, some of these sessions will be made available on the internet, such as rehabilitation ethics and standards, ways to learn about wildlife rehabilitation, and Colorado rehabilitation regulations.

Why would I pay to attend a live session instead of just listening to and/or watching the recordings? First, the live sessions allow participants the benefit of the live interactions with the presenters and others, including asking questions and networking. This can help accelerate learning, expand knowledge, and expand one’s resource network. Second, the live sessions also allow more demonstrations and exhibits than may be done via the recording. Third, the live sessions will occur prior to the 2006 ‘rehabilitation busy season’ – so if you want the access to these sessions and the materials before late 2006, try to attend the live sessions.

Will all the training sessions be recorded? The introduction to wildlife rehabilitation sessions will be recorded. However, the more in-depth workshops and seminars on passerines, rabbits, squirrels, and waterfowl will not be recorded. Check the course descriptions to determine availability of additional resources and printed materials on those topics.

What is included in the recordings? The recordings will have audio and visual aids, handouts, biographical information on presenters, and more. This information will also be included with handouts for the live sessions.