Massachusetts Wildlife Rehabilitator
Exam with Complete Solutions
130. True or False. Beavers are a relatively easy species to rehabilitate and they do
quite well in rehabilitation situations - ANSWER-False. Young beavers have instinctive
capabilities and are driven to cut down
trees and build lodges and dams. However, they do learn to improve their skills, gaining
much building experience, by observing and mimicking their parents.
A caller tells you that a baby chipmunk has been found shivering on the ground in their
yard. They did not observe any adults caring for the baby. What should you instruct the
caller to do?
) They should leave the baby chipmunk alone.
b) They should bring the baby chipmunk to you for rehabilitation.
c) They should observe the baby chipmunk for 24 hours before calling you back.
d) They should find a burrow and put the baby chipmunk back inside. - ANSWER-b)
Baby chipmunks live in burrows and should not venture out without a parent nearby until
they are old enough to take care of themselves. The public would generally find a baby
chipmunk out of the burrow when the mother fails to come back and the baby is starving
to death. This baby needs help.
A caller tells you that her 6 year old just found a baby bird under a bush in the yard and
wants to bring it to you for help. You ask the caller to describe the bird and find out that
it has small wing and tail feathers. The proper response is:
a. bring it right in
b. look for a nest nearby and put the baby back in it
c. put the baby right back where it was found, or in close proximity
d. refer the caller to the regional NYSDEC office - ANSWER-c. The young of many bird
species leave the nest before they can fly and spend at least a few days up in the
branches of trees (owls), hiding under bushes (many
songbirds), or following the parents about on the ground (killdeer). Birds at this stage
are called fledglings and should be left right where they are. The parents often are not
seen, because they are frightened by the presence of people. Rest assured, they are
observing close by. Unless the adult birds are known to be dead, resist the urge to have
the baby bird raised by a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. Parent birds always do a better
job than a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.
A European Starling was brought to you after getting its toe tangled in a feeder. The bird
is
open-mouthed breathing upon arrival from a one hour transport. Your first step is:
a) Give the bird something to eat.
b) Give the bird something to drink.
c) Immediately conduct a full physical examination on the bird.
,d) Give the bird approximately fifteen minutes to de-stress in a warm, dark, and quiet
environment. Re-check to see if the breathing has become normal - ANSWER-d.) It is
likely the bird is open-mouth breathing due to stress from the transport. Keeping the bird
warm, dark, and quiet for a period of time will allow the bird to calm down before the
physical examination
A member of the public brings you a juvenile European starling to practice flying in your
flight cage. You notice that the starling repeatedly flies over and lands on you when you
enter the cage. One of your volunteers commented that the same thing happened to
other staff. Based on this information, you decided:
a) The starling needs to be euthanized since it is annoying the staff
b) The starling is friendly, but is ready for release since it is healthy.
c) The starling may be imprinted or habituated on humans. More observation is needed
to
determine whether the starling is a releasable animal.
d) The starling should be released in an area where there are few humans. - ANSWER-
c) This starling is either imprinted or habituated to humans. If it is only habituated, it
might be possible to "wild up" the bird before release. More information is needed to
make a sound
decision.
A person brings you a juvenile raccoon that looks stressed and weak. You already have
a cage with three raccoons of a similar age. You should:
a) Follow a quarantine procedure by placing the new raccoon in an isolation cage.
b) Immediately place the new raccoon in with your other raccoons so it is less stressed.
c) Place the new raccoon in a cage with only one of your other raccoons. This will help
to
reduce stress in the new raccoon without jeopardizing all the raccoons.
d) Examine the new raccoon for fleas. If the raccoon appears clean, it should be placed
with the other raccoons. - ANSWER-a) Raccoons are known to have contagious
diseases, such as canine distemper and rabies. This raccoon needs to be quarantined
until the health of the raccoon has been determined. There are other species, such as
skunks, that require a similar quarantine protocol.
A person brings you a seven day old Eastern cottontail rabbit that they kept in a box for
three days before finding you. They tell you that the bunny wasn't given anything, but
the bunny's belly is distended and hard. The most likely reason for this is:
a) The finder gave something inappropriate to the bunny resulting in gastric stasis
(bloat).
b) The bunny was appropriately fed.
c) The bunny has been self-feeding.
d) The bunny is not emaciated. - ANSWER-a) An infant Eastern cottontail rabbit in a
box for three days is going to be emaciated and not have a swollen belly. The most
likely reason for the swollen belly is bloat (GI stasis) due to being
fed an inappropriate formula after being starved. Seven day old bunnies do not self-
feed.
, A recently hatched bird that has feathers and can follow its parents shortly after
hatching is an example of:
a. a precocial bird
b. a fledgling bird
c. an altricial bird
d. a brancher - ANSWER-a. It's important for a licensed wildlife rehabilitator to learn the
terms precocial, fledgling, altricial and brancher. The question describes a precocial bird
which is hatched feathered and follows its parents shortly after hatching.
A recently hatched bird that is naked, blind and is completely dependent on its parents
is an
example of:
a. a precocial bird
b. a fledgling bird
c. an altricial bird
d. a brancher - ANSWER-c. It's important for a licensed wildlife rehabilitator to learn the
terms precocial, fledgling, altricial and brancher. The question describes an altricial bird,
such as a robin, which is hatched naked, blind and is totally dependent on its parents.
A vitamin that promotes nerve growth and eye development is:
a) Vitamin A
b) Vitamin B6
c) Vitamin C
d) Vitamin D - ANSWER-b) Vitamin B6 is one of the vitamins needed for healthy nerves
and eyes.
A volunteer wants to work with bats, but does not want to get the rabies pre-exposure
vaccination because she is fearful of needles. You should:
a) Allow her to work with bats, but encourage her to get the vaccination.
b) Allow her to only work with bats you have deemed to be healthy.
c) Require her to get the pre-exposure vaccination before working with any of the
common rabies vector species, including bats.
d) Respect that she has a phobia and make an exception to your rule. - ANSWER-C.
The volunteer needs to have a pre-exposure rabies vaccination prior to working with
any of the common rabies vector species, such as bats. There should be no exceptions
to this rule. It is
not possible to determine which animals are free from rabies and no chances should be
taken with this potentially lethal disease.
A widespread bacterial zoonotic disease of birds, mammals and reptiles, which has
fecal/oral transmission, and is commonly found in wild animals is:
a. salmonella
b. distemper
c. chlamydiosis
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