By Donna Ralph
Ellicott Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

This morning a very nice lady who resides in Black Forest called me. She's lived in that area for many years and enjoys watching the native wildlife in her yard and around the property.

She called me because she is very concerned about the new development happening in her neighborhood and in particular the destruction of habitat. A Great Horned Owl she has been watching for years is now in a very precarious position. She has watched this bird with several generations of offspring. The house on the property, as well as several other houses close by, has been demolished and all that remains standing are a few trees, one of which is home to this owl. Very soon she expects that tree will be uprooted and then what happens to that owl? She wanted to know if there was any way that bird can be relocated. Unfortunately, that's something we're not allowed to do and probably couldn't do, even if we had permission to do so.

Black Forest residents care a lot about their homes and the wildlife they share them with. This community has stood by and watched in sadness as their way of life is ruined due to development. They have watched as the deer are squeezed into increasingly smaller patches of land, then look on helplessly as the deer are killed one by one by the increasing traffic that follows development. What can be done? Unfortunately, as far as I know, absolutely nothing. He with the most dollars wins, and that person isn't the homeowners. I told the nice lady that all we can do is raise awareness by speaking from our hearts and enlightening our neighbors to the silent war going on around us, and hope that somebody somewhere in a position to do anything about it WILL do something about it.

Working with wildlife I see on a daily basis what is happening to our native animals in this region. We get to learn about the elephants, giraffes,and gorillas on TV, but what about our own diminishing wildlife, the critters that directly benefit US in our area? It seems hardly a day goes by that we don't see a human/animal conflict featured on thelocal news. You know why that is? It's because the majority of these animals have been displaced by development and haveno place to go but the 'burbs and the growing new housing developments;acres ofland that have been home to these animals for generations.Does anybody notice and does anybody care about our displaced wildlife? It's getting harder and harder for me to find good release sites for my animals that have completed rehab. Where do I take them, now that their home for generations is gone?

Does anyone but me find it sad that increasingly all that's left of our wildlife is the street sign it is named after?

www.ellicottwildlife.com

EWRC

P.O. Box 75069