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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"><img src="cid:ii_15d331420510c3fd" alt="Inline image 3" width="544" height="363">July 11, 2017</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"> ###</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black">Contact: Stephanie
Ellis, Executive Director, WILD CARE Inc.
</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:0.5in"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"> Cell
Phone (650)-319-5491</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black">, </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas"><a href="mailto:stephanie@wildcarecapecod.org">stephanie@wildcarecapecod.org</a></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas"><span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:0.5in"> Photos - attached. More available by request. Credit Leo Seletsky, Wild Care, Inc.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><u><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black">Wild Care, Inc. Releases Three Survivors of Mysterious Bird Illness</span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black">Eastham, MA., July 11, 2017 -
</span></i><font color="#000000" face="Athelas" size="3">Wild
Care, Inc., a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center in Eastham, successfully
released the only three surviving Northern Gannets of a recent die-off that struck
Cape Cod and the South Shore of Massachusetts beginning this spring.</font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">Since May,
2017, dozens of Northern Gannets have washed ashore deceased or exhibiting
severe neurological symptoms. Beachgoers, Cape Cod National Seashore Rangers,
and Wild Care staff and volunteers collected 23 Northern Gannets and brought
them to Wild Care for treatment since January. Many of these birds arrived
between May and June showing signs of this unknown illness.</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none"><span> </span></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="color:rgb(37,32,33)"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">“They were unable to hold up their
heads, and had tremors. They could not control their body movements,” stated
Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care Executive Director. “To us, this suggests a toxin or
head trauma. Birds with a long-term illness or injury often stop feeding and
are emaciated when they wash ashore. The majority of these neurological gannets
were within normal weight range and their blood work appeared normal,” Ellis
said. “Whatever was impacting them was affecting them very quickly.”</font><font face="Athelas"><span></span></font></span></p>
<p style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33)"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">On July 5</span><sup><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">th</span></sup><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">, Wild Care Animal Care Coordinator, Jennifer Taylor released the
only three survivors of the die-off. The three gannets had been at Wild Care
since early May, receiving intensive care. They were released on Snow Shore in
Orleans. “We generally release these birds offshore, into their natural habitat.
We decided to release the birds from shore in case they got into trouble, they
could then swim to shore where we could rescue them easily,” states Jennifer</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">. </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;border:none"> </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;border:none">“Fortunately,
t</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;border:none">hey all went out </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;border:none">to sea </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;border:none">and did
not </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;border:none">come back to shore. The juvenile,</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;border:none"> and one
adult stayed with each other </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;border:none">and did lots of the bouncy-fluttering
in the water. T</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;border:none">hey looked SO HAPPY.</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;border:none">”</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:windowtext;border:none"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">Wild Care worked
closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Cape Wildlife Center of
Barnstable to help determine the cause of the die-off, and determine effective
treatment protocols. USDA Wildlife T</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">echnician Ryan Bevilacqua said his
agency sent tissue, blood and other samples taken from dead birds to the
Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study at the University of Georgia
veterinary medicine program. Analysis has ruled out avian flu</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">, but all other
results are pending. Red Tide is suspect.</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border:none"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">“Three surviving
birds is better than no surviving birds,” states Ellis. “Even though we lost
many, there is </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">much to learn from even the deceased birds. Our
experience will help us to treat birds in the future when we see similar ailments.
It is very challenging to treat the unknown. We are delighted to have pulled
these three birds through</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none"> their illness</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none">.” </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:rgb(37,32,33);border:none"><span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"><span> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black">WILD CARE’s wildlife rehabilitator's treat birds, mammals and
reptiles brought to the center, with the goal of releasing them back into the
wild when they are capable of independent survival. Through public education,
WILD CARE works to prevent wildlife casualties and works to engage the
community in conservation through volunteerism. Since our founding WILD CARE
has accepted over 25,000 wild creatures, representing over 275 species of
native birds, mammals and reptiles. If you encounter injured, orphaned or ill
wildlife please call the WILD CARE of Cape Cod helpline at 508-240-2255. </span><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="color:black">Visit WILD CARE’s website at </span><a href="http://www.wildcarecapecod.org"><span class="gmail-Hyperlink0">www.wildcarecapecod.org</span></a><span style="color:black"> to make a donation.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Athelas;color:black"><span> <img src="cid:ii_15d33141432ff354" alt="Inline image 2" width="544" height="363"><img src="cid:ii_15d33140822a3112" alt="Inline image 1" width="544" height="363"></span></span></p>
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<div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:normal">Stephanie Ellis</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:normal">Executive Director</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:normal">Wild Care, Inc.</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:normal">10 Smith Lane</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:normal">Eastham, MA 02642</span><br style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px;line-height:normal"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px"><a href="http://www.wildcarecapecod.org" target="_blank">www.wildcarecapecod.org</a></span></p><p>Find us on Facebook! <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WildCareCapeCod" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/WildCareCapeCod</a></p><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px"><span style="line-height:normal">508-240-2255 office</span><span style="line-height:normal"> </span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px"><span style="line-height:normal"><a href="http://www.wildcarecapecod.org/" target="_blank"><img src="https://docs.google.com/uc?export=download&id=0By9sC6SpljkvQ1R0Tjl3MVVTa2s&revid=0By9sC6SpljkvWkFzT2lUUSsyZWdzczVOK3d4dzJZVTZyRk9FPQ" width="200" height="153"></a></span></div><div style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px"><br></div><div style="text-align:left;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Helvetica;font-size:12px"><span style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.800000190734863px;color:rgb(34,34,34)"> </span><img src="http://www.wildcarecapecod.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/join-our-newsletter.png" width="200" height="62" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><img src="cid:ii_15d3314f561731b0" alt="Inline image 4" width="544" height="363"><img src="cid:ii_15d33152fbcd2ae4" alt="Inline image 5" width="544" height="363"><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>
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