[SEMCO] IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Murrey - The Common Murre Who Flew from Cape Cod to Omaha (On a Jet!)

Thu Oct 26 14:58:34 EDT 2017

Hello All.
Back in late August 2017, Wild Care, Inc. transported a non-releasable
seabird, a Common Murre - nicknamed "Murrey", to Omaha's Henry Doorly
Museum and Zoo in Omaha Nebraska, to be placed in a permanent seabird exhibit.
The bird was flown to the zoo from Hyannis Airport, on a private jet,
chartered by a generous, anonymous Wild Care donor. Wild Care recently
received an update from the zoo (zoo press release attached) stating that
the murre is in the permanent exhibit, and is doing very well! In fact,
Murrey is a she, and already has a mate! Full story below. Attached photos,
please credit as labeled. More photos by request.

Stephanie Ellis, Wild Care Executive Director

October 26, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:       Stephanie Ellis, Executive Director, WILD CARE Inc.
Phone:             (650) 319-5491 cell, Stephanie at wildcarecapecod.org

###
Murrey - The Story of A Cape Cod Murre Who Flew to Omaha - On a Jet!
by Jennifer Taylor, Wild Care Animal Care Coordinator

All I can say is that we never could have done it without our seabird
pools! Murrey had such a will to live!  This is what many seabirds do not
have after being in captivity.  To keep them eating and preening is the
most difficult thing at a rehab facility.  We strive to get these birds in
and out within 2 weeks to prevent depression and atrophy of the wing
muscles.  Just imagine how terrifying it is for a bird who all its life has
only known the open ocean-being put into a box, handled by predators (us),
then being fed thawed fish in a bowl?

Really. Two weeks is about all they can take without negative effects.—But,
not Murrey!

*A Terrific Will to Survive*

It all started with Murrey the Common Murre. He was found on Nauset Beach
on February 11, 2017, by a lovely woman named Caroline Itzler. She brought
the bird to us. It was cold, emaciated and weak, and had a 2-inch long
laceration over his left thigh. The wound was very deep and his prognosis
was grave. I worked with my staff to stabilize the bird. We cleaned his
wound and applied tissue adhesive. We did not have much hope that the bird
would be alive in the morning…

Much to our delight, Murrey was alive the next day, and over the weeks
became more stable with supportive care. Eventually he was placed in our
seabird therapy pools to regain his waterproofing and become conditioned.
To prepare him for his next journey back on the sea…

Until it was apparent that he could not go back into the wild, we always
treated him as a wild bird. He never got tamed, but he did know that after
we handled him, his crate was a “safe place”, and he would check himself
out in the mirror then walk over to his bowl and eat his fish.  He
definitely got into the routine.

While Murrey’s wound had fully healed, he had a patch of feathers that were
not growing in properly. When it was evident that his waterproofing was not
going to be 100% in time for spring migration – or perhaps would never be,
we needed to assess his condition and make a decision as to what to do with
him.  Caroline, his rescuer, even offered to drive him up to Canada!  This
was a terrific offer, but even if his feathers did grow in, by that time
his muscle condition would not be up to survival in the wild. Our
facilities cannot provide a flight cage for seabirds.

So, because of the time and effort our staff and volunteers put into this
bird, and his great will to survive despite the odds, we decided to pursue
finding a place for him to go.

*Finding a Home for Murrey*

I first contacted New England Aquarium.  Several years ago we gave them a
couple of non-releasable shorebirds to include in their Piping Plover
exhibit. They were not interested in Murrey at this time, but instead, they
put him on a list serve to be viewed by like facilities.

Seattle Aquarium was very interested, but they were concerned that the
water they use directly from the Puget Sound would be too cold for the
bird.  The Georgia Aquarium was also interested… With so much help from
Sarah Perry at the Seattle Aquarium we finally got the word from Omaha’s
Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium that Murrey would have a permanent new home!

*Leaving on a Jet Plane*

An anonymous donor offered to fly Murrey and me, on a private jet directly
to Omaha, to avoid the stress of lots of driving and long flights on the
bird. When all the official paperwork was in place, off we went.

On Wednesday, August 23rd, Murrey, myself, and our Executive Director
Stephanie Ellis, flew to Omaha on a jet. When we arrived, we were greeted
warmly by Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium’s Lead Bird Keeper, Paul
Rollman. Murrey was placed into a quarantine room, where he has been under
observation for just under two weeks. We received word that Murrey was
placed in the permanent exhibit with other murres and puffins just
yesterday, and is doing very well!

Other big news, DNA tests from the zoo revealed that Murrey is actually a
female. Hello Murriel!

We are so very grateful for this opportunity for Murrey. So many people
made this happen. I even got shipping tips from the Alaska Sea Life Center,
and Monterey Bay Aquarium in California!

Thank you to the wonderful staff of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium.
Thank you to local veterinarians Dr. Louise Morgan, John Kelly, DVM, Eric
Stone, DVM, and Priya Patel, DVM.  All assisted Murrey during his stay at
Wild Care. Thank you to everyone who played a part in his rehabilitation.
And thank you especially to our wonderful donor who enabled his transport
to Omaha, stress-free!

*Epilogue from Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, October 19, 2017*

"Murrey is now part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species
Survival Plan (SSP) and could potentially breed with any of Omaha’s Henry
Doorly Zoo and Aquarium’s males. If she were to breed, she would bring in
new genetic diversity, ultimately strengthening the SSP. The common murre
is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened
Species, however, if wild populations were to decline to a point of
concern, having a viable and genetically diverse population allows zoos to
help rebuild wild populations. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium has
done this most recently with the Dusky Gopher Frog." (See full press
release below from Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium).

###

Stephanie Ellis
Executive Director
Wild Care, Inc.
10 Smith Lane
Eastham, MA 02642
www.wildcarecapecod.org

Find us on Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/WildCareCapeCod>!
508-240-2255 <(508)%20240-2255> office
<http://www.wildcarecapecod.org/>
   <http://bit.ly/wildcaresubscription>
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