BARC Animal Shelter and Adoptions is taking action to reduce overcrowding at its facility by reducing adoption fees from May 3-15. Adopt a pet for only $10! The public is encouraged to stop by BARC’s Adoption Center at 3300 Carr St. from 12 – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday or visit their website here to see all adoptable pets online.
Animals
Support Rescued Pets Movement /
Box Turtles - What do you know about them? /
It was mid-April when the Friends of Woodland Park received an email from Keith Williamson asking two questions: 1) are box turtles native to this area, and 2) are nutria actively controlled to protect the park or simply left alone. Our response to the nutria question was that there is not an abundance of nutria in this area and the natural predators keep their numbers in balance.
The inquiry about the box turtle (see Keith’s photo taken at Woodland Park) required an online search which resulted in learning that box turtles in Texas are declining in number and need to be protected.
Do you know…
Box turtles often live for 50 or more years.
Box turtles may live for nearly 10 years before they mate and lay eggs.
The number of eggs laid by female turtles is relatively few and many eggs are eaten by predators.
Very few baby box turtles reach adulthood due to being eaten.
Most of the box turtles sold in stores have been taken from the wild.
About half of the box turtles taken from the wild for the pet trade do not survive due to filthy conditions and lack of food and water before being placed in a pet store.
Turtles bought at pet stores or flea markets are probably in ill health.
So how do we protect box turtles other than not running over them with our vehicle when they are crossing the road? If you can safely pull off the road and rescue the turtle there are several things to keep in mind.
Pick up the turtle and move it off the road in the direction in which it was heading. (The turtle may try to cross the road again if it’s moved to the wrong side of the road.)
Don't take the turtle to another location unless you feel it’s not safe where you found the turtle. Turtles will try to find their old "neighborhood" and need to remain in the same vicinity.
Don't take the turtle home for a pet. If you take a female turtle home, it will be removed from reproductive potential for possibly 40 years.
If you find a box turtle when out for a walk in the woods or a bicycle ride, take a photo to share with your friends but please leave it where you found it (if in a safe place) after you’ve taken time to marvel at Nature’s wildlife with whom we share our world.
Please enjoy the trails at Woodland Park and let us know if you have questions or wish to share photos of wildlife you’ve seen there.
Louise Moss
Friends of Woodland Park
www.friendsofwoodlandpark.org
Creature Feature: The DeHaven Zoo on Morrison Street /
My brother and I were playing with our stuffed animals and were making boxes for their homes. Then my mom came up with the idea to make a zoo, so we didn’t have to throw them away. Because I feel sad whenever my mom makes me throw away our cardboard creations. Now she made them weather proof so we can keep them forever. We searched up some facts to make the zoo more interesting. We added the art board later then I caught a some tadpoles to add, too. The tadpoles were my idea.
- Annie DeHaven
Creature Feature: Samantha /
This month’s Creature Feature takes a new twist. We’re introducing Samantha, a one year old female Pitt/Husky mix that we’ve been fostering for the past six weeks. Samantha (Sammy) is seeking a furever home and would prefer to stay in Woodland Heights.
Samantha was abandoned in Monte Beach Park in mid-February. Her former owner must have really cared for her. She was healthy, recently groomed and left where they could be sure she’d be found.
Our vet confirms that she’s healthy. We had her spayed and signed her up with a couple of rescue agencies, but have yet to have any inquiries.
She’s a great friend to Julio, our 3 year old Dogo/Setter mix. Less so to Gwen, our 10 year old Labrador, who finds all the puppy energy disturbing.
She’s smart and energetic. Walks well on a leash. Likes to ride in cars. Does well at the dog park, too. She’s been to Bill Archer Family Bark Park several times.
We’d love to keep her, but she’s aggressive towards our cats. We’ve not been able to dissuade her of that habit. As a result, she’s been crated in our garage apartment (my home office) overnights. She loves the dog door! She has the run of yard and office by day.
Sammy is super sweet. Julio would like his new friend to stay nearby, so they can have play dates.
We’ve accumulated a library of pics and videos to help Sammy find a great home. If you’re interested please contact communications@woodland-heights.org.
Six things to do with the kids /
Hi Neighbors:
First – a disclaimer. I am not a parent nor do I play one on TV.
Second – a friend asked if I had any ideas for a scavenger hunt for kids and I’m getting the sense that some of you parents out there might be getting just a tiny bit stir crazy. So here are some ideas for things to do…
#1 - Wildflowers
It is the absolutely best time of year to learn about wildflowers. You could download the free East Texas Wildflowers app (at Google Play or the App Store), head down to the bayou (or park or whatever), and challenge the kids (and/or you!) to ID every wildflower you find.
The app is simple to use. Select the plant type (wildflower or vine), pick a color, count the petals, and select the leaf arrangement. Once entered, these choices narrow down options to the point where you can scroll through and compare the app’s photos to your flower and work out the ID.
Have the kids take photos and use a journal to draw sketches and write descriptions. Then group flowers by different variables (color, number of petals, size, leaf arrangement, etc.) and challenge the kids to ID what’s the same and what’s different about each (a useful skill for pre-algebraic thinking).
Older kids can learn about plant families. There’s a great intro to plant families at http://www.wildflowers-and-weeds.com/Plant_Identification/Patterns_in_Plants.htm that is drawn from the book Botany in a Day. (The book is a slightly challenging read for adults, but has some good drawings/overviews kids can use.)
If older kids or adults want an old-school field guide, I would recommend A Field Guide to Southwestern and Texas Wildflowers. It’s not as flashy as the newer regional guides but is an excellent hard core resource.
#2 - Bird Watching
Go bird watching! Particularly if you have binoculars. If you are new to birds, download some of the zines or posters I’ve put at http://whiteoakbayou.org/resources-and-zines.html. Each features a small group of similar birds. Bring chairs to the edge of the bayou and learn to ID each of the herons and egrets (zine/poster #1) and diving birds (#6) you’ll find there (these birds are big enough to ID without binoculars).
Or wander the neighborhood and search for birds like cardinals and other commoners (#4), pigeons/doves (#5), and blackbirds (#10). If you are up for a challenge, bring binoculars, a blanket and picnic basket and hang out in the shade of bridge that crosses over a bayou while you learn to ID the aerialists who may be nesting under the bridge (#7) and/or watch for soaring hawks (#2 and #3).
#3 - Further Bird Watching
Take the bird thing a step further and download the free BirdsEye Texas app, Merlin Bird ID app and/or Audubon Birds app. Go to http://whiteoakbayou.org/uploads/3/4/9/1/34911613/thebestfeatures-of-threefree_birdapps2018-07-12.pdf to download an intro to each and directions for how to use the BirdsEye Texas app to create a mini-field guide that features only the birds that are being reported right around you.
#4 - Monitor Nesting Birds
Become a Yellow-crowned Night Heron expert by keeping tabs on the nests that are just now being built/repaired in mature Live Oak trees in various neighborhoods. It’s easiest to see these birds early in the morning or just before dusk, but you can go looking anytime.
Take a notebook, list each address where you find a Yellow-crown, and keep records of how many you see at each nest every time you pass by. Note that young Yellow-crowns are brown with light spots and then transition slowly into adults that are kind of gray with black-and-white striped faces. You can find photos of Yellow-crowns at https://ebird.org/media/catalog?taxonCode=ycnher&sort=rating_rank_desc®ion=Harris,%20Texas,%20United%20States%20(US)®ionCode=US-TX-201&q=Yellow-crowned%20Night-Heron%20-%20Nyctanassa%20violacea Very cool birds!
#5 - Draw, Partner!
Learn how to draw birds. There is a fantastic book titled The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds. The author (John Muir Laws) also has some free tutorials at his website at https://johnmuirlaws.com/ (see his blog).
#6 - Night Sky Watching
Go outside at night and learn to ID the constellations. My favorite kid-friendly book is Find the Constellations by H.A. Rey (the guy who wrote the Curious George books). Combine use of the book with a star finder app like Sky Map or Star Walk 2 and you’ll be good to go!
Hope these ideas help.
- Wendy Wright
Creature Feature: 192 and Counting! /
In November 2013, a Bald Eagle flew just overhead as Megan Freemantle and I walked our dogs Freckles and Hope along the hike/bike trail in White Oak Park. I became a birder that day, watching the eagle eat a fish it snatched from the bank of the bayou and remembering how eagles had almost gone extinct in the 1960s.
It may surprise folks to know that the Woodland Heights is a very birdy place, with 192 species reported in the neighborhood, White Oak Park, and Woodland Park during the past ten years. Bald Eagles are spotted periodically, with one having hung out along the bayou for two weeks in March 2018 to the delight of hundreds of people who watched for it.
The first photo shows an eagle who was working White Oak Park on February 9, 2020. The second photo shows the similar but much more common Osprey, which will continue to fish the bayou through April.
What to learn more about the birds of the ‘hood? Join Jason Bonilla and neighbors for the monthly Houston Audubon bird survey of Woodland Park. The surveys are free, with the next one scheduled for Saturday, March 14 at 7:30AM.
You can also go to the website of the White Oak Bayou Association and download the kid-friendly Bayou City Birding guides that feature birds of the Inner Loop. Now who wants to go find species #193?
- Wendy Wright
Houston, We Have a Problem /
That problem is the huge homeless pet population. Because it is such a huge problem, it requires people in the community to be educated on the issue and what they can do to help or at least not contribute to the problem.
Always Spay and Neuter - By not spaying or neutering, pet parents are giving the animal a biological imperative to escape and procreate. Even with just a single escape, a male animal could impregnate multiple females. Each of those litters can be 10+ homeless animals. The animals will suffer and those that make it off the streets are the burden of the city or the countless rescue groups.
Fostering - Some cities, like San Antonio, are what you call "no kill", Houston is not. That means that county/city shelters must take in all animals that the community brings in but has limited kennel space. That means when the kennels are full, they have to start making space by euthanizing. By fostering, you can make space in the kennels and give the pet a chance to find their forever home. You can foster directly through the shelter or work with local rescues who prioritize the at-risk pets.
BARC - You can foster through them directly and participate in the adoption events and services they offer. It can also be a great opportunity to foster with the possibility of adopting.
Rescued Pets Movement - Saved over 40,000 lives since it was founded in 2013 all from BARC. They work with partners in Colorado who agree to take the pets and fosters in Houston to keep them until ready for transport.
They are only limited by the number of foster families they can get in Houston, not Colorado. So they could be saving even more lives if more people here at home get involved. They provide medical care and supplies and the animals are generally transported within a week or two. Neighbors Lin Chamberlin, Alaina Hebert, and Kim Fesler among many others work with this group.
Animal Justice League, Houston Pets Alive, and Friends for Life are also local rescues that our neighbors love volunteering, fostering, and adopting with.
Lonestar Boxer Rescue - The dog pictured above is Layla who is currently being fostered by neighbor Stacy Rushton.
- Alaina Hebert, Animal Advocate
Creature Feature: Hummingbirds /
Click to play.
I know this isn't seasonally appropriate. Consider it an attack on the potential for seasonal affective disorder. Hummingbirds always brighten the day.
As I pointed out in the final bits of the November newsletter, I've been sitting on some video of hummingbirds. This was shot in our yard in September as the wee-winged-wonders made their fall migration to South America. In the spring we saw only a few of the little birds, but in fall was saw perhaps a dozen. We keep six hummingbird feeders in the yard to attract the little creatures. We have also planted some of their favorite comestibles.
I'm interested in how to photograph and record the little birds. The video from which the above frame was taken was shot with a Logitech Rally 4K PTZ camera. It's a glorified webcam intended for video conference use. It did a decent job capturing the action at a feeder mounted on on front porch, at least until the afternoon sun overtook the image sensor. This 3 minute clip was extracted from about four hours of continuous recording.
When the little birds return in the spring I hope to have some way to record them at a high-frame rate, so we can slow down their movement for closer study.
If you share our fascination with the little birds, you might also appreciate the Cornell University Birdcams. They include a West Texas location that's known for its hummingbirds.
Creature Feature: Great Horned Owl /
Who’s Awake? Me Too! If you’ve heard this loudly hooted call, you’re among those who have been close to a Great Horned Owl. Since the end of September, a pair have been heard prior to sunrise and again at sunset at locations across the Woodland Heights. Chances are good that they are re-establishing their territory, telling potential competitors that they have a strong pair bond and that no others need apply.
The calls of Great Horned Owls carry for a couple of blocks against the backdrop of freeway noise and up to a mile in the wild. Pairs perform duets, with the male having a rich baritone voice and with the female hooting at a slightly higher pitch. When alarmed, they will bark and make scratchy growls.
It’s best to be content with just hearing these owls, since they are masters of disguise and defy the onlooker and photographer. It’s also strongly advised that you do nothing to annoy them – such as trying to catch them in the beam of a flashlight – since their lives are already hard enough and because they have occasionally been known to use their powerful talons on those they see as a threat, particularly during nesting season in late winter and spring.
Great Horned Owls are stealthy predators, swooping down on wings that produce virtually no sound. They play an important role in helping keep populations of squirrels, rats, mice, and snakes in balance. And though they weigh no more than three pounds, they can take on prey as large as swamp rabbits, raccoons, and possums. As always, it’s best to keep cats and other small pets inside at night when owls, stray dogs, coyotes and cars are on the prowl. The songbirds and other critters on which cats prey will thank you too!
Btw – Great Horned Owls are named for the tufts of feathers they can raise on their heads to look bigger and scarier. The photos show owlets and adult birds (probably the same pair) at spots in the Woodland Heights, Woodland Park and White Oak Park. All photos were taken at a substantial distance with a “superzoom” camera at an equivalent of 1200 mm and then cropped. Please keep your distance and honor the choice that Great Horned Owls make as they share their lives with us, since they are doing their best to fulfill their role as important apex predators in the rapidly diminishing habitat available to them. We are very lucky to have them here, since there are only a few neighborhoods inside of the Beltway where Great Horned Owls raise their young.
- Wendy Wright
Editors note: I’ve routinely seen a pair Great Horned Owls in 11th Street Park, on 11th Street just past TC Jester. I typically see and hear them just as the sun starts to set, toward the southwest corner of the park.
Creature Feature: Cooper’s Hawk /
So… you’re walking down the street with your dog or stroller when a dark blur streaks by and a dozen doves explode out of a tree, with the jays who witnessed the event screaming JAY JAY JAY! What just happened? Chances are good that a Cooper’s Hawk is to blame and that he or she may now be enjoying a meal.
“Coops” are becoming increasingly at home within the Woodland Heights, with these woodland hawks moving into neighborhoods to offset impacts of habitat loss. Coops lurk from hidden perches in trees, swooping out to snatch birds, squirrels, rats, bats, reptiles and insects. All but the tiniest pets are safe, with Cooper’s Hawks weighing in at less than a pound and unlikely to tackle anything bigger than themselves.
Though we may feel bad for those who are eaten, the balance of nature requires these ongoing interactions of prey and predator, as is beautifully illustrated in the new movie The Biggest Little Farm. And the risks work both ways, with the Coops’ method of hunting resulting in injuries that give them an average lifespan of just one year – not good for a species that doesn’t breed until its second year.
As a result, most of the Coops you’ll see are young birds, which have a brown back and wings, and brown streaks running down the white breast and belly. Adults have a slate gray back and wings, with orangey barring across the breast and belly. Coops of all ages have a very long tail with broad brown and gray bands. Photos taken in Woodland Heights and White Oak Park display the progression from nestling, to juvenile, to adult.
Want to learn more about the birds of the ‘hood? Check out the Bayou City Birding resources of the White Oak Bayou Association at WhiteOakBayou.org/resources-and-zines and take part in the monthly bird survey at Woodland Park.
- Wendy Wright
Nominate a Bird of Houston by July 15, 2019 /
Recommended by City Counselor Karla Cisneros at the July WHCA general meeting. What's your vote for The Bird of Houston? https://houstonaudubon.org/birding/birdofhouston.html
Official symbols reflect the cultural heritage & natural treasures of areas. Countries and states recognize emblems like flags, birds, flowers and seals; and every city has its own unique spaces and things residents cherish. At Houston Audubon we treasure birds, people, and natural landscapes, and we are proud to be a part of the Houston community.
Join us in celebrating Houston by helping us select a bird species that represents our bayou city. We take pride in our hometown and we want to hear from our fellow Houstonians which bird inspires or connotes emotion or thought when you think of Houston.
Is it the Great Blue Heron foraging along the bayou or the Great-tailed Grackle scoping out the local HEB parking lot? We want to hear from you!
Nomination period ends July 15, after which we will narrow the submissions to the top 8 birds based on votes. The winner will be determined via brackets beginning on July 22. This will include head-to-head voting in 7 different rounds (with 3 days of voting for each round) until we have the winner. All of this will be happening right here, so be sure to bookmark this page! We'll announce the winning bird at the beginning of our 50th anniversary Bird Week festivities (September 21 - 28, 2019).
Creature Feature: Yellow-crowned Night-Herons /
They came back and are doing well!!! The Yellow-crowned Night-Herons that is. The Live Oak trees on Bayland hosted a large number of nests this year, with the birds having built only a few nests along the avenue during the past few years – probably as a result of the aggressive tree trimming performed by a city contractor in 2015 while the trees were filled with nestlings. This year, each block of Bayland that provides a full canopy averaged two nests, with an average of two to three chicks from each nest in the process of leaving the nests – or “fledging.”
For the next couple of weeks, we’ll see the fledglings walking around (please drive mindfully) and making short flights around the neighborhood as they build up their strength. Soon, they’ll be easy to spot along the banks of the White Oak Bayou, feeding on a wide assortment of crayfish and other crustaceans, fish, frogs, toads, insects and even the occasional snake. If you look carefully, you’ll also be able to spot Yellow-crowns roosting in trees in White Oak Park and Woodland Park. In the fall, most will leave the area, heading to wintering grounds along the coasts of Mexico and Central America.
Yellow-crowns take on many looks, with the full adult plumage not achieved until the third year. Young birds are mostly brown with white markings. Gradually, they’ll morph over to a slate gray color scheme, with the flashy black-and-white facial markings of the adults added last. A series of photos taken in the neighborhood and along the bayou illustrates the transformation from quasi-dinosaur to svelte adult to ancient mystic.
If you’d like to know more about the birds you can find in the Woodland Heights and along the bayou, check out the Bayou City Birding Zines and Posters that can be downloaded from the website of the White Oak Bayou Association at WhiteOakBayou.org/resources-and-zines. The first of these zines features the Yellow-crowns and five other herons and egrets that can usually be spotted along the bayou.
- Wendy Wright
Feeling The Byrne on Father's Day /
The epic battle unfolded on Saturday, June 15, when fathers on the 400 block of Byrne challenged their kids to a rematch of an annual Father’s Day weekend tradition. Mike Bennett, Cory Clechenko, Scott McBride and Raul Ramos, reinforced by honorary block “dad” Kirk Carver, lobbed water balloons, ducking and weaving the return fire from more than a dozen boys and girls. Drenched and out of breath when the ammunition was exhausted, the battle was called a draw, with fun had by all!
Thanks to Megan Mastal, also of Byrne St, for sending in the story & pictures.
Creature Feature: NikKi Prochaska! /
This month I'm exercising canine editorial privilege to acclaim Ms Niki Prochaska as the Creature Feature! Niki lives at 204 Byrne with Mike & Kamile Prochaska and Family. She just this past weekend reached her 14th birthday, which is a major milestone for a Labrador Retriever. In years past, she'd say hello to Shadow and I. Julio and I still see her regularly when we get down to Byrne Street. She's always ready to greet us and give us a wag.
According to Kamile, "Niki is a wonderful dog! Although she is 14 and weighs 80lbs. Her preference is to be a lap dog. She follows us around the house and lays her body as close to us as possible at all times, and if we do not pay attention to her, she commands attention by barking at us until we do. No one can be hugged in our house without her included. Her body may be slow, but she has the mind of a 2 year old puppy! She loves to play, bark at birds and garbage trucks, and chase cats!"
Niki is an inspiration. I hope I do as well at that age. - Gwen Espinosa-Graves
Your Canine Contributing Editor
We call this the “Creature Feature” highlighting the fact that we’d welcome pics that are not pets. Birders! I’m talking to you! See an especially great turtle in the park, grab a pic with your phone. Send it along to communications@woodland-heights.org.
Creature Feature #3: Milo /
Milo came to join our family in February 2017. Someone in the neighborhood found him as a puppy wondering along the bayou and posted a lost dog alert. We responded that he wasn’t ours but we’d happy to give me a home! We spent a few weeks searching for his owners. Leads came in from other neighbors, we had him checked for a chip and called local vets but we came up empty.
We were more than happy to welcome him into our family though! Now he happily keeps watch on our corner. Every morning and afternoon Milo waits for Travis kids to say hello. If he’s lucky, a game of chase happens through the fence or someone reaches through to throw his tennis ball. He also loves playdates with his many four-legged friends in the neighborhood!
Christina DeHaven
Milo one of several dogs that comprise the NoMo Canine Mafia, which also includes Bear, Bo, Bruno, Duke, Lucy, Luna and Sam. We see at least some of them every day. - Editor
Creature Feature #2: Amelia Stowers' Menagerie /
The Stowers family lives on Highland Street. Their daughter, Amelia, loves animals and has seven pets, including her new basset hound puppy, “Spots” and her bearded dragon, “Sunset”. “Spots has long ears that drag the ground”, Amelia explained. And her father Greg said, “And Sunset will ride on Amelia’s shoulder and not jump off.” These are some cool pets!
Amelia Stowers, Spots & Sunset.
A holiday Brontosaurus.
This editor, while out walking our dogs, recently observed the unveiling of their latest addition, a very bright Brontosaurus, just for the holidays.
WH Creature Feature #1: Duke /
From the Editor: You may recall (or perhaps not) that some months ago I floated the idea of a Pet-of-the-Month. After all, there are quite likely as many pets in WH as there are people. And they are often full-fledged members of the family. It took until this week for someone to offer up their pet for this first installment.
I call it the “Creature Feature.” Beyond merely being seasonally appropriate, this highlights the fact that I’d welcome pics that are not pets. Birders! I’m talking to you! See an especially great turtle in the park, grab a pic with your phone. Send it along to communications@woodland-heights.org.
Duke: A Labrador / Great Dane Mix.
We rescued Duke as a puppy around Christmas time last year. He loves to go to the dog park and play with dogs of all sizes even though he's usually the largest. When he's not playing at the park, you can find him lounging on the front porch or taking up an entire couch. Even though he's over 100 lbs, he still our big ol' lap dog!
For love of screech owls: 25 years of hosting owl families /
My husband (Old John) and I have been hosts to screech owl families for about 25 years. The accommodation is a nesting box with a hole so the birds can have a room with a view.
Screech Owlet
We got worried about the family in residency in the box a few days ago. The last time we had seen the mother owl in the hole was on Saturday, April 21st. When we didn’t see her Sunday or Monday, we figured the babies had fledged (not a good night for it because there was a major storm at about 2 am). So, on Friday, April 20, after checking the hole several times a day, Old John went out to take down the owl house (we do NOT want to host squirrels). The next thing I knew he was telling me we had a problem.
He had discovered he couldn’t open the top of the nesting box. As he worked with it, he felt feathers. He figured one of the owls had died in the box so he carried the box to the back yard so he could bury any remains. Using pliers, he finally got the top open only to have a tiny owlet scurry out to try to hide itself in the mulch under an azalea. Old John was horrified.
I immediately called the Texas Wildlife Coalition, which has a Houston branch whose responsibility is to rehabilitate wild mammals, amphibians, and birds. After a conference with the person who answered the phone and then conferred with the bird specialist, it was decided to put the house back up in the tree and monitor it to see if the parent(s) appeared. If not, we’d have to take the baby to the wildlife people.
So, Old John went back out where he discovered that the owlet had tried to get back into the nesting box but had gotten stuck. Apparently, owls do not know how to back up. So, very, very carefully, he moved the little fellow backward into the box. The owlet then played dead. With the house cover back on, Old John gently raised the nesting box back into position in the tree.
We began our vigil at 6:40 pm. We were afraid we might miss a parent, especially because I suspect they observed the entire nesting box debacle. Staring at a hole in a box in a tree is tiring. I had to fight to stay awake. By 8 pm, it was dusk and I could no longer even see the hole. Old John thought he saw the baby in the hole so I sent him for the binoculars. I then sat for 20 minutes with the binoculars staring at the hole. At 8:20, we saw the flash of a wing (the underside is whitish) and then a clear view of a parent flying into the box. Voila! So the baby hadn’t been abandoned. We believe the parents will continue to feed it until it is big enough to fledge.
Epilogue: We are certain this is the second baby. Screech owls usually lay a second egg from several days to several weeks after the first (probably to ensure the survival of at least one owlet).
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Editor’s note: This story has been submitted by Rosie Walker, with permission of her anonymous friend who is devoted to assisting wildlife survival in our urban environment.
How to prevent typhus, which is on the rise in Houston area /
Woodland Heights and surrounding neighborhoods are home to numerous animal species: both family pets and wild critters. The Texas Department of Health Services (TDHS) issued a health alert Nov. 30, 2017, dealing with the connection between animals and people. This alert is relative to increased incidents of flea-borne typhus in the Dallas and Houston areas.
Here is advice from the experts:
- Don’t leave pet food out at night
- Use flea-control products as advised by your veterinarian
- When handling sick or dead animals, wear gloves
Flea-borne typhus is rarely fatal; however, it can be lethal. “Since 2003, eight deaths have been attributed to flea-borne typhus infection in Texas. When left untreated, severe illness can cause damage to one or more organs, including the liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain. ... Prompt antibiotic treatment is recommended; treatment should not be delayed pending diagnostic tests,” warns TDHS.
Typhus is easily treated in the early stages. People of all ages can be infected, but over 25 percent of cases occur among those between the ages 6 and 15.
For more information (it’s very clinical), visit http://www.dshs.texas.gov/news/releases/2017/HealthAlert-11302017.aspx