Mary Cummins Wildlife Rehabilitation Animal Advocates News Los Angeles California

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

2013 annual report by Animal Advocates, Mary Cummins

Here are a few things we've accomplished in 2013.

Wild animals we rescued for release

▪ 128 Fox Tree Squirrels
▪ 103 Opossums
▪ 37 Raccoons
▪ 33 California Ground Squirrels
▪ 11 Gophers
▪ 18 Striped Skunks
▪ 76 Pigeons
▪ 22 Wild bunnies
▪ 6 Coyotes
▪ 3 Bobcats
▪ 7 Foxes
▪ 34 Rats
▪ 32 Mice
▪ 16 Pip bats
▪ 19 Hoary bats
▪ 27 California myotis bats

571 wild animals, 94% release rate (2% euthanized, 4% died)

Domestic animals we rescued

5 House Bunnies
11 Cats
27 Red eared slider turtles
7 Iguanas
72 Koi fish
22 Domestic rats
13 Domestic mice
7 Hamsters
2 Parakeets

166 rescued, all rehomed except the one cat Lily which is currently available

Exotic pets transported out of state

We have permission to bail exotic pocket pets for transport out of the state. We bailed and arranged for transport 17 exotic pets.

754 total animals rescued.

Other activities

Animal Advocates received the 2013 Top-Rated Award by GreatNonprofits
Paid to spayneuter 23 animals owned by others
Added five new large outdoor enclosures thanks to a very generous grant
Gave wildlife presentations at seven public events
Uploaded 35 new animal rescue videos to YouTube
Now have over 4,500 YouTube subscribers
Now have over 7,100,000 video views on YouTube
Now have over 51,000 Facebook fans
3 humane coyote exclusions
Consulted with three cities about educating the public about coyotes
Helped with the CHULA Mayor convention
Taught a class for small mammal rehabilitators
Responded to over 1,000 emails asking for animal advice/help from all over the world
Responded to over 1,100 phone calls asking for animal advice/help
Over 500,000 hits on our website Animal Advocates http://www.AnimalAdvocates.us
Over 2,000,000 hits on our website Squirrel Rescue http://www.mary.cc/squirrels
We were approved for our new native species exhibiting permit by Fish & Wildlife
Were named top non-profit by LA Business Journal
We are an approved rescue by Adopt-a-pet.com for 2013
We were interviewed by a seven year old girl for her school report on skunks
We were part of the "We Love Wildlife Campaign" for the the US Attorney of California
We gave a presentation on animal cruelty investigations to Animal Defense League

Every year we have to say a few sad farewells. Goodbye to Mari Shepherd who was a wonderful volunteer and Porsche the squirrel may she rest in peace. With every year there are of course many thanks.

Thanks to Dr. Kenneth Jones and his wife Suzann for all their amazing help.
Thanks to Dr. Jennifer Conrad for the Paw Project documentary.
Thanks to Lockwood Animal Rescue Center who took Sirhan the wolf.
Thanks to Bob Barker for helping them.
Thanks to all who made monetary donations especially to pay the ransom for Dexter opossum and the raccoon that was being prepared to be used for pitbull fighting bait.
Thanks to Jenny for our new Prius rescue mobile.
Thanks to Franco for help dealing with our car.
Thanks to Eldad Hagar for helping animals and us.
Thanks to PETA for trying to stop the "Possum Drop."
Thanks for the hay and amazon.com donations.
Thanks to everyone in the food recycling program.
Thanks to Russ Berger for rescuing a squirrel from his car.
Thanks to Brenda Barnette for allowing us to pickup wildlife from the shelters.
Thanks to new Mayor Eric Garcetti for all his help with animals.
Thanks to Governor Brown for allowing us to rehab mountain lions.
Thanks to people who helped transport animals.
Thanks to all the volunteers. Thanks everyone for all the love and support. And a special thanks to anyone I accidentally left off the list and our anonymous donors.

2014 Marks our 12th year as a non-profit organization. We have a lot of new things planned!

▪ We're looking for a new property with more land that backs up to city or state park land.
▪ We'll be rewriting our wildlife rehabilitation manuals and finishing a book.
▪ We'll be redoing the websites.
▪ We expect to get our wildlife rescue numbers back up. They should be over 1,000. The economy has really taken a toll on our finances.

If you're doing some year end tax planning, keep in mind that Animal Advocates is a 501 3c non-profit corporation recognized by the IRS and Attorney General. All donations are tax deductible. Our PayPal button is on our website http://www.AnimalAdvocates.us or you can always send a check to

Animal Advocates
645 W. 9th St. #110-140
Los Angeles, CA 90015-1640

That's a P.O. box so don't deliver animals there.

Thanks from everyone at Animal Advocates for caring about animals. We wish you a happy and wonderful New Year!

Mary Cummins, MaryEllen Schoeman and everyone else at Animal Advocates
http:www.animaladvocates.us

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

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Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

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Mary Cummins of Cummins Real Estate Services has been in real estate since 1983, over 35 years. She is licensed by the Bureau of Real Estate Appraisers. Mary Cummins was an agent and broker licensed with the California Department of Real Estate selling residential income, commercial buildings, raw land and homes for Merrill Lynch Realty in Beverly Hills and Westside Properties in Los Angeles before concentrating on appraisals. Mary Cummins currently provides real estate appraisals, expert witness testimony, historical research, legal real estate research for mortgage brokers, banks, lawyers, factors, insurance companies, financial consultants and private individuals. Mary Cummins was born and raised in Southern California. Cummins attended Beverly Hills Good Shepherd Catholic School and Beverly Hills High School. Besides being on the Dean's list, Mary Cummins was a top ten national swimmer and competed on the men's water polo team. Mary Cummins began college at the age of 15 attending the University of Southern California on scholarship, majoring in Psychology/Sociology. http://www.animaladvocates.us http://www.facebook.com/AnimalAdvocatesUSA

The truth about "Angora" - Animal Advocates, Mary Cummins

Angora rabbit, wool, fur, inhumane, pluck, shear

The truth about "Angora." Angora is the soft downy shed undercoat of a moulting Angora rabbit. They naturally shed three times a year. The already shed fur would normally be brushed or plucked which should not be painful. I brush my bunny, skunky, kitty when they shed their under coat and they enjoy it. Factory farming and greed has caused some to pluck or shear ALL the fur off the rabbit which is inhumane and not even true "angora." Because we humans can no longer be trusted to harvest angora humanely, we should not buy angora products. I just wanted to point out that angora wasn't always inhumane.

We humans bred "angora" rabbits to have long, soft fur. Some have angora rabbits because they just love them. Others comb out the undercoat to sell as angora wool. We also bred some cats, dogs, other animals for the same qualities either just for aesthetics or for commercial use for clothing, fabrics.

These animals would not survive in the wild without humans to brush and maintain their unnatural coats. Should we have bred these animals for these traits which we then exploit for our own wants and needs? Maybe 500 years ago these things may have been needed for human clothing, i.e. angora, cashmere, fur, silk, leather, suede... Nowadays we have cotton, hemp and other plant based products which we can use to make clothing.

My personal feeling is that we shouldn't use animals for anything. It's not even mandatory for human survival. I wear cotton and not wool. I don't feel we should be breeding these animals for human use. I feel the same about animals as food. We bred the modern chicken, cow, pig, goat, sheep. Their original form was very different than today's animals.

I realize that everyone feels differently about this. The only thing I really care about is that animals be treated as humanely as possible. Ripping the fur off or shearing a rabbit is not humane. It's animal cruelty.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Mary Cummins

Cute baby wild bunnies! Animal Advocates, Mary Cummins, wildlife rehabilitation

Baby wild bunnies! Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates, wildlife rehabilitation, Los Angeles, California

Baby bunny, Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates, wildlife rehabilitation, Los Angeles, Califoria

Baby bunny, Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates, wildlife rehabilitation, Los Angeles, California

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit
Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates rescues kitties and bunnies in Los Angeles, California, real estate appraiser

Bunnies and kitties rescued by Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates, Real Estate Appraiser, Los Angeles, California

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Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates rescues domestic and wild bunnies in Los Angeles, California, real estate appraiser

Some domestic and wild bunnies rescued by Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates in Los Angeles, California.

Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates, Real Estate Appraiser, Los Angeles, California

Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit
Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Mary Cummins

Eastern gray, eastern fox squirrels don't adversely compete with native western gray squirrels - Mary Cummins

Eastern gray, eastern fox squirrels do not adversely compete with native Western gray squirrels - Mary Cummins, Animal Advocates

Our native squirrel is the Western Gray squirrel. They live in taller, older growth trees generally away from humans and have one litter per year. This squirrel is threatened and their numbers are diminishing. The main reason for their threatened status is human development which isolates populations. They also only live in tall older growth trees which have been devastated by the bark beetle, forest fires and persistent drought. They travel and eat mainly in the trees. They cannot replenish their populations as easily as they only have one litter per year.

Fish and Wildlife, members of the public brought Eastern Gray and Eastern Fox squirrels from the east to the west for hunting and eating well over 100 years ago. These squirrels are in abundance. They are in abundance because they are more adaptable. They can live in new growth trees side by side with humans. They travel by tree and ground to find food and mates. This means there is a wider variety of food available to them. They also have two litters per year.

Nicole Carion a wildlife biologist who is also the wildlife rehabilitation coordinator for California Department of Fish and Wildlife stated "these animals adversely compete with native California wildlife to their detriment and the department recommends euthanasia rather than release." This statement is completely false.

People have merely observed that eastern gray and eastern fox squirrels were introduced to California over 100 years ago. During this same time human development, bark beetle, disease, mange, wildfire, drought...have decimated the western gray population which only live in the foothills in California. Because they only have one litter per year they cannot quickly rebound. Correlation does not equal causation. These squirrels don't utilize the same resources. They don't fight over resources.

If any of you have seen a Western Gray squirrel, they are the largest tree squirrel in our nation. If someone were to put a Western Gray, Eastern Gray and an Eastern Fox squirrel in a room with only one nut, I can assure you the Western Gray would end up with the nut while the other two squirrels lick their wounds.

I have a friend in Chico, California where they have a large Western Gray squirrel population. When I was up there I saw the western grays chase the fox squirrels away from feeders. Fox squirrels did not stand a chance even though they are a somewhat larger squirrel themselves.

Many research studies have been done which show these squirrels do not compete for the same resources. If one were to kill every eastern gray and eastern fox squirrel, the native western gray squirrel population would continue to plummet at the same rate. California would then be left without any tree squirrels except flying squirrels. Squirrels play a vital role in our environment. They plant trees by spreading and burying seeds. Killing eastern gray and fox squirrels is not the answer to the western gray squirrel problem.

Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit
Mary Cummins of Animal Advocates is a wildlife rehabilitator licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and the USDA. Mary Cummins is also a licensed real estate appraiser in Los Angeles, California.

Google+ Mary Cummins, Mary K. Cummins, Mary Katherine Cummins, Mary Cummins-Cobb, Mary, Cummins, Cobb, wildlife, wild, animal, rescue, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rehabilitator, fish, game, los angeles, california, united states, squirrel, raccoon, fox, skunk, opossum, coyote, bobcat, manual, instructor, speaker, humane, nuisance, control, pest, trap, exclude, deter, green, non-profit, nonprofit, non, profit, ill, injured, orphaned, exhibit, exhibitor, usda, united states department of agriculture, hsus, humane society, peta, ndart, humane academy, humane officer, animal legal defense fund, animal cruelty, investigation, peace officer, animal, cruelty, abuse, neglect #marycummins #animaladvocates #losangeles #california #wildlife #wildliferehabilitation #wildliferehabilitator #realestate #realestateappraiser #realestateappraisal #lawsuit

Mary Cummins

Mary Cummins Animal Advocates Los Angeles California Wildlife Rehabilitation Real Estate

Wednesday, November 12, 2014