From our Naturalist, Siena:
From foxes to box turtles to hawks to bullfrogs, Flat Rock Brook is home to a wealth of native species. However, native animals aren’t the only ones that have been found on the Flat Rock trails. Not often, but occasionally there is a domestic animal found near our nature center. Whether they were abandoned or wandered away from home, we can’t say for certain. You may remember our beloved lop-eared rabbit, Toasty, who was an animal ambassador with us for many years before being officially adopted by a member of the staff. Toasty was a very lucky rabbit. One winter day he was found sitting in the middle of the trails at Flat Rock. It is very important to remember that Flat Rock Brook is not a rehabilitation center nor are we equipped to care for abandoned pets. However, our caring staff could not leave this domesticated animal alone to fend for himself. While cottontail rabbits are native to New Jersey, domestic breeds, like lop-eared rabbits, are not. Toasty is a breed that is built to be a pet. The floppy ears do not help him stay alert to listen for predators and his large build was not made for hopping away from danger. While rabbits eat vegetation, Toasty’s stomach isn’t used to fresh plants from the branch and he could eat something that could make him sick. Domestic animals do not belong in the wild.
Another animal recently found on the trails at Flat Rock was an Afghan Tortoise (also known as a Russian Tortoise). She was found in early September and brought to our attention by a volunteer who did not recognize it as the native box turtles that call Flat Rock home. The small tortoise showed some abrasions on her shell and looked quite skinny. We gave her some greens and some water and she ferociously began eating. As the name suggests, these tortoises are natively found in desert areas in Russia and Afghanistan. They are also a popular pet species all over the world. They are heat loving creatures, like many reptiles, and are not accustomed to the colder fall and winter months that we experience in New Jersey. I’ve always had a love of tortoises and could not stand to leave her to fend for herself in a habitat she shouldn’t even be in. I took her home and after a few weeks of pretending I would find her a new home, Sunshine became mine. It wasn’t easy. Reptiles require a lot of work and effort, which I had been unaccustomed to. Sunshine loves her heat lamp and the natural sun in her face. However, like Toasty, Sunshine was lucky. We at Flat Rock love animals and we always try to help the animals we find. However, animals like Sunshine and Toasty, cannot be released into the wild. They have lived with people their entire lives. They have been handed food and shelter and do not know how to find it on their own.
Pets should not be abandoned in the wild. This is not only for their own health and safety but for the health and safety of our ecosystem. There are some animals that have been released into Flat Rock that are thriving. The large goldfish and the many aquatic turtles that can be found in our nature center pond are not actually supposed to be there. Physically, they come from similar climates and can withstand the changes in seasons and the conditions in our ponds. While red-eared and yellow-bellied sliders are not native species, aquatic turtles have a place in a pond ecosystem. They may compete with our native snapping turtles, however they are not pushing out this native species and thus, they have not caused the pond ecosystem to become unbalanced. However, the presence of goldfish in our pond is something we would have liked to avoid. Goldfish are hardier than people think. When given enough space, they can grow to the size of koi, much like the ones in our pond. The issue with this is that the goldfish can out compete the native species in our pond, like the pumpkin seed sunfish. In the end, while these pets have been thriving in the wild, our ecosystem has been suffering.
The most important lesson to gleam from these stories is that if you can no longer care for a pet you own, DO NOT release it into the wild. Most domesticated animals will not survive without human help and those that do, can cause damage to native ecosystems. If you’re thinking about adopting a pet, please do your research and understand the amount of commitment and effort it takes to give them a happy home.
Flat Rock Brook wishes you all a Happy New Year with your furry, feathered, and scaled friends!