The fires that ripped through Altadena and Pacific Palisades not only leveled the homes of people, they also destroyed wild animal and bird habitats. And as weeks have elapsed since the start of the ember storms, those injured animals are now emerging, often malnourished because burned paws or talons prevent them from catching food.
At the Pasadena Humane Society, the wildlife is tucked in a wing past the kennels of cats and dogs evacuated from the Eaton Fire. Since the disaster, Pasadena Humane has taken in at least 75 wild creatures, with a recent spike in injured bobcats reported to officials.
A bobcat wandering a neighborhood in the Eaton Fire zone and hit by a car is now recovering at Pasadena Humane. The animal suffered a broken pelvis, but is expected to recover. Photo courtesy of Pasadena Humane.
Lauren Hamlett, the Pasadena Humane wildlife director, says the animals often get injured or inhale smoke during the fire, then become emaciated and weak. Animals brought to the organization are treated for smoke inhalation before other injuries.
The initial wave of wounded wildlife included a red-shouldered hawk with burned talons and singed feathers.
A red-shouldered hawk burned its talons and feathers in the Eaton Fire. It’s now recovering after being treated by vets at Pasadena Humane. Photo by Susan Valot.
A news crew covering the fire early on brought in an injured house finch, which suffered burned feathers that limited its ability to fly. “You can see his wings are really singed, and so it’ll take a long time for him to grow those back,” Hamlett says. “So he might be in rehab for a while.”
You might think birds would fly away if there is a wildfire, but that’s not the case. Birds are often territorial and their area can be small. If they leave, even amid a fire, other birds could attack them.
“Smaller birds [are] probably going to try and hide. They’re not necessarily going to flee their entire territory,” says Jaclyn DeSantis of the Ojai Raptor Center.
Peacocks like this one were a common sight as they roamed the streets of Altadena. This peacock in a cage at Pasadena Humane suffered burn injuries to its feathers and feet in the Eaton Fire, to the point that it needed to get a toe amputated. Photo by Susan Valot.
Pasadena Humane saw an initial trickle of animals, followed by a bit of a lull. But now they are seeing more of an uptick, particularly in injured bobcats coming in. That’s typical after a fire, according to guidance from the Wildlife Disaster Network, created in 2020 to deal with situations like this and modeled on the Oiled Wildlife Care Network after the Exxon-Valdez oil spill.
“Pretty much anything coming in now is going to be fire-related because it has affected our entire ecosystem, even the areas that weren’t actually burned down,” Hamlett says.
That means animals can ingest ash that contains heavy metals, lead and asbestos.
The humane society has taken in a skunk with an eye infection. Of the bobcats that have come in, many are suffering burnt paws, but one was hit by a car and broke its pelvis. It’s expected to recover.
That doesn’t seem like a fire injury, but the wild cat ended up on the roads because it was displaced and roaming the neighborhood.
Early on, a firefighter spotted a black bear with injured rear legs near a hiking trail in the fire zone, but crews weren’t able to capture it. Another black bear was found holed up underneath someone’s house in Altadena, uninjured.
Hamlett says wildlife might be out at weird times because they’re looking for new territory.
“A lot of these animals are urban wildlife that take refuge underneath people’s houses or behind composts or under sheds or things like that – in the urban environment. And now that’s all just leveled,” Hamlett says.
Wildlife officials recommend that you don’t put out food or water for the animals because it prevents them from getting to new territory quickly where they can survive and thrive. Let them pass through, but call or text officials if you spot one that’s injured.
Pasadena Humane is a busy place these days. On top of caring for wildlife, the organization is still trying to reunite evacuated and lost pets from the fire area with their owners.