A Glimpse At The Lives of Rehabilitators,
Animal Care Givers, & Animal Specialists
A Glimpse At The Lives of Rehabilitators,
Animal Care Givers, & Animal Specialists
| You are tired. It is late, and you have already worked a 12-hour day. But you just received a phone call about some baby raccoons that someone found. An hour later they arrive in a tattered cardboard box; they are scared, cold and haven't eaten anything for days. You thank the person who brought them to you, and now your work begins. After a thorough examination of each one, you have found no injuries, or dreaded maggots, or signs of disease; but you note that their emaciation level is life threatening. They only weigh about half of what they should. Dehydration has caused their eyes to look "sunken in." One by one, you give each a needed bath to rid them of the stench of the dumpster where they were found. And after the babies' body temperatures have been brought up to normal, you begin to feed them clear fluids with baby bottles. As weak as they are, they growl and fight you, nipping and squirming. Well past 1 am, you put them to bed on warm towels in a container on a heating pad. You take a quick shower and hurry to bed, knowing that 6 am will come quickly. Over the next few days, the babies make slow but good progress, even the weakest one that you thought would die is looking pretty good. As the babies learn that you will not harm them and merely provide yummy meals, they now greedily accept the bottles of formula you offer. When they finish nursing, all four babies cling to you making raccoon purring sounds of contentment. You feel their tiny precious toes kneading your sweatshirt. And months later, when the day comes that you take them to a safe place deep in the woods, you watch them walk single file along a gentle creek. They all glance back once for reassurance, even the runt, who is now as strong as any. Then, one by one, they disappear into the forest. You feel the tears stream down your face . . . you have done well. |
Wildlife Rehab Journal
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3:00AM Ron gets up to feed four baby squirrels, two of which are only 10 grams in weight. At 3:30AM, it’s back to bed until morning. 7:00AM The phone is ringing. Someone has a baby bird which was injured. They are given some numbers of rehabilitators closer to where they are located. 7:15AM The morning feedings begin. Bottles are prepared and warmed for the fawns, formula is heated for the squirrels, skunks, and raccoons. Baby bird food is warmed. Baby birds are fed first. While Ron goes out to the deer enclosures to feed the fawns, I begin to feed squirrels. 7:30 AM Ron comes back up from the fawn feedings and begins to bottle feed the baby skunks. The phone rings. A sandhill crane has been hit by a car in Osceola county. The crane is still alive. The people are willing to take the crane to Boggy Creek Animal Hospital. 8:00AM All of the morning feedings have been given to the very young. Fish is now thawed for a blue heron in care, the baby songbirds are fed again, produce is prepared for the wildlife in outdoor enclosures, and we go to complete the morning chores to feed raccoons, squirrels, opossums and birds. 8:15AM But first, the phone rings. Someone in Titusville has an orphaned baby mockingbird. They have no transportation. We call one of our transporters in Brevard county, and she can get the bird for us. Alice and Julia have joined in to help with the morning activities. 8:30-11:00 Four outdoor raccoon cages are cleaned
and fresh food is given, bird and squirrel feeders are filled for those
who live wild on the property, the bird aviary is done cage by cage, with
mallard ducks, hawks, owls, and songbirds given fresh foods and water,
floors are raked, bowls are cleaned or replaced. The squirrel habitat
is done (nuts, seeds, fresh fruits and veggies for all), the opossums in
cages are given fresh water and food. The fawns are given cut vegetation,
sweet feed, and water. 11:30AM Time to begin the mid-day feedings, formulas are mixed in the blender for those which were used up at 7. The baby squirrels are fed first, then the skunks and raccoons, next the fawn bottles are warmed for their feeding. The baby songbirds are fed. 12:30PM Leslie arrives with the badly injured crane. We administer fluids and make him comfortable, but he is critically injured. Pat Lynn arrives from Titusville with the baby mockingbird. He is dehydrated, but looks good otherwise. We rehydrate the mocker and set up a cage for it. The phone rings again. Someone has an alligator swimming in a retention pond in their area. We give them the phone number of the Florida Game and Fish Commission and Conservation Office. Leslie takes the baby squirrels which require 3 AM feedings home with her to give us a break. The baby songbirds are fed. 1:00PM The people arrive with the injured gopher tortoise. He looks pretty badly injured, but we’ve seen worse. We put some antibiotic on the injuries and give him fluids. The baby songbirds are fed. 1:15 PM The sandhill crane has died. Ron prepares for the burial. 1:30 PM Someone calls asking to bring a group of
children out “to see the animals”. We explain that this is a wildlife
hospital, not an attraction, and recommend other places available. The
baby songbirds are fed. Ron buries the crane. 2:00 PM We have several emails. Ron replies to those. I order some supplies and meds and 10,000 mealworms by phone. Songbirds are fed. 2:30 PM A load of wash-animal bedding is put in the washing machine. The day goes on like this until 11PM or midnight, 25-50 calls per day, 6-30 animal patients admitted per day, and so it goes!
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Perhaps this little excerpt will
serve to illustrate just what our days and nights are often like.
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(All Donations are Tax Deductible) - Wildlife Rehabilitation Center 21117 Reindeer Road Christmas, FL 32709 (407) 568-3200 - 
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