BEHIND THE SCENE AT "BACK TO THE WILD"

Although the following is not an every day situation at BACK TO THE WILD, it is typical of many days throughout the year. I thought you might like some insight into what goes on in a day at a wildlife rehabilitation center. This excerpt is from one of my old newsletters - 1997! That was back when I had no staff to assist me and had a little extra time to get out a newsletter. Those days are gone. The center has grown, animal admissions have increased dramatically, there are more buildings and cages, more paperwork and less time than ever!

JANUARY 20, 1997 - I'm not sure if 4:00 a.m. is the end of a day or the beginning of the next when it comes to my work here at the center. Whichever it is, it is the time of day I usually finish working on required paperwork, State and Federal reports, food and medical records, bills, grant writing, newsletter attempts, e-mails and thank-you's and one final round to check on my newest wildlife patients. As I turn in, I mistakenly think I might get 5 or 6 hours of sleep - but I couldn't be more wrong!

(3 ½ HOURS LATER)

7:30 A.M. - An excited phone caller asking for help for a wild animal in trouble. I ask if they could possibly transport it to the center, where I am willing and able to care for it. Not this day – they want me to come get it - now! Of course, it is not possible to go back to sleep - time is of the essence. After loading a carrier, nets, gloves, medical supplies, etc., off I go - again. And of course, it's not an easy rescue. The goose is hurt, but determined to escape. After the chase and capture, I am disheartened and angry to see his almost severed leg, imbedded with fishing line. I know the prognosis is not good. He's mortally wounded, and I know I cannot help this one. I wonder if it's a privilege or a curse that I am the one that has to end his suffering. I deal with it, but I never get used to it. After arriving home, I realize I might as well stay up because there are three new messages on the phone - more animals in crisis. I return the calls but explain I am involved in multiple rescues in the same time frame and convince two out of three callers I need their help by bringing the animals in. Their assistance helps me out a lot!

It is now 11:00 a.m. and 18 degrees out - every cage has frozen water bowls. After breaking the ice and carrying fresh water to the cages I think I am making progress in getting the day's work done. Another call - the Ottawa County Sherriff has an injured hawk, and wants someone to meet them at the county line. I'm waiting for people to bring in other animals, so I call Earl and Mary Wetzel - faithful volunteers - who don't hesitate at all. They leave immediately to meet the officer and return with a seriously injured Cooper's hawk. Within 20 minutes, I'm on my way to the vets with the unlucky wildling - a 30 mile round trip, but they X-ray and treat the bird at no charge to me. Thank you, Dr. Lynn Arnold, and staff at Critter Croft Pet Clinic, for your kindness and willingness to help me help wildlife! But it's another sad case – the hawk's beak is completely broken away, not repairable, and his wing is broken at the worst possible location. He will never return to the wild. An hour and a half later, I'm home, planning to catch up on the work there. But there's another call – a Screech owl in Woodville has been hurt badly. Frozen in terror, he became the victim of a chain saw, invading the safety and privacy of the cavity tree he chose for his home. No one is able to bring the owl in. More calls to volunteers and Debbie McClure, who lives in Fremont, comes to the rescue. The owl's leg is badly damaged and his wing is broken. A bad day.* I feel angry and frustrated. (Not the entertaining hobby many people think this profession is). Please check those hollow limbs for any furred or feathered creatures before you take down a tree - if the tree really has to come down, its wild tenant can often be successfully relocated. You can call any wildlife rehab center for advice!

1:00 P.M. - The day is only half over. A male cardinal is brought in – a collision with a window, but he's just knocked unconscious. After warming him, he recovers, but before flying off, he looks indignantly at me and gives a purposeful, painful pinch to the hand that set him free. I feel wonderful, as I watch him go. A squirrel arrives - hit by a car. Sadly, his back is broken and I know I must learn to recognize the hopeless cases. More phone calls - advice to a person with an attic full of bats, a dog with a cut foot, (wildlife only, please), school program scheduling (an important part of what we do) and, oh yes, the order of frozen mice - 1,000 of them, is on its way! Start making room in the freezer - the one in the barn, not the one in my house! Feed the hawks and kestrels before dark; make sure the squirrels, all 18 of them, have nuts, acorns and water; feed the geese and ducks and don't forget the Turkey vulture. The fox and bobcat need fresh straw and the tanks of live mice need new bedding - only 9 tanks to clean today.

5:30 p.m. Woops - I better get in the house and get supper going, for the humans who live here! But as soon as I come in, I see visitors outside. I'm thrilled! They've brought supplies – donations of grain and paper towels. It lifts my spirits. After supper, it's back outside to administer medicine, retape splinted wings, and feed the owls and other critters who won't eat until dark. It's windy and cold ~ no it's freezing out! And the water is frozen again. I dream of summer, and it makes it seem less cold.

11:30 p.m. - Finally in for the night - I'm glad I can get to my paper work. I know there will be no time at all in the spring, only two months away, to organize for school programs and field trips, so I spend the early morning hours catching up on that. I lose my concentration, as I go over the day's events, and hope tomorrow is a better day - for the animals! Some days are very good and I know I've helped give a second chance to an unlucky creature of the wild. I think about the 14 animals in the barn, who arrived this week and are recovering and have a very good chance for release. I know it's worth it and I feel privileged to be a part of all this. I really do believe in what I'm doing and I know I will wake up tomorrow with the same determination and positive outlook I started this mission with.

I've not done this alone. Many of you have helped so much and continue to help. My sincere thanks to veterinarians Dr. Marianne Socha, Dr. Jamie Lindstrom, Dr. Lynn Arnold, Dr. Susan Orosz, Dr. Jerry Farkas and Dr. John Maike and their office staffs. My heartfelt gratitude to my wonderful volunteers who assist in countless ways and to the many individuals, students and community organizations who have helped to make a difference ~ and especially to my family for their understanding, patience and support! You are all my inspiration and you are all part of BACK TO THE WILD!

*The next day, a Red-tailed Hawk, a Great-horned Owl, a Screech Owl, a Mallard and a Downy Woodpecker checked in. A great day! They are all candidates for release!