Karen S.

My first rescue was long ago. I watched my neighbor remove a robin nest with tiny hatchling robins and dump it into a nearby field. I followed him, found the nest, and put it back up on his drainpipe. Mama robin came back and I watched as she successfully raised all her babies.
Helping wildlife became more important to me as I saw all the trauma humans inflicted upon these creatures. I wanted to give them a second chance to be healthy and free. So after getting my rehabilitation license, I volunteered at a local wildlife hospital and began to learn what was involved in wildlife rehabilitation. Then one day I saw a turtle who was having a hard time and decided to bring her home to see if there was anything i could do to help her. Her head was crushed by a car and ultimately she didn’t make it, but that was the beginning of my life as a home-based wildlife rehabilitator. I learned so much about turtle husbandry, healing and behavior by being able to monitor and treat these animals every day throughout the rehabilitation process. I continue to work as a home-based rehabilitator, but now I specialize in bats. There was a need for a rehabilitator who could care for these amazing flying mammals, and I have spent the past 12 years learning as much as I can about them. I think I have finally found my calling.