THE HIDDEN HEROES OF WILDLIFE REHABILITION

ARTICLE BY MEREDITH MCKINNIE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLY MOORE CLARK

The stories of Leslie Greene, Jennifer Irvin, and Dale Barry reveal the passion, sacrifice, and expertise required to care for injured and orphaned wildlife.

Wildlife rehabilitation is a largely unseen but essential part of wildlife conservation. Every year licensed rehabilitators step in to care for orphaned, injured, and displaced animals. They provide specialized treatment with the goal of returning healthy wildlife to its natural habitat whenever possible. From tiny squirrels and songbirds to foxes, otters, and birds of prey, these volunteers invest countless hours and personal resources to give wild animals a second chance. This work requires extensive training and strict adherence to state and federal regulations, along with a deep understanding of animal behavior. For many rehabilitators, the calling begins with a lifelong love of animals, something Leslie Greene demonstrated long before she ever became licensed.

At only three years old, Leslie Greene was playing with her dog Little Red at the bottom of a hill outside their home. She threw the ball into the street just as a red sports car came screaming down the road. Without hesitation, Leslie darted into the street to save her dog, as her mother winced in shock. When Mother opened her eyes, the car had veered the other direction and Leslie stood on the opposite side of the road holding Little Red. Mom knew early on that Leslie’s love for animals came with considerable risk. Years later, at 14, knowing her parents believed animals belonged outside, Leslie snuck an orphaned baby goat into the house. Then, after graduating college, Leslie thought, “Now, I can have as many animals as I want.” That lifelong passion eventually led to her wildlife rehabilitation. Today, Greene cares for up to 40 wild animals at a time through River Bandit Wildlife Rescue. As a wildlife rehabilitator, “I focus on the furry and fourlegged,” claims Leslie; think bobcats, coyotes, flying squirrels, foxes, minks, opossums, raccoons, and skunks, alongside semi-aquatic animals like otters and beavers. In this role, wildlife rehabilitators care for orphaned babies, treat injured wildlife, and provide hospice care when recovery isn’t possible.

For wildlife rehabilitators, the goal is always to release the animal back into the wild whenever feasible. In fact, about 50% of the work is preparing animals for release. To ensure a successful return to their natural habitat, the animals must maintain a healthy fear of humans to return to the wild safely. Even animals that bond strongly in care must be de-habituated before release. Despite this necessary distance, the emotional connection to the animals is strong, and Leslie admits it can be difficult to let the beloved creatures go. After spending so much time with them, she comes to appreciate their distinct personalities. The grey foxes have a puppy dog personality, while the red foxes are more like cats. Similarly, the otters are highly social and interactive, and the raccoons are highly intelligent and bond easily with humans.

Becoming a licensed wildlife rehabilitator takes time. Applicants must apprentice under a licensed rehabilitator, endure state testing and facility inspections, ensure species-specific housing requirements, and provide for specialized diets, medications, and formulas. Additionally, different species require unique living environments. For example, coyotes require a 10×25 feet enclosure, raccoons need vertical space because they’re climbers, and skunks need tunnels. Likewise, opossums and squirrels require careful calcium and thiamine balance to avoid metabolic bone disease. Beyond meeting these demanding care requirements, wildlife rehabilitators are ALL volunteers and cover ALL expenses for the care of animals. Expenses include veterinary care, formula, medications, specialized enclosures, food, and equipment. Furthermore, semi-aquatic species often remain in care for years; a beaver can cost thousands annually to rehabilitate properly. Due to the extraordinary out-of-pocket costs, wildlife rehabilitators welcome public donations to care for our local animals.

Leslie’s entry into wildlife rehabilitation is a cautionary tale featuring River, an orphaned raccoon found outside her home. At the time, not knowing the laws against raising a wild animal, Leslie brought River into her home, put clothes on the animal, and hosted a party for his one-year anniversary in her care. However, after documenting her journey on social media, Louisiana Wildlife & Fisheries confiscated the animal. This experience taught Leslie an important lesson: Good intentions don’t change wildlife laws or what is best for the animal. In fact, not every animal alone is orphaned. Raccoon mothers frequently leave their babies during the day while foraging for food. What many humans deem wildlife emergencies are actually normal animal behavior.

Recently, Leslie has fostered Ozzy the river otter, who was orphaned after dogs killed its mother and sibling. Raised through rehabilitation, Ozzy will eventually move to an exhibit at the LA Purchase Gardens and Zoo in Monroe. In the meantime, Ozzy was featured on My Best Friend’s an Animal short film segment available on Hulu, Disney+, and NatGeo. Ozzy is not the only animal to gain public attention. When a watermelon truck destined for the Watermelon Festival in Farmerville wrecked, Leslie gathered up the destroyed watermelons for a treat for all her rescue back home. Soon afterward, People Magazine caught wind of the story thanks to social media and featured Magnolia the beaver in the magazine.  Likewise, River the raccoon became a social media star and caught the attention of Lissy Compton with Mr. P’s Tees who needed a mascot for her T-shirt. As a result, River served as the mascot at Mardi Gras Pet Parade that year. The opportunities continued to grow. Skywalker Sound contacted Leslie about needing baby raccoon noises though the project was protected by an NDA. Since the public is not allowed by law to interact with animals in Leslie’s care, Skywalker Sound shipped the equipment and recorded the raccoons over a few weeks. Those local baby raccoons can be heard in the Disney movie Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 3.

Local wildlife rehabilitator Jennifer Irvin fell in love with squirrels. While she has a strong connection to all animals, Jennifer prioritizes squirrels because it was the first species she rehabilitated. “Taking in an animal and releasing it back into the wild is a feeling that can’t be described, like I’m an integral part of the world,” says Jennifer. With a degree in animal science and a certified veterinary practice manager, Jennifer is lucky she can bring squirrels in her care to work. Pinkies, named for their pink skin as newborns, need to be fed every two hours, but even as the squirrels grow, they need to be fed every 3-4 hours. For instance, one squirrel that stayed on Jennifer’s heart was Pip who arrived as a 2-week old pinkie with a broken leg. Though Pip required a cast, he was eventually released successfully. One of the many reasons Jennifer loves working with squirrels is because of their easy release as they become wild quickly. It’s easier emotionally to let the squirrels go.

Jennifer shares best practices for seemingly abandoned squirrels found in the wild. Foremost, wildlife cannot take in the same type of nutrients that we take in as humans. For this reason, it’s important that they’re not fed; you can put the animal at risk of infection or asphyxiation as they tend to inhale the milk. Instead, you should give the mother a chance to reclaim the orphaned squirrel. If the mother does not return, keep the squirrel warm (using a warm cloth, no direct heat source) until placed with a licensed rehabilitator.

Understanding wildlife diseases is important for the public. Notably, rabies is extremely rare in Louisiana; no one has contracted rabies from an animal since 1957. Because of this rarity, if you see an animal acting strange, don’t assume it’s rabies. Distemper can mimic rabies symptoms. An animal acting unusually tame is a sick animal. For example, it may have been hit by a car or be overloaded with parasites, and with care by a licensed professional, many animals make a full recovery. If it is safe to do so, contain the animal (and wear gloves) until a licensed rehabilitator can be on site.

Dale Barry, who calls himself a “falconer first,” is a wildlife rehabilitator for birds of prey and raptors, helping 40-60 birds per year. He notes that most birds are protected by federal law under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA), enacted in 1918. The law protects nearly 1,100 species of migratory birds making it unlawful to hunt, capture, or kill them without a permit. It was established to address the decline of bird populations from overhunting and the commercial trade in feathers. Additionally, it is illegal for anyone without a permit to keep or care for these protected birds as well. There are a few exceptions of species to this law including European starlings, house sparrows (English sparrows), and rock pigeons (feral city pigeons). The common species of raptors for our area include red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks (like the ULM mascot), barred owls, great horned owls, Eastern screech owls, Cooper’s hawks, and Mississippi kites. Because of these protections and species diversity, Dale notes that most of his time is spent educating the public about these animals.

When it comes to what the public needs to know, Dale cautions that not all birds need human intervention. In many situations, some birds may need help, but often they only need to be out back in a safe place, especially half-grown birds, fledglings, or pre-fledglings. Take, for example, the Mississippi kite. Dale receives numerous calls for this species, but if put back in place, the parents will typically return and care for them. Similarly, barred owls are often hit by vehicles because they hunt mice chasing litter on the roadside. If you come across an injured animal, call a wildlife rehabilitator like Dale to assist the animal. In addition, he welcomes pictures and videos to assess each situation in a timely manner.

One time, Dale received a call that two red-shouldered hawks were terrifying a family nearby his home. The birds were chasing the residents every time they stepped outdoors. Come to find out, a neighbor had been illegally caring for some hawks next door and released the two animals without de-habituating them to humans. The two red-shouldered hawks were only asking for food as they’d been taught during captivity. Dale brought the birds home and de-habituated them by feeding them without human contact, the responsibility of a trained wildlife rehabilitator.

To sum up Dale’s advice, wildlife needs to stay wild. Animals typically pay the price for human intervention. Therefore, contact a wildlife rehabilitator before scooping up a bird of prey, and by all means, don’t shoot wildlife unless it is hunting season for that species. No birds of prey are legal to shoot. Bald eagles, for example, have made a big comeback since federal regulation in 1972 banned DDT pesticides that caused eggshell thinning.

Overall, it’s best to avoid the human-wildlife conflicts we create like trapping raccoon mothers, keeping wildlife as pets, feeding orphaned animals, and raising wild birds without proper training. In many cases, opossums are killed unnecessarily though they play an important ecological role by eating pests and nuisance species. As a direct consequence of these actions, babies are orphaned when the mothers are killed for sport. Ultimately, many rehabilitation cases begin with preventable human actions.

So how can the public help? Volunteer at rescues and see about becoming a subpermittee. Donate supplies and purchase needed equipment. Support Amazon wishlists or contribute to veterinary expenses. At the very least, call a wildlife rehabilitator if you come in contact with an animal you think needs help. And remember, the greatest success isn’t keeping an animal forever. It’s investing months or years of care into an animal that eventually disappears back into the wild where it belongs.

Permitted Wildlife Rehabilitators: www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/permitted-wildlife-rehabilitatorsInfo on Injured/Orphaned Wildlife: www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/injured-orphaned-wildife

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