It’s time to look back on 2024! Check our blog between Christmas and New Year’s for a variety of stories and memories of 2024 from the staff and volunteers of the Wildlife Center of Virginia.
At the Wildlife Center, we keep careful track of the animals we treat each year. That’s more than 4,500 during 2024. So far – because as I write there is still more than a week left in the year.
But what that count doesn’t include are the animals that are helped thanks to our front desk staff and vets, without ever having the patient come to our hospital.
It’s the Wildlife Center’s version of Telehealth!
Every year, the Center receives hundreds of calls and emails from concerned and caring citizens about a wild animal they’ve encountered. A good number of those animals don’t need to come to the Center. Those “Good Samaritans” rescuers just need a little guidance and advice.
And, there’s where our front desk comes in.
A quick chat with Jonah or Paige can help a caller understand that the bird they thought was injured is actually a young American Robin, just learning to fly and still being cared for by its nearby parents.
Another caller is worried about an “abandoned baby rabbit” in their garden. But, after a chat with our team, it’s determined that the “little” rabbit is the size of a softball – big enough to be out on its own.
Another caller has a nuisance skunk that has been hanging around. Rather than trap the animal, our front desk guides the caller in ways to discourage the animal from taking up residence under the back porch.
The callers did the right thing. Before trying to trap a wild animal they thought might be orphaned or injured or in need of rescue, they checked in with us. And, our team helped determine that the wild animal was simply doing its wild animal thing.
The folks who share that guidance and advice are primarily our front-desk team – the staff members who tirelessly, patiently, and kindly help callers come to realize that, sometimes, the best thing to do is give the animal some “human-free” space; protect it from vehicles, outdoor equipment, and pets; and do nothing more.
And if it’s clear that the animal does need to come to the Center, those front-desk folks have helpful tips for a safe capture, recommendations for a wildlife transporter, and sometimes even suggestions for a treatment option that might not involve a long drive.
During the spring – what we call “baby season” – it can get pretty hectic at the front desk. The calls and emails seem to never stop, and there’s a steady stream of new patients that need to be admitted. Day in and day out, the folks at the Center’s help-desk are … well, they are helpful.
We recently received an online contribution, with this message:
My niece Deborah … passed away unexpectedly on April 30. A few months before she died, Deb was greatly concerned about an injured goose that she saw regularly hanging around the then-new Wawa on R29 and Greenbrier [in Charlottesville]. She called your organization, seeking help for the poor goose. While I do not believe any assistance could be or was given, Deb expressed to me how kind and empathetic your staff was to her concern. … So, on her behalf, I am making this donation in her memory and with gratitude to you for treating her and her concerns with care and respect.
While the front-desk is staffed daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., each night a Center veterinarian or rehabilitator carries home an on-call phone – to deal with any emergency after-hours situations that arise.
That’s right. Our Wildlife Center team is available 24-7. Every day of the year.
Sometimes that middle-of-the-night call is from someone just seeking reassurance – it’s ok, opossums are pretty common in Virginia, even in the middle of the city. Sometimes that call is about an injured animal, and that may mean that we admit an animal at 2:00 AM.
Dr. Miranda shared with me this story about a recent call:
I was finishing up paperwork around midnight and got a call about a hit-by-car opossum … The caller had already contacted highway patrol. He was calling me to double-check that there was nothing we could do for the animal. I explained that this injury means there’s severe trauma and carries a very high risk of infection, and that we euthanize these cases. The caller understood, and we had a nice chat while he was waiting for animal control.
I often can’t do much for the animal in the moment, but I like being able to reassure someone late at night and help them find the right resources for the animals they find. People are often very appreciative and have usually been calling around for a while, so by the time they get to us they’re often happy and willing to follow my recommendations.
So, as we near the end of 2024, I want to sing a song of praise and gratitude for heroes, sung and unsung:
- The veterinary healthcare team that treats thousands of sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals;
- The front-desk team that helps untold thousands of other animals that don’t need human intervention;
- The Wildlife Center’s behind-the-scenes team who keep the Center running smoothly. Those who care for the building and outdoor enclosures. Those who maintain our online presence. Those who do the record-keeping and balance sheets. Those who care for our ambassador animals and come up with creative enrichment for them. Those who develop new programs to bring our message of wildlife care to schools and into the world.
- And, of course, the kind and caring donors who make all of this possible.
THANK YOU!
– Randy Huwa, Senior Advisor