Back to the Wild steps up often

When it’s nobody’s responsibility, whose responsibility is it?

It was a 30-mile drive to Back to the Wild Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Castalia, one hand holding the wheel and the other cupping a badly injured robin. Two hours earlier, Deb and I had happened upon the little guy, its right wing severed at the wrist but otherwise alert and active.  But now it had fallen into shock and things weren’t looking good.

And here’s a different sort of nightmare…

Imagine it’s Sunday afternoon and you’re driving a country road when you come across a grounded red-tailed hawk. It was hit by a car and can’t use its wings. Now also suppose there’s no Back to the Wild or any of her sister non-profits like the Ohio Wildlife Center in Columbus, Nature’s Nursery in Whitehouse, Glen Helen Raptor Center in Yellow Springs or the Lake Erie Nature and Science Center near Cleveland.

What would you do?  Who could you call?  There is no governmental agency at the federal, state or local level tasked with the responsibility of caring for injured wildlife. The Humane Society has its hands full dealing with orphaned and abandoned pets and you’d be exceptionally lucky to find an overworked veterinarian with the skillset, facilities and time to help you.

Also, however much you might want to try to take care of the hawk (or for that matter, an injured robin, squirrel or raccoon) yourself, that option isn’t open to you either.  It is illegal for anyone to possess a native wild animal unless licensed by the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

But fortunately, some wonderful people have taken it upon themselves to say, “This is something we will do.”  As of 2016, there are 74 licensed wildlife rehabilitators in Ohio. Many of these specialize in just one or two services such as caring only for raptors, reptiles or orphaned mammals. Others work with a wider array of injured wildlife but don’t include community outreach and education in their mission.

A small number of facilities, like Back to the Wild, have combined wildlife rehabilitation and community outreach in roughly equal measure. Boy, does it ever.  In a typical year, the facility takes in between 2,000 to 2,500 injured animals — birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians — with an astonishingly successful release rate of about 60 percent. In 2012, the staff of just seven full and part-time employees fielded over 15,000 phone calls, traveled more than 23,000 miles to rescue injured animals and gave over 500 educational programs to over 70,000 children and adults.

But here’s the thing. Back to the Wild’s operations are 100 percent dependent on donations. The group receives no funding from state or federal sources and is not supported by any tax monies.  And while each year demand for services have steadily increased, donations have not.

Again, when it’s nobody’s responsibility, whose responsibility is it?

Several years ago, in a New Year’s letter to friends of Back to the Wild, Executive Director Mona Rutger wrote: “A most difficult part of being a wildlife rehabilitator is to help people realize and understand that not every animal can be saved and shouldn't always be rescued, if it is truly nature taking its course…death in nature is as much a part of the cycle of life as is birth. However, if a wild creature's injuries are human-related, we feel we have a moral obligation to intervene and do what we can to make up for our carelessness with our planet, and give that wildling a second chance to be returned to the wild!”

I learned later that my little robin had expired by nightfall. I’m wondering now, since its injuries had almost certainly been the result of a predator’s attack, if I should have just left the animal be. By handling it, I may have actually hastened its demise. But it’s hard not to want to help.

One of Mona’s senior staff members, Sammie Villa, shared a few suggestions about other well-intentioned but misdirected efforts to lend a hand. If you discover a bunny or fawn all balled up in your backyard, don’t assume it’s been orphaned. Moms often leave their babies to go foraging; a doe might only spend a few hours a day with her offspring.

If you do find an animal in desperate straits, call a rehab facility like Back to the Wild (419-684-9539) before collecting it. If advised to bring it to the facility, it’s best to just keep it warm and quiet; offering food or water is usually counter-productive. Cow’s milk is especially problematic as most animals are lactose intolerant.

Check out http://www.backtothewild.com/ and call for a guided tour of the beautiful facility.  And if you drop a dollar in the bucket on your way home, you’ll have answered my question.

Ken Baker is a professor of biology and environmental studies at Heidelberg University.