Rehabbers To The Rescue

Meet the Heroes Who Gladly Answer the Call to Care for Wildlife.

- Heather Lamb

When Kathy Stelford was 5, her father, Lane, found a cedar waxwing that had been hit by a car. He told her that if it survived the night, they’d take it to a nearby bird hospital. The waxwing persevered, and the three made the trip the next day. Afterward, the experience was all Kathy could talk about. More than 60 years later, rescuing animals is still all she can talk about. Kathy founded Oaken Acres Wildlife Center in Sycamore, Illinois, and she’s one of an extremely dedicated group of certified rehabilitators who give injured and orphaned animals a second chance at a natural life.

But caring for animals isn’t always smooth sailing; it takes a lot of effort. Nestlings, the youngest baby birds, must be fed around the clock—four times per hour for 14 hours each day. And a lot of prep work goes into those feedings. Rondi Large, who runs WildCare Foundation in Noble, Oklahoma, compares it to a Thanksgiving meal: Days of planning and preparation and hours of cleanup are required for meals that are gulped down in a flash.

The constant feeding keeps centers busy during “baby season,” which is at its height from about March to September, and most centers bring in extra hands to keep up. Rondi, for instance, works with 20 to 30 volunteers per week during those baby-intense times. Her center cared for 6,400 animals last year.