Introduction
When I first became interested in becoming a licensed wildlife
rehabilitator in 1984 I had done what a lot of people have done after
finding an injured, orphaned, or displaced creature; I brought it home,
then realized that I had no idea where to go from there. Most of the time
I fumbled around, especially with orphaned babies, and in spite of my best
efforts, they would die, leaving me feeling quite guilty and inadequate.
In the mid 1980’s I became acquainted with a couple who for ten years had
taken wildlife into their home to care for until it was well enough to be
released back into the wild. I decided to volunteer to pick up animals in
my area, and do initial first aid until they could be transported to their
shelter. This arrangement worked for quite sometime, giving me the
opportunity to learn as I went along. In the meantime I applied for my
rehabilitator’s permit with the state of Florida and within a few weeks I
received my permit even though I had no practical experience.
The ink was barely dry on my permit before the couple who I had relied on
to guide my every move decided to divorce, leaving me the only licensed
rehabilitator in a twenty five mile radius to do all species of wildlife.
All of a sudden people were bringing me migratory seabirds that I had
never seen before much less know what to do for them. Injured animals,
orphaned babies, you name it and I’m standing there with a glazed look on
my face, without a clue. I managed to survive, but unfortunately some of
my patients did not. There was no one to turn to. Veterinarians rarely
know much about wildlife and most do not want to know. It’s extremely
frustrating to really try to do your best to save a creature only to find
out later that it died because you should have done something else. Trial
and error and a wonderful group called the International Wildlife Rehab.
Council who offer literature on raising, care and release of everything in
the wild has allowed me to gain the knowledge that I could have received
nowhere else. Over the years I’ve had hundreds of calls from people who
are genuinely concerned, but have no idea what to do when they find
wildlife in distress or if it is really in distress or exhibiting normal
behavior.
That’s the reason for this book. It is impossible to cover everything
necessary to rehabilitate wildlife successfully. Only experience and time
can do that, but I hope to give you the basic necessities and hope that
common sense will do the rest.
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