Wildlife Sanctuary

By Jere Hough Meteorologist / Feature Reporter

It's a hospital, a nursing home, and a teaching tool, but to be admitted you have to have either four legs or two wings. Wildlife Sanctuary

Published: Fri, July 18, 2008 - 3:27 pm Last Updated: Wed, July 30, 2008 - 11:50 pm

Jere Hough

Someone shot off half of Amelia's wing...in Kentucky. Lucky for her, there was a licensed sanctuary for eagles three states away...in Pensacola. Clearly, she was not going to survive in the wild. Her cage-mates, two smaller and somewhat-bullied males, have simliar stories. Home now is the Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida.
Dorothy Kaufmann is the Director of the Sanctuary. "We are a wildlife hospital that takes in injured and orphaned wildife. We are also a sanctuary for permanently injured wildlife, and we also are an educational facility."
Everywhere you look outside, you can find some critter looking right back at you. In the nursery, however, baby birds are much more interested in suppertime, which is virtually a continuous event for the volunteers who coax, cajole, or gently stuff the food into hungry mouths...a lot of hungry mouths.
Kaufman says, "We take in three to four thousand animals each year...Hummingbirds to bald eagles, little flying squirrels to white-tailed deer, and everything in between."
All are brought here, mostly by the public. There is no pick-up service.
Kaufmann has some cautions for those attempting to deliver an animal. "No matter what it is, a bird or a mammal...put some sun glasses on or safety glasses, get a pair of gloves, a blanket or a towel, and throw that gently over it." She says to then lift it carefully into a box.
The Sanctuary runs on donations...of money and of time from volunteers...including professionals.
"We couldn't do it without our community veterinarians. They're just phenomenal," she says.
Hurricanes are a double whammy...storm damage, the area is prone to flooding, plus...
"My first thought is not where do I put the animals," sighs Kaufmann, "it's 'Oh, my, how many animals are going to come in and how am I going to get staffing back over here when I get this giant intake of animals.'"
But for 26 years now, even the hurricanes haven't stopped local animals from finding helping hands.