300 patients! Plus at least 3 times that many phone calls, texts and emails about wildlife in need. What a year!
Barred Owl
Before I break down the statistics for 2023, here’s patient #300, a female Barred owl who was hit by a car. I treated her with anti-inflammatories, nutritious mice, and rest, and transferred her to our friends at Chattahoochee Nature Center. She will receive the best care in the state for the injuries to her eye and ear and hopefull I’ll get to release her into her home territory soon.
Here’s some intake numbers for the past 5 years:
- 2019- 226
- 2020- 162
- 2021- 194
- 2022-261
- 2023-300
As you can see, the numbers keep increasing. This is due to more wildlife needing help, and better education on services available for orphaned and injured wildlife. 2019 was a real doozy!
Species/Family breakdown
Birds-27, up from 12 in 2022
Bats- 25
Cottontail rabbits-37
Foxes- 2
Voles and mice- 3
Armadillos- 3
Eastern Gray Squirrels- 9
Flying squirrels -2
Striped skunks- 11
Opossums- 175!
Turtles-4
Black rat snake (who swallowed a wooden egg) -1
Everyone’s stays ranged from a couple hours to many months. I have 7 opossums and 2 bats still in my care who will spend the winter here.
The skunks were a big surprise for me! I enjoyed working with them and learning more about their natural history and care.
Not everyone who comes to me survives, unfortunately. Many opossums are too young to be away from Mom and other individuals are too injured. I am grateful to my veterinarian, Dr. Allene Phillips of Madison Animal Hospital, for her skilled care of the injured patients.
Wildlife rehabilitation is an expensive endeavor and I couldn’t provide an iota of care without the generous financial help and donations of care-related items. I am indebted, also, to my volunteers for pitching in to make this work. Sydney Wakeford, Rich Bergins and Dawn Farris came faithfully to lend a hand and share their love for wildlife. I had so many other volunteers who came as they could, and am grateful for their helping hands and great photography.
Expenses
Medications and veterinary care- $2940
Business (including continuing education, operating the website and blog) – $1030
Transportation (picking up, releasing and transferring animals) – $576
Food- $3311 (does not include produce grown here)
Supplies (includes a new outdoor enclosure plus repairs to existing structures, cage supplies, enrichment, medical equipment, and so much more) – $6465
In total I spent $14,322 keeping everyone here cared for in all areas. This does not include all the goods that were donated!
I experienced so much generosity this year and cannot express my gratitude enough.
During the busy season I work 16 hour days and do not draw a salary nor am I compensated in any way. I receive no funding from local, state or federal agencies and everything is done in my home and on my property. My volunteers give their time without compensation and work so thoughtfully and diligently.
All of this is possible because people donated, either out of the goodness of their hearts or when they brought an animal to me.
On my intake form it states that the average cost of care for each animal is $50. If you do the math, you see it does break down to $47.74 per animal!
