Wildlife Hospital Helps Native Animals, Fights Ignorance

“Cute” may not be the word that comes to mind when most people think about opossums, but that often changes when visitors to Bailey Arboretum’s new wildlife rehabilitation hospital meet Millie.

“Right from the beginning she was just very friendly,” said Eileen Hagerman, executive director of Volunteers for Wildlife, Inc.

Millie was one of a litter brought in after their mother was killed by a car. She immediately displayed a disposition toward humans unlike that of her siblings - one which would be a detriment to her survival in the wild, so Hagerman uses her to educate people about an animal most only see dead on the side of the road.

“That’s not really normal behavior. She had a lot of eye contact – everybody else would eat and go to sleep, and she’d be staring at people,” Hagerman said. “We knew she wasn’t really going to be releasable.”

The dangers of wildlife developing unnatural associations with humans is one of the key points the group works to educate people about, said Lauren Schulz, one of the hospital’s four full-time staff members.

“While most people are good, there are people that are not good,” Schulz said, explaining that feeding wild animals sends them a message that could get them into serious trouble, as well as being unhealthy for their diets.

“We get a lot of ducks and geese that have terrible, terrible feather conditions and wing conditions” due to diets heavy in bread and other human foods which throw off their nutritional balance, Schulz said.

While education is an important preventative measure, Volunteers for Wildlife specialize in rehabilitating any wild animals native to the region. The non-profit was founded 30 years ago by a retired nurse who had a fondness for birds, and was previously housed at Caumsett State Park in Huntington. The group is tasked with fielding 3,500 calls and rescuing 750 animals per year.

“By the time you get some of these animals, they’re in such shape that it’s incredible they survived to the point that they got here,” Schulz said. “They have such an incredible will to live.”

Not all can be saved, and the frustration can take a toll. Schulz said there are many days when the staff leave feeling hopeless and down, wondering what their efforts are truly worth.

“Some of [the animals], you know they’re in such bad shape that – you don’t want to say it’s a gift, but it’s part of rehabilitation to be able to give them the release through euthanasia,” she said. “Even if the animal doesn’t make it, people are appreciative that they had a place to bring that animal so it didn’t have to suffer.”

Hagerman said she and her staff take comfort in knowing they are providing those cases a dignified end to their life cycle.

“They get to go in a safe environment where they’re comfortable, where they’re fed. It’s a peaceful way to go,” she said. 

For information on volunteering, visit the volunteer application page on the group's website.