What it takes

Being any kind of volunteer takes patience, time, money, the love of what your doing and the ability to block out the negative. This is especially true in the wildlife rescue world. Every volunteer has to understand what’s really involved in stepping up to this massive plate, and what it truly means to take a bite in effort to help EVERY wild critter in need.

I thought I wanted to be a rehabber. I started volunteering to transport animals in need between kind-hearted people that find them and the ones that are licensed experts in wildlife rehab. I don’t write this to dissuade anyone, but your eyes need to be fully open before you consider taking the plunge. It’s not a glamorous job, or a massive revenue stream. It’s hard work, it can be expensive, and those kind-hearted, good Samaritans that find wildlife in need also need for you to always pick up the phone when they call. As a frequent “Samaritan” in my lifetime, I’ve always been overwhelmed by the responses to “I’ve found this animal, it needs help now!” and the sudden daunting responsibility laid on the finder to “call all around until someone picks up”. I say from personal experience, I’ve walked away from stepping in to help wildlife in my past just because it’s not easy to try calling a rescue, call again, call another, call 5 more and then you’re stuck with this animal that absolutely needs help you cannot find.

I have also learned just how much it truly takes to get fully equipped and approved to be a licensed rescue, all of the requirements and supplies, space and rules. You won’t get the sleep you used to, and you should go in to this knowing you’re going to get the cute babies along with the heartbreaking cases, the “just needs a bit of help before release” alongside “this animal isn’t going to make it”. Some share photos of the good alongside efforts to fundraise, and I can’t say I blame them for using social media tools to tug at heartstrings. Rescuing animals is pricey and oftentimes thankless. I am disheartened to see the propensity to not answer the call if you can’t deal with those bad cases, or if the critter in need isn’t cute enough for your social media pleas for supplies. I’ve seen rescues pass on helping the non-glamorous finds, say their at full capacity, then the same day they’re taking in an entire litter of hungry mouths. Not everyone behaves in this way. In fact I have friends that take in and share stories of those needing the most care, the unpretty, the heartbreaking, because every creature deserves the same chance. Those rescues have thick skin because arm-chair quarterbacking is very real. I truly adore those that take the hits and just keep on doing what they do. It’s not for fame or credit, or glory and social media hype. It’s truly for the wildlife that’s in need.

At the end of it all, I’ve found that being a volunteer in the wildlife rescue world is kind of crazy, very rewarding, and full of incredibly caring individuals that join for all of the right reasons. They love our wildlife, they want to make a positive impact and hopefully see animals they help go back to the wild. If that’s not the outcome, they sleep knowing they stepped in to end suffering, and to me, that means just as much as the ones you save.

Thanks to all rescues that are in it for the right reasons! Those that want to work with one another and always put the animals first. Every person in the journey of helping our wildlife is a hero.