Ithaca, NY
(607) 200 4100
wildthingssanctuary@gmail.com
Wild thing, you make my heart sing, you make everything groovy, wild thing.
Mission
Wild Things Sanctuary (WTS) is dedicated to helping native wildlife through rescuing and rehabilitating debilitated and orphaned/displaced animals until they are ready for release back into the wild. Eventually, WTS is also aiming to provide a sanctuary for non-releasable native animals.
WTS is also committed to improving the well-being of wildlife though public education; focusing on how humans can safely and peacefully coexist with native wildlife, and on wildlife’s importance to man and the environment.
The Story of Wild Things Sanctuary
All my life I’ve wanted to help animals, and to learn more about them. I have a few degrees in animal behavior and cognitive & brain evolution, and have worked in various parts of the world studying different species. But something was missing. I felt constrained by academic boundaries, which frown upon focusing on individual animals, their abilities, relationships, needs and expressions. Also, although I love domestic animals, I am not a “dog” or a “cat person,” but a “wildlife person.” How could I combine all of my interests?
About this time I moved up to Ithaca, NY to attend Cornell University. I found out that there was a Cornell Wildlife Health Clinic (WHC) (www.vet.cornell.edu/hospital/wildlife) that needed volunteers. In no time at all I got my required rabies vaccination and was volunteering a few times a week. Soon the wonderful veterinarians there promoted me to a supervisor of the clinic, which enabled me to oversee the recovery of many different types of animals, with many, many different types of injuries. After medical treatment most of these animals need to go some place to recuperate and to learn to be wild again. Baby animals often don’t need medical help but someone to look over them 24 hours a day and get them ready for their wild world. Could I help with this process?
Yes! In 2007 I took the New York State Wildlife Rehabilitator exam (www.nyswrc.org) with a 99% passing grade! This means that I can look after and rehabilitate New York state animals. Unfortunately most birds in New York are considered migratory species, which means that I need a Federal permit to work with them. But this gives me another goal to work towards, and in the meantime I get to work with lots of birds at the Cornell WHC and can refer people with injured birds to Cornell and to other rehabilitators.
With my new license in hand I decided to open Wild Things Sanctuary in an unfinished room in my house. But how the heck was I going to raise the money for Wild Things? To drum up a little publicity and cash I shaved my head, all 26” of hair, and made a movie of the whole crazy process. So far the short YouTube video advertising the event, and my website www.hairlesscrusader.com has raised over $2000! This has enabled me to buy many supplies, cages & aquariums. Plus some people have generously donated supplies. The room is still un-insulated, which means that it gets cold during the Ithaca winter, but until I can afford to get that done, any over-wintering animals will stay in my warmer rooms. Wild Things Sanctuary officially opened 1January 2008! I have also just applied for non-profit status which will hopefully generate more ways that I can help more animals.
Update!
WTS is now Incorporated making it an official corporation! It was granted Inc. status 6 February 2008. This is one step closer to getting non-profit status, and I'm sending in that paperwork hopefully by next week (it's a big application!).
I've also applied for my Federal Bird permit, which, if granted (another big application) will permit be to rehab birds! I'll probably start small with passerines/songbirds and raptors, but once I build aviaries (hopefully this summer depending on fund raising) I can really get going! For the moment, until I am able to build areas with water, I will probably not be able to rehab waterbirds.
Wild Things takes shape!
Thanks to everyone’s generous donations, Wild Things has been transformed! Here are some before, during and after pictures.
Before.....
During (with my brother helping me!)...
After!
Not only was I able to fix the place up, but I’ve been able to buy lots of supplies: Thank you one and all! :)
The room still needs to be insulated, and can get very cold, but one step at a time! On one cold winter's day the temperature was below freezing in the room! For now, any resident that needs warmth can stay upstairs in the warmer part of the house. But a lot of wild animals actually need to be acclimatized to the outdoor temperature before they can be released, so any animal that will be released soon will stay in this chilly room.