08/26/2026
When I was young… many moons ago… finding an injured or orphaned wild animal meant something very different than it does today.
There was no list of wildlife rehabilitators to call. No network of people waiting to help. No Animal Help Now. Wildlife rehabilitation, as we know it today, simply wasn’t a thing.
So if you found a baby bird, a squirrel, a rabbit, a raccoon, or some other wild animal that needed help…
You brought it home. You figured it out. You cared for it.
That’s honestly how I started.
Back in the late ’70s.
I didn’t have a title. I didn’t have a license. I didn’t have a network of other rehabbers to call.
I just had something that I still have today:
Empathy.
I couldn’t walk away from an animal that was hurting.
And thankfully, we have come a long way since then.
Today, wildlife rehabilitators exist. There are people who have dedicated their lives to caring for the animals that humans so often find in their most vulnerable moments.
But here’s the part I wish more people understood (and this might sound like a rant, if so, I'm sorry):
There just aren’t enough of us.
We are spread out.
We are limited.
We get full.
We get overwhelmed.
And some of us are doing this completely alone.
June to August is one of the hardest times of the year.
Baby season is at its peak. Intakes are coming faster than animals can leave. Some rehabbers are caring for dozens, sometimes even hundreds (🙋♀️), of wild animals at once.
And behind every one of those animals is a mouth that needs to be fed.
A medication that needs to be given.
A wound that needs to be treated.
A cage that needs to be cleaned.
A baby that needs to be warmed.
A life that depends on us.
Sometimes there is only one person doing all of that.
So when you call and we don’t answer…
It does not mean we don’t care.
It often means we are standing knee-deep in laundry, cleaning cages, syringe-feeding babies, treating an injured animal, or simply trying to keep up with the impossible number of lives in our care.
We will get back to you.
But while you’re waiting, there are things YOU can do.
Safely contain the animal in a box, tote, pet carrier, or other secure container with air holes. Keep it covered and dark. Put it somewhere warm, quiet, and away from children and pets.
Then keep calling.
Keep texting.
Contact every rehabber you can find through the KDFWR wildlife rehabilitation listings or on www.animalhelpnow.org.
And please don’t assume that because one rehabber is full, everyone is.
Call the next person.
And the next.
And the next...
Please don’t let distance stop you.
A rehabber farther away may have space. They may have volunteers. They may know someone closer who can help.
Sometimes, yes, you may have to drive.
Because rescuing an animal doesn’t end when you pick it up.
And this is the part I really need people to hear…
Please don’t turn your fear and frustration into cruelty toward the person trying to help you.
Please don’t say or send messages like:
“I guess I’ll just let it die then.”
Those words hurt.
Not because we don’t understand that you’re scared.
We do.
We know exactly how heartbreaking it is to see a wild animal suffering.
But when you use our compassion against us, you are hurting the very people who are already giving everything they have to help.
Don’t make us choose between carrying your guilt and carrying the animals already in our arms.
We are not employees of Fish & Wildlife.
We are not employees of the state.
We are not county or city employees.
We are volunteers.
Volunteers.
We chose this.
We chose the sleepless nights.
We chose the endless cleaning.
We chose the bottle babies.
We chose the emergency calls.
We chose to give up weekends, holidays, vacations, sleep, money, and so much of our personal lives because somewhere along the way, we looked into the eyes of an animal that needed us and said…
“I can’t leave you here.”
That is what brought many of us into this.
And that is what keeps us going. But, there is only so much we can do. Only so much we can handle.
So when you find an animal in need, please remember that there is a human being on the other end of that phone who probably already has more animals than they know how to manage.
They are tired.
They are overwhelmed.
They are probably covered in p**p or skunk spray.
They may be crying.
They may be running on three hours of sleep.
But they are still trying.
Please be kind to them.
Be patient.
Make the calls.
Do your part.
Be willing to travel.
And remember that rescuing that animal means more than picking it up and handing it to someone else.
It means taking some responsibility for the life you chose to save.
You rescued it.
Now help us save it.
We’ll do our part.
Please do yours.
Because at the end of the day, we are all here for the same reason:
We believe that a life matters, even when it’s wild.
Rant over.
I'm sorry.
***enjoy this photo of our little BobbyJoe Bobkitten
