We visited
Back to the Wild -Wildlife Rehabilitation and Nature Education Center in Castalia, Ohio today. It has been about 10 years since we were there last and a lot has changed in the way of facilities. Andrew's parents are long time friends of Mona Rutger, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, who along with her husband owns and runs the center. Mona took us on a tour where we saw 200 + animals, some permanent residents, who will never be able to live on their own due to their injuries which left them disabled in some way.
Mona was going to be doing a program this evening for a scouting banquet. This flying squirrel was just one of the animals that was going to accompany her. In the photo below she is showing us the adaptations that the squirrel possesses in order to enable it to fly. Some people confuse these squirrels with bats! Hard to believe isn't it?
She transports the flying squirrel in a sock. He enjoys being in it and feels safe although she admitted that he occasionally bites her.
There is a large temperature controlled area at the center which houses the reptiles/amphibian. Mona is showing Andrew a black rat snake. We also saw many salamanders, turtles and other snakes. All the animals eat special diets. She said it cost about $500 a week to feed all the animals housed there. They have three college interns to assist with feeding and care and to give educational programs. In April when the weather gets milder the school children start coming out for visits.
This is a hedgehog that someone bought at one of those exotic animals shows and then abused. Disgusting isn't it? It's been at the center for three years. Notice she is wearing gloves while handling it? That's because of the sharp quills.
There are many species of birds at Back to the Wild. The peregrine falcon and the very vocal barred owls are a few of the permanent residents. We also saw orioles, doves, red headed woodpeckers, wood duck, herons, kestrels etc.
Among the owls were short earred, long earred, barred owls, a barn owl, screech owls, and great horned owls.
The Red fox was sunning itself when we came by and then the white fox (which was a product of selective breeding of red foxes) came out later to play with its pen mate. People buy some of the animals at flea markets and from unscrupulous dealers and then later when they are unable or unwilling to care for them since they are, after all wild animals, they dump them off with Mona.
The photo below I took from inside the one of the eagles cages. I'm in the doorway. What you can't see in the photo is another corridor to the right that the staff encourages the eagle to fly up and down daily for several miles per day in order for it to get exercise. There are several eagles and some of them are housed in seperate areas depending on what type of rehabilitation they are undergoing. This one will be released into the wild after it regains its strength. Some have been injured by flying into power lines, others hit by cars, some poisioned or shot. It is illegal to shoot federally or state protected birds of which eagles, hawks, and most migratory birds are included. Exemptions are turkey's, some species of ducks and geese in season and with a state hunting license.
This eagle was infected with West Nile virus which left it completely blind. It was found near death and was nursed back to health. She has been at the center for 17 years and goes to many programs throughout the community with Mona.
Andrew's dad is observing a bobcat who seems to enjoy attention. He's lifting his chin toward the sun in this photo. Touching the animals is not allowed. They don't name them either because the are wild animals and thus treated as such.
Back to the Wild is a really neat place and Mona is a tireless worker; the facility is well run and spotlessly clean. The center is non profit and they rely totally on donations. They do impressive work teaching kids and with public programming about wildlife and conservation and the environment. It's well worth a trip but you should call in advance to confirm hours of operation.
We visited Back to the Wild -Wildlife Rehabilitation and Nature Education Center in Castalia, Ohio today. It has been about 10 years since we were there last and a lot has changed in the way of facilities. Andrew's parents are long time friends of Mona Rutger, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, who along with her husband owns and runs the center. Mona took us on a tour where we saw 200 + animals, some permanent residents, who will never be able to live on their own due to their injuries which left them disabled in some way.
Pipsqueak is a wild rabbit that lives in our back yard. Andrew named her; we think this is her 4th year in residence. The above photo is about 2 years old. She's very pretty. We usually see her nest filled with babies during the spring since she often puts them near the house and we observe her comings and goings. This year she has been lounging near the rabbitry and under the deck. She's not really bothered by our presence and doesn't run away unless somedoggie (Daisy) approaches her. Last night I took a photo of her resting under the arborvitae next to the lilac bush. (I had the camera in my pocket for some reason...). Andrew was dredging the leaves out of the pond just a couple steps away from her.
He then decided he was going to get the "better" camera (which it is) and she uncharacteristically took off like a lightening bolt as soon as he got in position.
and Martha brought us a bunny cake that she and Zack made.
All rabbits are loaded into carriers except Duke who gets to run
All cages are disinfected with fire. All trays are emptied, bleached and rinsed. Surfaces in the rabbitry are scraped with a wire brush as necessary, gone over with a flame, and then wiped with bleach and allowed to dry. All bottles and bowls are cleaned and bleached. Manure is removed from the floor of the rabbitry and fresh cedar chips (leftover from a wood working project) are spread on the floor to make everything smell nice and absorb some of the dampness. All adult angoras are given ivomec to prevent mites. It's a lot of work! My aunt and uncle stopped by with their grandson Zack, to see the rabbits. My uncle said "you do all this for rabbits". My friend Kim also stopped by and joined in the fun. She left with 200 pounds of fresh manure - she's prepping her vegetable garden.
Zack is enjoying the company of Garnet and Daisy.
Bob is helping too by putting together a new pen for Dylan.
Andrew relaxes after the work is done. (He gets to do the cage disinfecting). I do all the scraping and cleaning inside the structure of the rabbitry.
