The morning after a torrential spring rainfall, a young boy heard a squeaking noise underneath the slide in his backyard. Understandably curious, he went for a closer look. He was surprised and excited to find a baby squirrel.
After making several phone calls, the boy’s mother located Friends of Texas Wildlife, a non-profit, volunteer-based organization headquartered near Magnolia. A wildlife rehabilitator on duty determined that the infant squirrel was likely separated from its mother because of localized flooding and suggested ways to help mother and baby reunite. Animal mothers, the rehabilitator said, can only rescue one baby at a time, and it might take 24 hours for her to find all her offspring.
In this instance, the mother squirrel was reunited with her baby, which is an outcome that happens about half the time, says Lisa Wolling, executive director of Friends. “Our advice is always ‘please reach out to a rehabber,’” Lisa says. “We really want to talk with them.”
Scales, feathers, fur
Wildlife never seems to be on anyone’s radar, Lisa says, until they find an animal in trouble—whether it’s a raptor that has been hit by a car, a fawn with a broken leg, or a raccoon baby that appears to be orphaned. People are often surprised, she says, when they discover there is no government agency that can provide assistance. Furthermore, they also soon learn that it is illegal to keep wildlife as pets: native Texas wildlife that has scales, feathers, or fur are protected.
Fortunately, organizations like Friends have come to the rescue. The mission of Friends is to support the rehabilitation of native Texas wildlife and to promote the co-existence of wildlife and people through education. Friends has existed since 1993, Lisa says, when “a group of rehabbers banded together.” The organization, originally located near Tomball, initially had some county funding and a veterinarian on staff; this set permitted a setting where wildlife rehabilitators trained and mentored aspiring rehabilitators. Everything was going well until 1998, when the group’s funding ended. “Friends of Texas Wildlife became a group of homeless people,” Lisa says.
From 1998 until 2011, Friends existed in this limbo, but a benefactor eventually gave the organization a budget and instructions to find a suitable home. In 2011, Friends moved into its new facility at 29615 Highland Boulevard near Magnolia; it included a house, barn, and carport on nearly four acres.
Friends is funded solely through donations, but generous patrons and periodic fundraisers have enabled the organization to improve its facility. In addition, many Scouts have done their Eagle Scout projects to benefit Friends. Today, Friends’ headquarters includes large aviaries and buildings where animals can be quarantined and rehabilitated before being released. It even has a 100-foot-long flight cage, which allows Friends to have a permit to rehabilitate bald eagles and other raptors. Large birds, Lisa explains, may take 40 to 50 feet to get enough lift to fly, and birds must be able to fly before being released. Friends’ headquarters also has a small gift shop.
Friends has an ongoing need for donations and for more wildlife rehabilitators because dwindling habitat has put more animals in need. “More people are finding things…because now it’s in their backyard,” Lisa says. “It used to be in the forest.”
Although about half the animals Friends assists simply need time and minimal intervention to survive, the other half are legitimately injured or orphaned. Fortunately, Friends can take care of many of those animals at its Magnolia facility; others receive home-based care from about 30 permitted rehabilitators who volunteer their time with Friends. There is no typical volunteer; they are male and female, young and old. What they have in common, Lisa says, is “is a passion for animals, and they don’t mind getting their hands dirty.” Volunteers, she says, usually specialize. “People come in wanting to do everything, but find what they are most passionate about and focus on one or two species.”
Friends supplies veterinary care if needed, and provides not only food and shelter to needy animals, but also the time they need to be reintroduced to their native habitats. While some animals might need just two weeks before being released, others—like baby raccoons—need as much as seven months. “Time is wildly variable,” Lisa says, “depending on species and time of year.” She estimates that Friends cares for about 2,000 animals each year.
“During songbird and baby season, every cage is filled to capacity,” Lisa says, noting most species are raised in small groups to mimic natural behavior. “Once they are healthy and self-sufficient,” she says, “they are released back into the wild in suitable habitats.”
Friends provides care for many native species, some more commonly than others. (Pelicans, alligators and armadillos are some of the least-common species admitted.) However, Friends lacks the housing facilities to care for such species as bats, beavers, otters, foxes, coyotes, bobcats, ducks, and geese. These native species can be referred to other appropriate rehab facilities, but wildlife rehabilitation groups cannot accept invasive species, domestic animals, or exotic species.
Surprisingly, skunks are on the list of animals that are accepted. Rehabbers have gotten “skunked,” Lisa says, but it’s not usual. When a person takes care of a baby animal, she explains, the rehabber becomes its foster mom. “They bond with their caregivers,” she says. Lisa also notes that while Friends can care for fawns, Texas Parks and Wildlife regulations prohibit Friends and other wildlife rehabilitation organizations from assisting adult deer.
Wildlife rehabilitators sometimes develop a sixth sense about which animals will survive. “Some of these animals look so bad when they come in, but you see something in their eyes,” Lisa says. “You can tell they are going to fight for it.” While Friends’ goal is always to nurture animals until they can be returned to their natural habitats, some are too badly injured to survive; for example, an owl with a crushed wing will never be able to fly. In these unhappy instances, Friends must either euthanize the animals or to try to find homes for them as educational animals.
Friends maintains several animals that serve as “educational ambassadors,” including Willie, a one-eyed opossum. Most people, Lisa says, don’t realize how beneficial opossums are. (They are naturals at pest control, because they eat ticks, cockroaches, small rodents, and snakes—even venomous species.) Willie is a great educational animal, Lisa says, because people quickly learn the value of opossums instead of wanting to harm them. “People are more likely to want to coexist with animals they understand and don’t fear,” she says. Friends’ other educational animals include a variety of hawks and owls.
Friends has permits to conduct educational programs, and sometimes take animals to schools for wildlife presentations. The organization also hosts two annual events at its headquarters. Around Halloween, Pumpkins and Possums is an evening presentation that features nocturnal animals; each April, attendees have a once-a-year opportunity to tour the facility. In addition, Friends hosts Critter Classroom once a month, usually on the second Saturday. (Check Facebook.com/savingtexaswildlife to see a schedule.)
People who bring injured or orphaned animals to Friends often want to know if the animals were successfully rehabilitated. Fortunately, if they make donations of any size, they are given receipts that include intake numbers. By calling Friends and referring to those numbers, they can get quick answers.
While the goal is always to return animals to the wild, “release days are always bittersweet,” Lisa says. “The ones that touch me the most are animals we thought were never going to be able to live in the wild again, but they are about to be released.”
For more information, visit ftwl.org.
