Class Teaches Animal Lovers Ins And Outs Of Wildlife Rehab
By Tom Mitchell
The Daily News Record

BRIDGEWATER – The gray “hawk” that Suzy Doell displayed to her students posed no danger to others, or itself for that matter. The bird, part of Doell’s portable set of stuffed animals, served as a visual aid in Doell’s explanation of how to properly seize an injured raptor.

“People from the public bring animals to us,” Doell told the class. “You are responsible for the safety of yourself, your animal and whoever you’re going to be taking the animal to.”

Saturday morning at Bridgewater College, Doell, a wildlife rehabilitator at the Wildlife Center of Virginia, spent two hours briefing her audience on the safe handling of wild animals. The Wildlife Center, based in Waynesboro, held an afternoon session specifically about reptiles.

Both classes are part of the wildlife center’s broader rehabilitation program, which trains individuals to better care for wildlife. The center holds about 12 such seminars a year, said Amanda Nicholson, the center’s outreach coordinator.

“We want to educate people about wildlife, because so many people come into contact with animals that need help and don’t know what to do,” said Nicholson, who earned a bachelor’s in biology in 2001 from Bridgewater.

The rehabilitation class covers the handling of many species commonly found throughout North America, but focuses mainly on fowl, mammals and reptiles. The course gives lessons on such topics as capturing, restraining and transporting an at-risk animal, along with tips on knowing whether or not certain wildlife even need help, and which creatures are too dangerous for humans to approach.

A Fit for Animal Lovers

Saturday’s class drew people from varied backgrounds, but all with a common interest in animals. One pupil, Amber Horn, a freshman biology major at Bridgewater, enjoys working with wildlife. The 18-year-old Belfast resident says she often encounters abandoned baby birds close to her family’s home near the Jefferson National Forest.

Horn said the class gives anyone with an interest in aiding troubled creatures a good overview of how to care for a wide range of injured animals.

“This class taught me facts about animals that I didn’t know,” said Horn, who is eyeing a career in veterinary medicine. “People need to be better educated about animals.”

Contact Tom Mitchell at 574-6275 or mitchell@dnronline.com