The Human Element of Wildlife Care

Having worked in ecological field and lab research for the past few years, I didn't think wildlife rehabilitation would be too much of a deviation from my previous work.  I was looking to try something slower-paced that was more hands-on and personal than the research projects I had been a part of previously, and wildlife rehab seemed right up that alley. I had no idea how much my externship would consistently exceed those expectations.

I came to the Wildlife Center still rigidly in a research mindset. When working on the large-scale scientific projects like the ones I had been doing, everything depends on following lengthy and meticulously detailed protocols to a T.  Doing anything other than that introduces any number of variables and compromises the integrity of the data significantly. Having had this research dogma so thoroughly ingrained in me, I started my externship expecting a similar structure, with each action and treatment systematically laid out and closely adhered to. To an extent this assumption wasn’t totally off base. Every species has specific needs that need to be met to give an individual the best chance at recovery. But they also require much more intimate and personalized care than what can be described in any generalized protocol.

This concept first dawned on me very early on in my externship when I first made meals for our patient turtles. The reptile menu indicated to give “chunks of leafy greens” as a part of a snapping turtle’s meal. This seems benign and simple enough to most, but for me, it sprouted a swirling existential confusion. “What kind of greens? How many chunks? What size?” I thought, staring down blankly at the menu. I had become overly accustomed to everything being mapped out down to the millimeter without even realizing it. This began a prolonged phase of me asking these types of inane questions almost constantly, dazed by my persistent uncertainty.

What I learned by the end of my externship is that certain protocols are more of a guideline, and following them requires you to be much more intimately familiar with each patient than I expected. You have to know what type of greens are appropriate for that specific turtle species and must work with whatever random assortment of ingredients have been donated recently. The size and body condition of the patient determines the amount they get, and the size of the food is determined by the capacity of that patient’s mouth, esophagus and ability to masticate. On top of that, any number of health factors, individual preferences and personality quirks may change how to care for that patient in the best way. These are all details you collect as you develop a personal understanding of every animal; each one is an individual with tailored needs, just as we are.

I assumed wildlife rehab would be a simple job compared to the work I had done before, the intensely dense and rigidly detailed protocols of my research positions being replaced by much more unassuming and easy to follow ones. But I found just the opposite to be true. Instead of mastering a few comprehensive protocols, a rehabber has to be constantly thinking on their feet while being familiar with a relentlessly rotating cast of countless species and their associated guidelines, with any number of exceptions and additions that change by the day for every single patient. And just in case it wasn’t demanding enough, it’s very literally a life or death situation. It was truly a test of my capacity for organization and flexibility that I hadn’t anticipated.

Most people see only one side of wildlife rehabilitation, the cute, cuddly, fun side.  “Wow, what an awesome job you have! You just get to snuggle animals all day! That seems like a dream.” This is a sentiment any rehabber has probably heard countless times. The truth is rehab is just as demanding as it is rewarding. They don’t see the endless hours of mentally and physically taxing work that caring for so many living creatures with unique needs truly entails. I certainly didn’t. In actuality, the master’s degree in ecology I am currently pursuing doesn’t even seem so difficult anymore in comparison.

I have always admired wildlife rehabbers, but now it’s with a newfound respect for all the highly intelligent, hardworking and dedicated people that work in this field.

P.S. I was there in the slow season.

--Dan
WCV Class of 2018

Share This Page