By Paula Musto
Open up wide, I silently tell the tiny birds while gripping a tweezer to drop morsels of food into a throng of gaping beaks. It was my turn to feed the little critters as a volunteer for Appalachian Wildlife Refuge (AWR). The half a dozen orphaned wrens need to be fed every 45 minutes and, as a fledging volunteer in the bird room, I’ve been handed this simple task along with cleaning out feather-littered cages.
Not a glamorous job but one that made me feel good—very good—about what we can do to support wildlife, especially animals orphaned or injured, most often due to human activity. Volunteering for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation is a meaningful way to make a difference—not only for animals but also for natural habitats, ecosystems and even ourselves.
Photo by Marilynne Herbert
“It’s my happy place,” says Sue Massi, a longtime AWR volunteer and former board member of the 11-year-old nonprofit. “We are blessed to live in Western North Carolina with its incredible diversity of wildlife. As a volunteer working with animals, you learn something new every day about their behavior.”
This was certainly true after only a few stints of bird-feeding duties. Soon I learned what foods the little critters ate—tiny worms and mushy seeds seemed to be favorites—and that furiously smacking beaks meant they wanted more. I began to identify the species—wrens, robins, finches, sparrows and woodpeckers. Best of all was watching them quickly grow plump and lavishly feathered, ready for release back into the wild.
Injured or orphaned animals are rescued and brought to wildlife rehabilitation centers, like Candler-based AWR, for a variety of reasons. Baby birds not yet able to fly can tumble to the ground when homeowners trim trees and often suffer injuries from neighborhood cats and dogs. Squirrels are commonly hit by cars on our roadways as are slow-moving opossums, turtles and snakes. Ducks and frogs become entangled in carelessly discarded fishing lines and hooks. Lawnmowers disrupt nesting bunnies and other small mammals. Other scenarios include young animals orphaned when their mother dies—often due to a roadway accident or encounter with a predator—leaving the little ones vulnerable and unable to survive without human intervention.
Each year, AWR cares for some 1,500 animals and handles more than 4,600 calls on its wildlife hotline. The largely volunteer-driven organization relies on a team—numbering approximately 120 at last count—trained to assist the nonprofit’s six-member staff. Tasks include animal care and preparing meals for the wild ones, staffing a hotline that handles calls about animals in distress and transporting those in need of rescue to and from the care center. Volunteers also participate in outreach events with ambassador animals in support of wildlife education and conservation. These valuable services free up skilled animal rehabilitators on staff to focus on medical care and rehabilitation.
As the only wildlife rehab center of its kind in the Asheville area, AWR is always a whirlwind of activity and open to new volunteers. This is especially true in September when summer interns, mostly college students, return to school. Those interested in volunteering do not need experience or a background in animal care, says Massi, but should be prepared for work that is sometimes hard, but also very satisfying.
Sound challenging? Rewarding? Fun? It can be all these things, but volunteers are advised that working with wildlife does not mean forging relationships with individual animals. AWR’s mission is to return rehabbed animals back into the wild whenever possible and for that reason human contact is minimized. If an animal becomes imprinted (forming an attachment to a human caretaker), it loses its ability to survive in the wild.
“Our volunteers represent all walks of life, and range in age from 18 to 80 years old,” says Nancy Vergara, the AWR volunteer coordinator. “But one thing we all share is a concern about wildlife. Those who are unable to volunteer their time can also help by following us on social media and donating.”
Vergara began working with the organization as a volunteer a decade ago, helping its executive director Savannah Trantham establish AWR to fill a void in WNC. There were then few, if any, facilities or animal rehabbers to care for injured or orphaned wildlife. Three years ago, Vergara joined the staff, firm in her belief that the organization and its volunteers can encourage people to look at wildlife differently and appreciate the many diverse species that share our planet.
“The work is not at all like caring for puppies or kittens at an animal shelter where volunteers can play with the animals,” Vergara said. “But the work is fulfilling on many levels.”
This was especially true the day I entered the bird room anticipating another lively feeding session, and found the cage empty. Rehabbed and ready to fly off on their own, the wrens had been released—another bunch of critters given a second chance to thrive in the wild.
Paula Musto is a writer and volunteer for Appalachian Wildlife Refuge. To learn more or donate, visit AppalachianWild.org. For questions about volunteering or internships, email volunteer@appalachianwild.org.
