Rescuing wildlife babies peaks in spring
It's April 26. Spring is busy for wildlife rescuers. James City County police ask board to extend school speeding cameras to two more schools. Don't miss Town Hall with school superintendent Keever!
Editor’s note: updating to fix misspelling of raccoon.
Springtime is the time for wildlife babies – and it’s the busiest time of year for the dedicated band of local women who rescue abandoned and injured wildlife.
“I don’t know how to say no,” to an animal in need, said Becky Harlow, who runs a wildlife rescue service in Shackelfords with the whimsical name of Max’s Suga Shack Wildlife Rehabilitation.
Harlow rescues baby opossums and raccoons from West Point to James City and York counties and releases them to the wild when they are ready. She named her operation for Max and Sugar, the first raccoon and possum she rescued.
She was bottle feeding 18 infant possums and four infant raccoons when we visited recently.
In Croaker, bird rescuer Julie Wobig was taking in a boxload of baby ducks whose mother had been run over by a careless driver in Hampton. They would go into an extensive collection of baby birds she is currently feeding with help from several volunteers.
“I never wanted to rehab,” we were told by Wobig, whose Tidewater Wildlife Rescue is the only facility with the federal permit to rescue birds between Chesapeake and Richmond. “I’m only doing it because it needs doing.”
The baby raccoons Harlow was caring for were brought in by a tree cutting service in Urbana who found them hiding among trees he had cleared. The possums were rescued after a driver ran over their mother and some siblings.
“It’s gut wrenching” to see animals in need, Harlow said.
As we spoke, she carefully picked up each baby possum and used a syringe to feed them, then stimulated them to urinate.
The baby raccoons were able to drink from a bottle.
When they are weaned, they will go into outside cages where she will observe if they are developing normally and able to fend for themselves before releasing them. She follows the same process for injured raccEdioons and possums she rehabilitates.
The work both women do is seven days a week, demanding and exhausting. They must scrupulously follow state and federal regulations. And no one pays them for the work they do.
Harlow had to undergo two years of sponsorship from other wildlife rescuers – she says they are almost all women – before she could get a permit three years ago from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
“Virginia makes it very hard to get permitted,” she said.
Because she lacks a federal permit, Harlow said she takes any birds she rescues to Wobig.
Harlow depends on donations to pay for the expensive feed, housing and incubators needed in her setup.
York County’s board of supervisors recently approved a $500 grant to help her work. Lofty Dreams Farm in Toano donates fresh produce. Harlow said Veterinarian L.M. Averitt, owner of the Toano Animal Clinic, volunteers her help.
Other people have donated money and supplies, including cages and storage sheds where she can work.
The Shuga Shack is a federally recognized nonprofit, and donations are tax-deductible.
Tomorrow, we’ll talk about how you can help wild birds in distress.
Meet the School Superintendent
If you can’t get a free ticket at our link, Williamsburg Watch will be livestreaming our Town Hall with W-JCC School Superintendent Daniel Keever Wednesday evening. The event takes place April 29 from 7-8 p.m. at the Williamsburg Regional Library downtown.
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