Around two weeks ago, I came across a small bird on its back on the side of the pathway leading to my house. This poor bird was riddled with ants, making agonizing chirping sounds as if pleading for help. The birds perched in the tree that loomed over the young bird did nothing, and I didn’t understand why they wouldn’t help one of their own. At that given moment, I was at lost of what to do.

That’s when I learned about All Things Wild Rehabilitation Inc., an organization centered around nursing orphaned, sick, or injured animals back to health. Although the organization does not currently have a permanent facility, founders and volunteers work out of their homes to get these so-called “unimportant” animals back onto their feet and into the wild.

In order to understand more, I met with Veda Allen ‘19, who has been a member of All Things Wild for a year and a half. Allen works under president Helen Laughlin, and primarily sees songbirds and other small animals back into a stable condition.

“I have worked with possums, skunks, squirrels, birds, mice, along with the occasional goose or bigger animal,” Allen said. “Skunks are my favorite animal to work with. When they’re babies, they are super cute.”

At those words, I was taken aback; I had never looked at a skunk and had the word “cute” come to mind. I also wondered whether they would still be cute after spraying someone, but to my relief, Allen informed me that baby skunks aren’t able to spray until they’re at least 4 months.

“No matter what, you’re going to get bit, sprayed, stung, etc. eventually because it’s part of the experience,” Allen said. “But it’s worth it.”

With experience and simply working with animals in such dire situations, rehabilitators and volunteers sadly come upon situations where humans are at fault.

“The worse I have seen was at the hands of a human,” Allen said. “A woman had called claiming she found a wild bunny and wanted to drop it off so we could help it. From the start, it was clear that this wasn’t the case: the bunny was domesticated.”

Allen further emphasized how frustrating it was when people lied about details regarding an animal they’ve found. When animals are brought in, it’s essential for rehabilitators to know the specifics in order to correctly go about helping it. When people lie, usually because they don’t want to admit they’ve done something or fed it something they shouldn’t have, rehabilitators are unable to take into consideration what was done wrong by the people and may not address it. When the issue is ignored, the animal may not make the expected recovery.

“This bunny, which we later named Harriet, was in a box and couldn’t move because she had been laying in her own feces for who knows how long,” Allen said. “This woman had just neglected her, playing it off by say Harriet was wild. Most of the animals that come in usually don’t encounter human neglect or inexperience; however, Harriet was a special case.”

Unfortunately, Harriet was severely underweight and unable to control her urine; Allen and her mother ended up taking Harriet in, and, as a result from Allen’s care and comfort, is currently doing a lot better than before.

With my newfound knowledge of All Things Wild, I have realized I’m no longer afraid of a situation I thought I couldn’t control. Now, I can make a single phone call and know that the animal in need will be in safe hands and will hopefully be able to get back on track in no time. In fact, my brief interview with Veda was enough to spark my interest in further developing my love for animals. If you’re equally a devoted animal lover as I am, I would suggest taking a look at All Things Wild!