Socrates, a turkey vulture, arrived at Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford in 1997 as an immature bird with a leg and wing injury.
Last year was one of the busiest for the Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital at Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford, with treatment for more than 5,000 orphaned baby wild animals of more than 170 species.
“Last year, we ended up seeing 1,100 more animals than we’ve ever seen, so we ended up with 7,703 animals,” said Lisa Franco, Cedar Run’s director of development. “It ended up being a 23% increase, so this year, we’re really trying to be ready for that.”
According to Cedar Run’s website, no matter the species, when the animals come in as infants, they are hand-fed species-specific formula multiple times throughout the day. During wildlife baby season from April through September, Cedar Run’s hospital can have up to 500 wild animals in care at one time and see 100 patient intakes a day. Many species treated are on specialized diets to help them develop as naturally as possible.
“Some of the reasons that we’re seeing the animals come in a lot more are just a few different things …” Franco explained. “We are seeing more interaction with people, so as New Jersey is building up the business and development side of things, there’s less place for the animals to go … We want people to continue bringing (the animals) to us.
“It’s not an issue for us in the sense of, we can’t house them, or we can’t care for them, it’s more about the fact that we need donations to be able to keep up with the incoming of animals.”
As of last September, the most-needed items for the wildlife hospital include tissues, bleach, disposable plastic booties, vinyl or Nitrile exam gloves (medium and large), large trash bags, paper towels, dish soap, puppy pads and isolation gowns. Food items needed include adult dry dog food, adult dry cat food, puppy formula and green and orange vegetable baby food.
“There’s different ways that people can be involved to give,” Franco noted. “It’s not just bringing us an animal, it’s not just donating money … That one animal that you might bring to us really is so much bigger than that one animal.”
If you find an orphaned baby wild animal, Cedar Run advises the following: Visit its website at www.cedarrun.org or call the Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital at (856) 983-3229, ext. 107, for tips on reuniting families. If a baby is injured – attempts to reunite should always be made if the baby is not injured, as being with mom is the best-case scenario – always wear protective gloves; even babies can bite and carry diseases. Keep the animal in a warm, dark and quiet place away from other animals and people and bring any baby wild animals to your closest wildlife rehabilitator if reuniting is not successful.
