Nestled into the country side of Blairstown, New Jersey is a very special wildlife rehabilitation center named Antler Ridge Wildlife Rescue (ARWS). This Wildlife Sanctuary is located on a 120-acre preserved farm and provides care and treatment to injured, orphaned or sick wildlife. ARWS is a non-profit organization only supported by volunteers and donations.
The staff and volunteers care for over 20 different species of NJ mammals including; raccoons, rabbits, opossums, fawns, squirrels, and more. I was lucky enough to be able to become a volunteer for the 2019 spring and summer season for when over a 100 animals arrived.
The loss of NJ habitat because of human impact of the land has decreased wildlife populations. As a volunteer I was not only helping the injured animals, I was contributing to the health of the NJ ecosystems. I was also able to educate the public to protect the animals and their homes.
To begin volunteering I had to go to the orientation where Kelly the director went over the volunteer handbook that discussed our duties. Each time I volunteered there was something new and exciting to experience and learn. I would usually go to volunteer during the evening shift. Each different species of animals would have a different feeding schedule as well as a different time to clean their enclosure.
One of the first things to do was to make the food whether it was powered milk or collecting fresh vegetables and fruits. I would start feeding the animals that needed the soonest scheduled feed. If another volunteer was working on feeding a set of animals in an enclosure, we would also take turns cleaning the enclosure for when the animals were returned. While feeding the animals you had to record how much each individual animal ate in a book. In between the scheduled feedings I was to wash and dry the dirty laundry.
Image courtesy of Antler Ridge Wildlife Sanctuary
Depending on your experience you could also help the staff record the information of the new animal patients. While caring for the animals the volunteers have to make sure the animals did not start to rely on human care so they can survive once they are released back into the wild.
It was also my responsibility to observe the animals to see if their health was getting better or worse and if there were any new health issues. I was also lucky enough to volunteer at some of THE ARWS fundraising events.
Being a wildlife rehabilitation volunteer is truly an empowering role because animal’s lives are in your hands. Once the staff and volunteers successfully bring the animals back to health they can be returned back to their natural habitat.
If you want to learn more about what a wildlife rehabilitation center is, become a volunteer, or bring an injured animal to ARWS please visit the center or the website.
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