Squirrel Rescue Story- Part Three - Richmond Wildlife Rescue

I "friended" Melissa Stanley on Facebook several years ago after we met briefly at an event sponsored by an animal welfare group we were both supporting at the time.  I believe it was Joey Stanley, her beloved mutt who had his own page, who sent the friend request.  Melissa was actively involved at the time with raising awareness about canine cancer, since Joey had been stricken and was a survivor. I was showing and selling my art at an event to raise money for a local canine cancer awareness group. As years passed, Melissa began posting about wildlife rescue as well.  The next thing I knew, she was on her own, raising funds with the dream of opening her own facility to not only rescue, but house and rehabilitate the injured.  So I "cyberstalked" and checked on her posts now and again.  This girl was going to make it happen.  

And so she did.  I wish the facility had been opened when I rescued a Cooper's Hawk off of I-295 after it careened into the corner of a tractor trailer.   

At any rate, the Richmond Wildlife Center and Animal  Services of Richmond opened very recently in the Midlothian area of metro Richmond, making it accessible to nearby counties. And not too soon for my injured squirrel.  The facility is on the second floor above the Winterfield Veterinary Hospital. The use of the space is generously donated by the landlord of the building.  Although they are not affiliated and are completely separate entities, Winterfield does generously donate the use of equipment if needed, and their reception staff will notify RWC when a rescue client arrives. Donation is the key word I heard over and over when talking with Melissa.  This 501 C-3 operates on the generosity of others.  I'll get back to this at the end of this post. 

I asked Melissa about the two names - Richmond Wildlife Center (the business entity) and Animal Services of Richmond (the corporate name.)  In short, this allows the facility to be a full-service practice which provides service not only to native wildlife, but also to non-native (exotic) species that may be kept as companion animals.  For example, the young squirrel would be the former, the Pekin duck and Mute Swan that were rehabilitated earlier this spring would be the latter.  While she is in no way "in competition" with local veterinarians, many do not service exotic animals, so this gives those animals in distress another option for care. 

Once I had the squirrel ready to go, I loaded her in my van and headed to the center.  I had been on the phone several times with Melissa during the rescue attempts, but my call kept dropping (thanks Verizon!) At least we were able to communicate well enough to know I was doing the right things or have her direct me with instruction, and finally to let Melissa know I was on the way once I was able to contain the youngster.  Which, by the way, quoting Melissa, "Comparing her to a human, she is a rambunctious teenager and very wild now. She is technically classified as a juvenile here in our center." 

When I arrived, I'd been requested to leave the squirrel in the car.  Since the rescue facility is on the 2nd floor of a veterinarian office, it wasn't a good idea to risk mixing domestic and wild animals.  Melissa also had told me to keep the car ambient and quiet, to keep the stress level down if possible during the ride. Once they assessed the size of the squirrel, they very quickly were able to move her to critical care.  First I filled in a page with basic info, who, what, where, how, basically.  The entire transfer could not have taken more than 5 minutes and I was on my way home. 

What impressed me was 1. how calm Melissa and her volunteer were and 2. how organized they were.  I was handed a business card with a patient i.d. number so I could check on the squirrel. And that I did.  Melissa very nicely handled each of my questions with direct answers and not once did she treat me as if I was intruding on her time. Considering it is spring and she and her volunteers are incredibly busy, that speaks volumes. Our goal has been the same - either humanely euthanize the creature if she could not be helped, or nurse it back to health and bring her home. 

I will add here what Melissa has told me about the care of the squirrel at the facility.  "Your squirrel on arrival was put under anesthesia and her wounds were cleaned thoroughly. She was scrubbed with betadine and her deep wounds were flushed with sodium chloride. She did very well during the procedure and she was on pain meds for several days and on antibiotics for 14 days. We had to hand feed her twice a day as her lower incisors had been knocked loose. This was no easy task and required 2 people and thick safety gloves in order to feed her. 

She was moved outdoors several days ago to begin the acclimation process. She is still on schedule to be released tomorrow, weather pending."

So, there ends Part Three of the squirrel rescue story.  Can you imagine feeding a wild squirrel with gloves? I have nothing but admiration for the determination of those who do this type of work and volunteering. 

Depending on how the release goes, I may post a Part Four. I will do a follow-up at the very least. 

Now, back to donations.  As with any non-profit, Richmond Wildlife Center depends on the generosity of others. Melissa speaks well of her corporate sponsors as well as the local veterinary community for their donations of time, personnel and equipment. I plan to offer a donation, and based on what I've experienced with this squirrel, I know it will barely begin to cover costs.  But a little is better than none.  For anyone interested in donating, go to this portion of the website for  Animal Services of Richmond more information.  

Or simply write a check to either Animal Services of Richmond or Richmond Wildlife Center and mail it to :  

Animal Services of Richmond

P.O. Box 14694

Richmond, Va 23221