When Christine Cummings was a child
in Illinois, she pretended to be a baby bird that had fallen from her nest whenever
it was bedtime. Her parents had to place her back in her “nest” every night to
get her to go to sleep. It’s a process that came to be called re-nesting, and
it was a sign of what was to come.
Today, Cummings is the founder of A Place Called Hope, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Killingworth that cares
for injured birds of prey and those that have fallen from their nests until
they can be returned to the wild. Her husband, Todd, has learned to climb tall
trees to re-nest the baby raptors as soon as possible, which sometimes involves
building replacement nests if the original becomes damaged in a storm.
“I was destined to do this; there’s
no question,” said Cummings, who admits about 600 hawks, owls, falcons and
vultures to her facility each year and re-nested 23 great horned owl
chicks in
just the first three months of 2019. “We don’t let nature take its course here,
because 98 percent of the injuries are caused by humans,” mostly from vehicle
collisions.
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| Wildlife rehabilitator Amanda Morgillo releases a hawk. |
It takes great dedication – not to
mention a lengthy certification process – to become a licensed wildlife
rehabilitator, but those like Cummings who have completed the process say it is
a tremendously fulfilling endeavor that meets a significant need in the
community. It starts with attendance at a four-hour seminar sponsored by the
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and taught by
members of the Connecticut Wildlife Rehabilitators Association.
According to Vickie Silvia, who
began the process of becoming a rehabilitator in 2016, the class covers a wide
variety of topics, from diet and critical care to animal diseases and caging
for most of the wildlife found in the state. A retired police officer who lives
in Old Lyme, Silvia said the exam that followed the class wasn’t especially
difficult, but it required that she pay close attention during class and study
the manual.
After passing the exam, trainees are
required to volunteer for at least 40 hours with a licensed rehabilitator having
at least three years of experience, and identify a veterinarian who has agreed
to provide guidance and emergency care as needed.
For Amanda Morgillo, finding a
willing vet was the easy part. She works at a veterinary hospital in North
Branford. Both Morgillo and Silvia spent most of their volunteer hours with
Cummings at A Place Called Hope.
“I always learn something new every
time I’m there,” Morgillo said. “Every day is a new experience and a new
lesson.”
They initially spent most of their
time cleaning cages, preparing food, and observing Cummings handle and care for
the birds before getting the chance to get hands-on with the raptors themselves.
Eventually they were allowed to help rescue birds in the field and process
those delivered to the facility.
“My advice is this: when it’s time
to get your volunteer hours, don’t get them all at one place,” Cummings said.
“Get your hours at places with different kinds of animals until you know what
you want to do.”
After receiving their initial
license – officially called the standard rehabilitator appointment – Morgillo
and Silvia were allowed to care for a limited variety of species on their own,
including rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks and opossums. But they chose to pursue
wildlife rehabilitation in different ways.
Despite living in an apartment with her parents,
Morgillo began caring for whatever animals her home could accommodate. “I know
my limits,” she said. “I don’t have a huge space, I can’t build caging, I can’t
have a possum and a squirrel at the same time. So I take in what I can, rescue
what I can, and help Christine as much as I can.”
Silvia knew immediately that she
wasn’t going to establish her own rehabilitation facility at her home. Her
interest was in raptors, so she chose to continue volunteering at A Place
Called Hope.
“The reality of working here and
seeing how much they need and what goes into it made me realize that I was more
interested in staying here and doing what I could for this organization,” said
Silvia. “Unless she throws me out, there’s no way I’m leaving.”
Rehabilitating birds requires a
federal migratory bird rehabilitation permit, which Silvia has not yet
obtained. But as long as she continues to volunteer at A Place Called Hope, she
can help rehabilitate raptors under Cummings’ permit. (Rehabilitating animals
that can transmit rabies, like raccoons, skunks and foxes, requires another
level of authorization – and a series of rabies vaccinations.)
Many newly-certified rehabilitators soon
realize that the time and cost involved in caring for animals at home may be
more than they can handle on their own. But Cummings said that demand for
rehabilitation services is overwhelming, and volunteers are needed for a wide
variety of activities, from rescues in the field and animal transportation to educating
the public and caring for the hundreds of infant rabbits and squirrels that
need assistance during baby season in the spring and summer. It’s not necessary
that every rehabilitator open their home to wildlife.
“Once you know what animals you want
to work with, I recommend joining up with others who are interested in the same
animals,” Cummings said. “Don’t do it alone or you’ll burn out.”
The Wildlife Rehabilitators Association
provides support to new rehabilitators through networking opportunities and additional
training, including classes Cummings teaches on wildlife rescue and transport,
raptor intake and re-nesting.
Morgillo and Silvia agree that every
minute of the work is worthwhile.
“There’s no way to describe the
smile that comes across your face from being so close to these amazing
creatures,” concluded Morgillo. “That they let you in their presence to help
them grow and get them back out there on their own is awe-inspiring.”This article first appeared in the June 2019 issue of Sound & Country magazine.
Interesting read
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