This is the time of year I dread for two reasons: the onset of sub-zero cold and the plight of helpless outdoor critters trying to survive another day or night in the cruel weather. And I get to thinking about all the other creatures far and wide suffering terribly in the cold.
In this neighborhood, every fall there are at least three or four abandoned cats wandering so desperately, trying to find a nook or cranny in which to stay warm.
For many years, the next-door neighbor couple and I have worked out strategies to devise warm cobbled-together shelters where the cats can cuddle and be fed. Each early winter, we try to live-trap the cats and bring them to the humane society or to farm owners willing to accept them as barn cats. But cats can be so leery and sly, nearly impossible to capture.
Thank goodness for humane societies and animal shelters and the great animal-loving volunteers who work in them. So many animals were saved and then found happy homes because of them.
Just recently, I discovered another excellent animal hospital/shelter in Minnesota, thanks to a woman who lives in Alexandria. Her brother and his friend one day found two vulnerable fawns huddled together in trembling fear. The two friends made some calls and found out about a place in Garrison called “Wild & Free,” a wildlife rehabilitation center near the Garrison Pet Hospital. The two friends called and were told not only would the center accept the fawns but that someone would drive toward Alexandria to meet them halfway to transfer the fawns to the safety of the center. Each year, Wild & Free cares for more than 20 fawns, not to mention more than 600 animals that were found injured, abused, orphaned or lost.
The city of Garrison is located on the northwest edge of Mille Lacs Lake.
Wild & Free’s mission is “to relieve the unnecessary suffering, provide humane treatment and, if possible, ensure every animal has the chance to return back to freedom in the wild.” It’s a mission all human beings should strive for, but sad to say, too many do not.
Among the critters helped at the center (feeding, medicines, surgeries if necessary, rehabilitation) are black bears, foxes, eagles, hummingbirds, raccoons, rabbits, owls, ducks, turtles, bobcats, beavers, flying squirrels – a virtual menagerie of wonderful creatures in need who are brought to the center from throughout Minnesota.
In 1985, a Twin Cities veterinary doctor, Debbie Skedahl, relocated to Garrison and opened its animal hospital. Nine years later, the hospital’s “Wild & Free” program was vastly extended onto 17 acres near the hospital.
The non-profit center receives no federal or state funding. It stays afloat thanks to many volunteers; membership dues; donations of time, items and money; and frequent fundraisers. The center works in cooperation with the DNR and other animal experts.
I encourage people to check out the “Wild & Free” website. If you need a day-brightener, the beautiful photos on that site will fill the bill: four fox siblings huddled together in their hutch home, eagles being released into the great blue yonder, a photo of a pitiful fawn, its left front leg immobilized by a cast, a sad but hopeful photo because at least the leg is on the mend.
If anyone needs help for an injured or orphaned critter, call 320-692-4180. The line is open 24 hours each day.
On the website, one can learn how to become a member (I just did), volunteer, donate money or give much-needed items. The website is wildandfree.org.
To donate with a check, send it to Wild & Free Wildlife Program, P.O. Box 241, Garrison, MN 56450.
As winter approaches, it boosts my spirits just to know that injured, orphaned or abandoned critters will be saved far and wide, thanks to places like Wild & Free and to our own humane societies closer to home.
