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For the Love of Animals
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Angie Leszczak
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Neighbors
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October 16, 2008
Have you ever wondered what happens to injured wild animals? A Red-tailed Hawk with a broken wing, an opossum abandoned and displaced due to a tornado, a turtle whose shell was crushed by an accident, but survived. What becomes of these animals? Who takes care of them?
Karen Becker, D.V.M., M.D., of Natural Pet Animal Hospital & Apawthecary in Bourbonnais is one of the heroes behind these rescues and treatments.
Dr. Becker has a long history of working with animals. From the time she was 14, she knew the care of animals was her calling.
"I always wanted to work with wildlife," Dr. Becker said.
At 14, Dr. Becker rode with a conservation officer in order to experience working with wildlife and learning the responsibilities this position held. Dr. Becker loved the idea so much that the same year, she applied and received her state rehabilitator's license.
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At 16, because the state license limited her to work with native species only - which meant she could not have anything to do with raptors, migratory or federally protected wildlife - Dr. Becker pursued and received her Federal Wildlife Rehabilitation License after apprenticing with Linda Nebbe, another federally licensed rehabilitator.
After brainstorming with her mom and dad on her desire to work as a wildlife rehabilitator, Dr. Becker realized she would have to have a job, in addition to rehabbing, in order to sustain herself. She decided to get a degree in veterinary medicine. This way she could make her hobby a career.
Dr. Becker attended The University of Wisconsin in Steven's Point, Wis. There she attained a degree in Wildlife Management.
After she graduated from The University of Wisconsin, Dr. Becker applied and was accepted at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine.
In 1997, after graduation, Dr. Becker worked at the Berlin Zoo for one year. At that time she realized that she didn't want to limit herself to wildlife. Therefore, she decided to go into private practice.
In 1999, Dr. Becker opened Natural Pet Animal Hospital & Apawthecary, and Feathers Bird Clinic, both located in Bourbonnais.
For 23 years Dr. Becker has been a rehabilitator of wildlife. Rehabbers are different from vets because they are volunteers and receive no funding. Veterinarians, on the other hand, are medical doctors for animals and they get paid for their services. Dr. Becker is both a rehabber and a vet.
There is a lot that goes into being a wildlife rehabilitator. Not only are there licensing fees, but there are costs that go along with the care of the animals. The costs incurred while saving a wildlife creature is absorbed by the rehabber themselves. The vet to whom they take the animal for medical care also absorbs their own costs.
When applying for state and federal level licenses, the rehabber has to have a relationship with a vet who will work with them, in order to receive state and federal licensing.
Dr. Becker started her private practice in order to accomplish two things. First, to satisfy her desire to work with animals and secondly, "To help subsidize rehabbers," Dr. Becker said. The United States does not fund wildlife programs.
"I spent $27,000 of my own money last year subsidizing veterinary services for rehabbers," Dr. Becker said.
There are specific steps that occur from the moment an injured animal is found to the point that it is released. Dr. Becker shared these steps.
- Once an injured animal is found, there is usually a call to the local vet and conservation department as to what actions the lay person should take with the animal. A vet or conservation officer will not instruct a lay person on how to treat an injured animal. In most cases, the lay person will either be asked to take the animal in to the vet, or depending on the injury, they may be immediately referred to a rehabilitator.
- After the animal has been diagnosed and treatment has been decided, the vet will treat the injured animal accordingly. There are only three options when a wildlife patient is brought in.
One: It is treated and put into rehab and then released back into its environment.
Two: It may be decided that the animal is unable to return to its environment because of the extensiveness of its injury, which will cause it to not be able to function in the wild. The animal then may become a permanent foster educational animal.
Three: If neither of the first two are possible, the animal has to be euthanized. This is a federal law.
- After the animal is treated and it is able to be released back into the wild, there are additional steps required, depending on the age of the animal.
If the animal is young or orphaned, there will be timely follow-ups by the rehabilitator after the animal is released. The animal is caged and is put into the wild in a "time release" fashion. The cage contains food for the animal, until it becomes accustomed to hunting for itself.
The cage is opened and the animal is allowed to come and go as it pleases. This is called "hacking." As the animal becomes accustomed to its surroundings, the time out of the cage will become longer than the time in the cage. Eventually the animal will no longer return to the cage.
An older animal has a different method of release. The rehabber will evaluate the cause of the injury to the animal. A rehabber always wants to return the animal to the original environment it was taken from, but if it is decided that the animal could be harmed again if put back into the original environment, the animal will be relocated to a safer environment, with no follow-ups.
Dr. Becker clearly has a love for animals. When asked why there is not an abundance of wildlife rehabbers around Dr. Becker said, "The licensing procedure and because it is all self-funded."
Because of the expense it takes to treat an animal and the additional cost of the rehab time, Dr. Becker said, "People are asked to leave donations when an animal is brought in."
Dr. Becker has seen many rescue situations in her years as a rehabber and a vet. She shared a few of these.
"My most unusual save was when this woman called and swore she had a bald eagle stuck in her chimney," Dr. Becker said. "She told me over and over there was a 26 pound bald eagle stuck in her chimney. First of all, bald eagles are only about 9 pounds. I told her it was more likely to be a wild turkey. She got very upset with me. Once the animal was removed, she saw that it was indeed a wild turkey."
Another instance was when Dr. Becker had the opportunity to save a turtle. The turtle had been in an accident and its shell was crushed. Dr. Becker and her team reconstructed the turtle's shell and returned him to the wild.
Dr. Becker reminds the public that, "(Our) goal is to save an animal, not try to save an animal."
If you are interested in donating to help local wildlife rehabilitators, please contact Natural Pet Animal Hospital at 815-929-9393 or see www.drkarenbecker.com.
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