Helping wildlife: upcoming opportunities

Posted 8/21/12

One of spring’s many delights is the arrival of wildlife babies. Their survival is sometimes put to the test, as happened to seven red fox kits found in a Walmart parking lot in Trexlertown, PA. …

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Helping wildlife: upcoming opportunities

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One of spring’s many delights is the arrival of wildlife babies. Their survival is sometimes put to the test, as happened to seven red fox kits found in a Walmart parking lot in Trexlertown, PA. Fortunately, they were rescued by the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center (PWRC), which has cared for tens of thousands of injured and orphaned animals since its founding in 1983.

Directors of the non-profit organization, Kathy and Eric Uhler and a dedicated group of volunteers strive to rehabilitate and release healthy animals back to the wild, while also providing education to the public and promoting community health and safety. The facility takes in more than 1,000 animals annually.

PWRC is based in Stroudsburg, PA and licensed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As one of very few resources available, it serves Monroe, Lehigh, Northampton, Wayne, Pike and Luzerne counties.

After leasing property from the Nature Conservancy for the past 12 years, PWRC is attempting to purchase and renovate the property to establish a permanent home for the injured and abandoned wildlife of Northeast Pennsylvania and to continue to serve all of us who share our lives with those wildlife. A crowd-funding campaign will be wrapping up soon, so visit www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/raise-the-roof-for-wildlife/270275 to learn more and to lend your support.

In addition to seeking volunteers, PWRC posts a list of other needs on its website. One of the greatest is for specialized baby formulas for the fawns, bear cubs, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, foxes and squirrels in their care. Visit www.poconowildlife.com to see how you can buy formula as a gift for PWRC, which goes through a dozen 20-pound tubs yearly.

To learn more about this outstanding and important facility and the special folks who run it, plan to attend their upcoming annual open house on June 10, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will be tours of the facility, live music by Acoustic Kitty Project, a bake sale, refreshments and items such as T-shirts, hats, kites and more on sale to benefit PWRC. Admission costs $9 for adults and $5 for children ages 12 and under. Volunteers are needed before and during the event; sponsors are welcome; and donations are being sought for the silent auction and tricky tray.

Contact the Uhlers at 570/402-0223 or email pocowild@ptd.net for more information.

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