Becoming a wild life rehabber

[niapet]

Hey everyone. I am finally posting when nothing is wrong with Imp! yay.

Anyway I have been considering going back to school and getting a second bachelor's degree in pre-vet science and then going on to veterinary school. In the interim i was thinking of becoming a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. I live in Massachusetts and was wondering if anyone knows what i would need to go about doing to become a rehaber?

[Anne]

Well, here in Florida you would call the nearest Fish and Wildlife Office. There are in charge of licensing. They will tell you what you need to do. First, find a rehaber in your area, that's the best way to learn the answers to all your questions. Every state has different requirements. Good luck we need all the good people we can get :D :D :thumbsup :thumbsup

[Momma Squirrel]

Wishing you the best of luck and the wildlife community will be very lucky to have another loving and dedicated person to help them. :thumbsup

Keep us posted on how it goes.

[pamela lee]

http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/regulations/cmr/cmr_200.htm#213
GOOD LUCK but you will notice that if you're a licensed rehabber in Mass. you may not own or keep wildlife as a pet ...not even a nonreleasable. So be careful who you let know about Imp.

[niapet]

Imp is illegal here whether I am a licensed or not; so I am always careful whom I tell about him.

Also, after reading the laws governing wildlife rehab, I would prefer to rehabilitate them illegally.. The term "dispose of" was the last straw..

[island rehabber]

niapet you could send PM's to Mars and dmgualtieri here on TSB -- they are licensed Mass. rehabbers and might be able to answer your questions. :)

[niapet]

A little off subject, but has anyone on this board ever proposed starting a multi-state wildlife advocacy and rehab company? Maybe working together to raise capital, in the form of donations, and then establishing key rehab centers around the country?

I, personally, have decided to go back for a second bachelor's degree in pre-vet science and on to grad school to become a vet, since i am sick of working with people and would love to spend my professional time with animals.

So, has this ever been proposed? if not, is anyone interested?

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

No one has ever mentioned it. I really don't think we could ever raise enough money to start even one center. It would be my dream to have my own "real" center and to be able to rehab full time, but do you know how much that would cost just to start, not including actual food supplies, etc.? Sorry, I don't mean to get you down, but just wanted to be realistic.

I wouldn't let the law discourage you from becoming legal. It probably said dispose of in reference to what to do with dead animals. There have to be guidelines because if there weren't there would be idiots out there tossing them in the garbage. I think the main reason that is mentioned though, is because you cannot bury an animal that has been euthanized by injection. There are guidelines for handling them.

[island rehabber]

I'm afraid I have to be grumpy 'realist' when it comes to a multi-state organization for rehabbing, too. The states all differ widely when it comes to their rehabbing laws, and no one organization can please the laws in all states. Not to mention, the general public (in my opinion) is getting worse and worse when it comes to supporting anything but the most 'glamorous' Hollywood wildlife causes. If it's an orca, a baby seal or a wolf you can get people all charged up and giving their money....but if it's baby rodents you want to save, or God forbid those annoying raccoons, forget about it. People think they're vermin and that we are all crazy for helping them. :shakehead

[niapet]

The ASPCA is a muti state organization.. but you are, most probably, correct in your realism. However, are any of you located in the New England area? I would be more than willing to move anywhere in the general New England area to start a center.. Hell, there is an urban wildlife rehab center here in the city i work in (which i am in the process of volunteering at) but they don't have any paid positions.

I am dying to get out of the human services industry.. I hate people and lover animals =P As i said above, I am going back for a second BS in vet science, but I'm dying to get out of this field asap and into animal care in some way.

[Lucky's Mom]

I'm afraid I have to be grumpy 'realist' when it comes to a multi-state organization for rehabbing, too. The states all differ widely when it comes to their rehabbing laws, and no one organization can please the laws in all states. Not to mention, the general public (in my opinion) is getting worse and worse when it comes to supporting anything but the most 'glamorous' Hollywood wildlife causes. If it's an orca, a baby seal or a wolf you can get people all charged up and giving their money....but if it's baby rodents you want to save, or God forbid those annoying raccoons, forget about it. People think they're vermin and that we are all crazy for helping them. :shakehead
I agree with you IR. Not too long ago, the Center that I am associated with had a table at a local Earth Day event. We had posters and brochures and on the front of all our materials was a sweet faced baby raccoon looking straight at you. A woman came right up to me and said "No offense, but raccoons? Why?" Kind of in this are you people crazy kind of way. I had to answer her nicely, but what I really wanted to say was "No offense, you have 6 screaming dirty annoying kids. Why?" and then punch her lights out.

[island rehabber]

I had to answer her nicely, but what I really wanted to say was "No offense, you have 6 screaming dirty annoying kids. Why?" and then punch her lights out.

LM, you are MY kinda girl! :rotfl:rotfl:rotfl:goodpost

[longshotgamble]

Good Luck with your endevours.
I totally understand the I hate people remark, I live in Redneckville and am constantly making enemies as I will report people for mistreatment of wildlife. I am currently trying to get a video of the neighbor shooting alligators in our canal. I know they are fiece beast, but not when they are 3 feet long, jeesh!
My own Mother looked at six baby ooppossums that I had to pick up a month ago and said, "If I were you I would flush them down the toilet now."
I am only one person, but the people I have met thru wildlife rehabbing are on my side and I hope together we can all make this a better place for our future generations.
Stepping of Soapbox....
Peace Love and Happiness to All
Marylynn Gamble

[virgo062]

I have been posting progress of my babies on my Facebook page and one comment was "when will they be big enough to eat" She is a friend but I am considering blocking her:soapbox . How can people be so insensitive? I don't even care what others think you guys are the reason she can watch the Wildlife from her wondow:thankyou