Letter: South Portland oil spill shows importance of animal rehab center (Printed Aug. 17, 2007)
Posted by Sentry Editor at 8/23/2007 12:07 PM 
Categories: Opinion, So Po News, Letters to the editor, Environment
Categories: Opinion, So Po News, Letters to the editor, Environment
Editor:
They should have been safe.
Calvary Pond next to the cemetery in South Portland is ideal turtle habitat: secluded and protected, with minimal human and motor vehicle traffic. But last week, hundreds of gallons of waste oil began spilling out of a pipe into the pond, and the turtle haven quickly and without notice became lethal to its inhabitants.
On Tuesday, August 7, as the Maine Department of Environmental Protection found out about the spill and began working with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to rescue the turtles in the pond, the Center for Wildlife (located in Cape Neddick), the only wildlife rehabilitation center in the state of Maine that is equipped and qualified as a treatment facility for washing oil-contaminated animals, was put on alert. On Thursday, once the turtles started arriving at the Center, staff members began the long process of caring for them – gently washing and rinsing each turtle individually, being careful to remove as much of the oil as possible, keeping them warm under heat lamps, and monitoring their condition closely. It is not unusual for the turtles to be cleaned several times in order to remove all of the oil, and to be given an injection of vitamins to counteract the oil they have also orally ingested.
Meanwhile volunteers, and even friends of volunteers, pitched in to help with the rest of the “routine” animal care that constitutes a “normal” week in summertime at the Center. July and August are the Center’s busiest months, when they are literally swamped with a massive influx of baby animals either sick or orphaned as well as animals injured by cats, cars or other human contact. Every cage in the indoor facility is in use, housing the animals in critical condition, while the outdoor rehabilitation enclosures are full of animals regaining their strength in preparation for release back to the wild.
It takes a full contingent of staff and volunteers to get through these summer months, and at this point in the season, Center workers are starting to feel the effects of all those hours. They admit it can be tough. Not only is it their tightest financial time, but it’s also when everyone starts looking for a light at the end of the tunnel. Being so invested in taking care of the animals can take its toll, physically and emotionally. Even so, the Center never turns away an animal in need, serving about 1,500 animals a year, providing a full range of treatment needed to rehabilitate birds, mammals, and reptiles in order to maximize each animal’s chance of returning to the wild and getting a second chance at life. As a private nonprofit organization, they rely exclusively on donations from individuals and foundations, receiving no government funding.
The Center is staffed from early in the morning until late in the evening, the whole time dedicated to caring for the animals, leaving very little time for anything else. But ask anyone there, and each one will say that it’s all worth it when they can help so many animals that otherwise wouldn’t have a chance.
Like the turtles.
To learn more visit www.yorkcenterforwildlife.org.
Heather Hughes
Dover, NH
They should have been safe.
Calvary Pond next to the cemetery in South Portland is ideal turtle habitat: secluded and protected, with minimal human and motor vehicle traffic. But last week, hundreds of gallons of waste oil began spilling out of a pipe into the pond, and the turtle haven quickly and without notice became lethal to its inhabitants.
On Tuesday, August 7, as the Maine Department of Environmental Protection found out about the spill and began working with the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife to rescue the turtles in the pond, the Center for Wildlife (located in Cape Neddick), the only wildlife rehabilitation center in the state of Maine that is equipped and qualified as a treatment facility for washing oil-contaminated animals, was put on alert. On Thursday, once the turtles started arriving at the Center, staff members began the long process of caring for them – gently washing and rinsing each turtle individually, being careful to remove as much of the oil as possible, keeping them warm under heat lamps, and monitoring their condition closely. It is not unusual for the turtles to be cleaned several times in order to remove all of the oil, and to be given an injection of vitamins to counteract the oil they have also orally ingested.
Meanwhile volunteers, and even friends of volunteers, pitched in to help with the rest of the “routine” animal care that constitutes a “normal” week in summertime at the Center. July and August are the Center’s busiest months, when they are literally swamped with a massive influx of baby animals either sick or orphaned as well as animals injured by cats, cars or other human contact. Every cage in the indoor facility is in use, housing the animals in critical condition, while the outdoor rehabilitation enclosures are full of animals regaining their strength in preparation for release back to the wild.
It takes a full contingent of staff and volunteers to get through these summer months, and at this point in the season, Center workers are starting to feel the effects of all those hours. They admit it can be tough. Not only is it their tightest financial time, but it’s also when everyone starts looking for a light at the end of the tunnel. Being so invested in taking care of the animals can take its toll, physically and emotionally. Even so, the Center never turns away an animal in need, serving about 1,500 animals a year, providing a full range of treatment needed to rehabilitate birds, mammals, and reptiles in order to maximize each animal’s chance of returning to the wild and getting a second chance at life. As a private nonprofit organization, they rely exclusively on donations from individuals and foundations, receiving no government funding.
The Center is staffed from early in the morning until late in the evening, the whole time dedicated to caring for the animals, leaving very little time for anything else. But ask anyone there, and each one will say that it’s all worth it when they can help so many animals that otherwise wouldn’t have a chance.
Like the turtles.
To learn more visit www.yorkcenterforwildlife.org.
Heather Hughes
Dover, NH
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