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Home  Local News Local News Florida Wild Mammal Association (FWMA) Animal Shelter Takes on Hurricane Dennis Victims
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08-02-2005 |
Florida Wild Mammal Association
Cares for Hurricane Dennis Victims
Photo courtesy of the Carrabelle/Apalachicola Times
The Florida Wild Mammal Association, a non-profit wildlife rescue
shelter, has its hands extremely full these days taking care of the
victims from Hurricane Dennis. Chris Beatty, Executive Director
of the facility, took in 154 baby brown pelicans who were displaced
during the storm. Although she was able to place 116 of the birds
with other shelters, she is struggling to care for the 38 who remain
with her, and the situation has reached crisis
proportions. Says Judie Creese, FWMA Volunteer, "(Due
to Hurricane Dennis) Chris and FWMA are averaging 5 to 10 new animals a
day. The facility can comfortably house 150 wild patients but is
currently housing 225 plus. There are animals and birds in every
square inch of space, including Chris' home. Chris especially is
working non-stop around the clock. The baby brown pelicans alone
will cost FWMA over $21,000 to raise and return to the wild.
Those babies will stay in her care for the next seven months."
Photo courtesy of the Carrabelle/Apalachicola Times
The FWMA, a 6 1/2 acre preserve located off Highway 98 on Edgar
Pool
Road, receives very little
government funding. It has an
operating budget of $60,000 with an additional $40,000 needed for
maintenance of the facility. The facility, which was nominated as
Non-Profit Organization of the Year by the Wakulla County Chamber of
Commerce in April, does qualify for
grants and corporate funding. Unfortunately there are few large
corporations located in Wakulla County. FWMA does receive a few
small grants each year but they comprise only 23% of total
funding. At
this
time the FWMA is $4000 in debt.
There are roughly 30 people who
volunteer with the association. Twelve of them are very active,
and the others help out with animal rescue and fundraising. There
are five paid part-time workers; one adult and four teens in the
Juvenile Work Program. Gill (pronounced Jill) Hepple, the
only paid adult at FWMA, also volunteers countless hours to FWMA's
educational programs and presentations. Chris also partners with
many other
agencies, including the Civil Citation Program, the Juvenile Justice
Program and a number of programs through Wakulla High School.
(For a complete list of all FWMA's partnerships and associations,
please click here.)
According to Creese, because of the closing of the St. Joe Wildlife
Sanctuary, FWMA is servicing more of the Big Bend coastal area.
The center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for wildlife
concerns and emergencies. FWMA deals mainly with native wildlife,
some exotics and a few farm animals. No domestics are accepted
and there is never a charge to bring an animal to FWMA.
Photo by Phil Coales of Associated Press
The St. Francis Wildlife Center in Leon County is another group
that takes in injured wildlife. The difference in St. Francis and
FWMA, however, is that St. Francis receives county and city funding to
help with its $200,000 operating budget. FWMA does receive a small grant from Leon County to cover the cost of
care and housing given to animals taken in from Leon County. Other
than the Leon County Grant, FWMA receives no funding from any other
government agency; federally, statewide or locally.
Chris, her husband Michael, and their daughter Jessica are currently
sharing their home with a menagerie of animals and birds. Their
day usually begins at 4:00 a.m. and doesn't end until around 10:00
p.m. The baby birds they are now caring for need to eat every 20
minutes from sunrise to sunset. The pelicans are now consuming up
to 75 pounds of fish a day, which volunteer Patsy Mims has to make
weekly trips to St. Joe to buy. For anyone interested in donating
fish, the pelicans eat Bottlefish, Google Eye, Herring and bait fish.
Photo by Phil Coales of Associated Press
FWMA's Donation Wish List
Regarding donations, a vast assortment of feed and medical supplies are
always needed. The pelican population is an immediate
concern. The cost to raise/rehab the pelicans is $21,926 over the
next seven months. Monetary donations are gratefully accepted and
applied entirely to wildlife care.
This is the time of year for local wildlife to have and raise their
young. FWMA is in urgent need of a nursery for the orphaned,
injured or sick wildlife babies. Home Depot has two storage sheds
that would work well as a nursery for FWMA: the "Summer Wind" or
the "New Dawning" utility sheds. Both are available in different
dimensions. To use as a nursery, FWMA would need a shed at least
16X24X17 or larger. On the Home Depot spec sheet, those costs
range from $9,959 to $15,779.
The current medical facility has been outgrown. An addition is
desperately needed. The estimate for a new wing on the existing
building is $24,000.
Also, because of the closing of the St. Joe Wildlife Sanctuary, FWMA
needs to build additional coastal habitats and shore bird aviaries
because of this closure. A quote of $16,200 has been received for
a new otter habitat. The various companies involved are ready to
start the project as soon as FWMA can secure the funds.
Says Creese, "FWMA is hopeful that our county will see a need to help
fund this viable service that preserves our county's unique wildlife
and environment. These natural assets are a large part of
what continues to draw newcomers to our area on a daily basis."
If you are interested in helping out, either with monetary donations or
by volunteering your time and skills, you can contact the FWMA at:
FWMA (Florida Wild Mammal Association)
Chris Beatty, Executive Director
198 Edgar Poole Road
Crawfordville, FL 32327
(850)926-8308
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
Visit our website at www.wakullawildlife.org
Judie Creese (Volunteer and Grants Writer)
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
(850)926-5634
Elizabeth Denmark (Board Member)
This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
To see a list of FWMA Frequently Asked Questions, please click here.
Photo by Phil Coales of Associated Press
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