The Stanislaus Wildlife Care Center is inviting the public to celebrate the birth of hundreds of wild animals with their annual Baby Animal Shower fundraiser today. The center cares for orphaned animals until they are old enough to be released back into the wild. The baby animal shower is one of their biggest fundraisers, and it is a way for the center to collect much-needed supplies.
Summer is peak season for baby animals and the center is especially busy during May and June. The center takes in an average of 15 to 20 animals a day this time of year. Each of those baby animals needs constant feeding and care and special formula to make it to adulthood, and eventually back into the wild.
“You think ‘how much can it cost to feed a songbird?’ Well even if we don’t spend that much on formula for each animal we have to pay employees, keep this whole pace running; there is a lot of overhead cost,” said Donna Burt, head of the Stanislaus Wildlife Care Center.
Burt, along with employees and volunteers of the wildlife center are inviting the public to come enjoy a day at the center and learn about what they do to care for animals. There will be video displays of the baby animals, games for children and educational animals for show and tell sessions.
This is a baby shower, and guests are expected to bring a shower gift. The center needs items like heating pads, paper towels, and money to care for the animals and keep their doors open year-round. A full wish list of needed supplies can be found at stanislauswildlife.org.
The center accepts donations all year long, but the shower is a fun way for them to show the public what the center is all about.
Stanislaus Wildlife Center also welcomes volunteers, and an application is available on their website. Mandatory training classes are held monthly, and volunteers are requested to make a minimum one-year commitment to the center.
Volunteers clean up animal enclosures, prepare food, and help feed the multitude of baby songbirds the center receives every summer. Burt said that formula is specific to each animal and none of it is available over the counter or at pet stores.
“Don’t try to feed the animals at home, just bring them in,” Burt said.
The wildlife center feeds and cares for orphaned and injured animals and then releases them back where they came from once they are healthy and strong enough to survive. They take native non-pet animals that are in need of care. For more specific information about brining an animal to the center visit their website or call 883-9414.
The 2011 Baby Animal Shower will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the Stanislaus Wildlife Care Center, at the Fox Grove Fishing Access exit off of Geer Road in Hughson.
To contact Andrea Goodwin, e-mail agoodwin@turlockjournal.com or call 634-9141 ext. 2003.
