This Week at Liberty

Liberty Wildlife, in and of itself, is and has always been a vibe. I never had the privilege of volunteering and/or working at the old facility, but I’ve heard plenty of tales of its grandeur (and by grandeur, I mean the tight knit quarters and the animals who inhabited the house and 1-acre where Liberty Wildlife began its journey). But there’s a splendor to this facility, too; between the education side where our permanent residents hang and educate the public to the hospital and the rehabilitation side where wildlife is taken care of until release, there’s a vibe here that can’t be missed. And if you’re wondering what on earth I’m talking about, trust me, I’m getting there!

This past weekend, Medical Director Jan Miller and Operations Director Alex Stofko boxed (transport carriers) 97 raptors—Harris’s hawks, Red-Tailed hawks, Western Screech owls, Coopers hawks, American kestrels, Barn owls, Great-Horned owls and Roadrunners—for release. Between Friday and Saturday, volunteers were able to sign up to release said raptors all over Arizona (preferably up north where the weather is cooler and for the Harris’s, Wickenburg as they don’t venture much further north than that!).

And that’s part of the vibe of it all; volunteers who spend the hot summer days cleaning, feeding, and watering these animals get to be first to get them out. Because it isn’t just a few days most of them are here for. It can be a few days, a few weeks, a few months…their injury and healing time predates how long they’re here for. A light case of avian trichomoniasis may keep a great-horned owl here for a few weeks; a fractured wing for a red-tailed hawk may take a few months. Multiple injuries may take even longer—and every animal is different. An open fracture may result in the veterinarians performing surgery and pinning the wing; the bone heals amazing, the wound heals better, and the bird is outside in a small rehabilitation cage to grow the muscle before moving to a flight cage where it can really be tested. That same injury on a different bird may result in a longer stay in the hospital, with multiple surgeries needed to repair the wing and any wound along with it.

Yet, through it all, the volunteers are here to ensure these animals are cared for. The animal’s enclosures are cleaned (both inside the hospital and outside on rehab), fresh water is given, food…whatever is needed for the care of these animals, our volunteers ensure it’s done. In the winter, when our intakes aren’t quite so high, this might mean all tasks are finished quite early in the morning whereas in the summer, when those numbers are quite higher, volunteers often work into the early afternoon.

And, still, the volunteers get it done. Often sweaty and hot, but the job still gets done, day in and day out, no matter the heat or the rain or whatever’s in between.

It’s why they get to release these animals back out into the wild; they took care of them through their time at Liberty, it’s only right they get to see them back out where they belong. This also includes volunteers like medical services who are doing daily treatments and wrap changes, along with new intakes come in. It’s also hotline, who are taking calls throughout the day and talking to the public about an animal they’re seeing who may be injured and need to come in. It’s also the intake window taking information from the public about the animal they’re bringing in, and interacting with the public through their shift and guiding them on any questions they have.

Like I said, it’s a whole vibe.

If you’re interested in volunteering so that you can also release raptors, make sure you apply here and get it done! There are so many different opportunities to make a difference at Liberty Wildlife; and trust me when I say, it all adds up!

By: Acacia Parker | Public Outreach Coordinator