Unfortunately, wildlife hasn’t gotten the memo there is a pandemic forcing new protocols on us all. Around this time of year Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network generally is holding its collective breath as it awaits the annual deluge of orphaned wild babies. Dozens of ducklings, stinking (adorable) baby skunks, and awesome baby opossums arrive — all in desperate need of help. They require warmth, nutrition, medication, and around-the-clock care. They need us when their parents encounter cars, fishing hooks, poison, cats, tree trimming, and the many other dangers in the urban world. This is the time of year when our organization, the Wildlife Care Network, hires additional seasonal staff members to keep up the pace from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the week.
Generally, SBWCN would rely on its army of hundreds of volunteers to clean enclosures (So. Much. Laundry), chop vegetables, mix up baby formula, transport animals, and feed baby birds every 20 minutes from dawn to dusk. For over 30 years, SBWCN has been a volunteer-driven organization — passionate people who care about our wild neighbors.
But here we are today amidst COVID-19, which doesn’t come with a playbook on how to operate under these conditions. SBWCN is a crew of rehabbers, who at their core are flexible, creative, and adaptive people. For one thing, we are going back to our roots: homecare. We are so inspired and grateful that longtime volunteers have offered to care for animals in their own homes, to reduce the patient load at our center in Goleta. Volunteers chop up fruits and veggies at home and deliver them in neat packages ready to go. Animal Care staff are all working their maximum hours, with masks and gloves, to make up for the shortfall without the usual crew of volunteers, often working overtime and closing late. We are desperately trying to find seasonal staff to hire to help lighten the load, all at a time when the economy is uncertain. And, we are just at the start of baby season. Right now, maybe 20 animals will arrive a day. However, as spring season gets going (and lasts through August) up to 60 animals will arrive a day. We have already seen a 39-animal day — all babies.