There’s no avoiding this post. It had to be made.
Right now, around the world, borders are closing, air travel is coming to a stand-still, across the country schools are closing, universities are teaching online, weddings and whole sporting seasons are being cancelled, primary elections have even been delayed in some states. The governor of our state, California, like many others, has called for the closure of bars and taverns.
Today in Italy, they suffered the largest single number of deaths, 368, in one day in any country so far, even China. In other words, though we are only in the early stages of this pandemic, it is quite serious, and communities around the world are doing what they can to stop the exponential spread of this virus, including staff at Humboldt Wildlife Care Center.
This is soon to be the time of year when the bounty of nature is expressed in wild babies. This is our busiest season, when our mission to help injured and orphaned wild animals is in most demand. We cannot forsake them. We will remain open.
Precautions we are taking are simple. We’ve temporarily asked our volunteers to not come in, to stay home. We are reducing staff to a skeleton crew. When you bring us wild neighbors who need help, out of respect for you and your health and well-being, we’ll be wearing gloves and facemasks. We are sanitizing our facility multiple times each day.
We don’t have the option to cancel Spring and the rhythms of our beautiful Mother Earth. Our mission to help our wild neighbors in need isn’t rescinded when times get tough. We can’t simply leave orphaned and injured wild animals to suffer and die.
So we will be here, proceeding into these uncharted waters, but vigilant! We may further reduce staffing if necessary. But we intend to meet our mission regardless.
Of course, as always, in good times or bad, optimistic or fearful, we won’t do this without your help.
This is a time of year when we need to raise more resources, money, food, medicine, than ever – and now we need to purchase much of our summer supplies now, in case shortages make them hard to get when we need them most. We need you now. Anything and everything helps. $5, $10, $25, or more… all of it will go toward making sure we can be here for the hundreds of wild Mallard, Opossum, Raccoon, Barn Swallow, and Owl babies who will be soon in our care.
We aim to get through this crisis while continuing to serve our community of human and wild neighbors, as we always do, with your support. Please help.
Thank you.
