Page 8 - December_2015_Life_in_Naples_Magazine

Iby Nick Penniman
t is 7:35 a.m. when the first patient shows
up, one of nearly a dozen that day at the von
Arx Wildlife Hospital of the Conservancy of
Southwest Florida. Driven from the Naples
Pier by two caring volunteers, the large brown
pelican has ingested a fishhook and is urgent need of
care. The bird is otherwise healthy and alert – a good
candidate for rehabilitation and release.
The animal recovery clinic had its origins in the
distant past, part of the Big Cypress Nature Center,
run in afternoons by students in the Junior Audubon
program. While its reputation grew, treatment facilities
did not until the modern-day Conservancy merged with
the Center when, with support from committed donors, a
more spacious and modern facility was constructed.With
birds, animals and reptiles pouring through the front
door, concern with rabies and other diseases required a
cadre of trained volunteers to handle the ever-increasing
case load. Julie Wasserman was the first director, setting
the organization up with a streamlined admissions and
evaluation process.
Over four acres of flight cages were built to exercise
wounded birds and help them regain strength, followed
by enclosures to acclimate recovering mammals to
southwest Florida’s ever-changing weather, and a pool
to test the diving skills of rehabilitated turtles – all in cure) should make a full and complete recovery.
anticipation of the day of release when the creature could
8 Life in Naples | December 2015
run, fly or crawl back into its natural environment
as close to the wounded creature’s pick-up point
as possible. Outdoor facilities were also built to
house residents – mainly birds unable to reach a
satisfactory level of recovery to be released back
into the wild – among the more notorious being
a bossy and assertive affectionately nicknamed,
Edgar Allen Crow, who vigorously resisted any
attempt to have his enclosure cleaned.
By 2010 the clinic had outgrown itself again,
handling up to 3,000 cases a year.After a leadership
gift from the von Arx Family Foundation, a new
facility arose – a modern 5,000 sq. ft. hospital with
X-ray and surgery suite run by a veterinarian, Dr. PJ Deitschel and four full-time
staffers, supplemented with a corps of student interns. The hospital is now open
365 days a year from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. supported by the efforts of nearly one
hundred dedicated volunteers critical to the success of the year-round operation.
“We rely heavily upon the public and our volunteers to bring the animals
in,” said Joanna Fitzgerald, the hospital’s director for the last decade. Those who
answer the phones are trained to talk through how to capture and secure wounded
birds and animals, and transport them safely, she said.
“As we expand to the east in Collier County, we have many more human
interactions with the residents of the natural world, so we have to rely upon the
good will of people to bring them to us.”
The hospital will handle about 3,600 cases in 2015 – one of which is our
brown pelican now X-rayed and being prepped to have the fishhook removed.
The bird’s pouch is slightly damaged, but with antibiotics (or perhaps an herbal
But it’s not all about rescue and rehabilitation says Fitzgerald: “It’s also about
education. What a great opportunity we have here to create empathy between
humans and other living creatures that share the planet with us. That’s a big part
of our commitment.”
If you find injured wildlife in the Southwest Florida area, call the Conservancy’s
von Arx Wildlife Hospital at 239.262.2273.
1495 Smith Preserve Way, Naples, FL www.conservancy.org/wildlife