Antigo, Wis.: Ranks of wildlife rehab specialists show sharp decline ...

Bird rehabilitators Marge and Don Gibson love the feathered creatures so much they've put their retirement on hold to give the injured and orphaned creatures a second chance at life, using half of their retirement savings to do so.

The faltering economy has depressed private donations for the past decade. The decreased funding has closed some organizations that cared for animals in Wisconsin, putting pressure on operations such as the Gibsons' Raptor Education Group in Antigo, which deals with 200 to 350 birds a day.

"We don't want to fail the birds," said Marge Gibson, who started the effort with her husband in 1990. "When you look into their eyes, I don't know how to say. 'Sorry there's no place for you here.'"

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources said 225 organizations or people cared for injured animals in the state in 2001, compared with 113 groups in 2012.

Mandy Cyr, the DNR's wildlife rehabilitation and captive wildlife liaison, said 59 licenses were issued to bird rehabilitators in 2012, but she had no comparable number for 2001 because of a change in bookkeeping. She added that a change in the permit process in 2006 could have kept some groups from renewing their efforts.

Marge Gibson said many bird rehabilitators have shut down because of the economy.

She and her husband now have about 200 birds, including 29 bald eagles, after releasing many birds for migration. Their bird count usually peaks in the spring and summer when they have

about 350. Gibson said depending on the severity of tornado season, they get a lot of young eagles knocked from their nests.

The birds come from Wisconsin and surrounding states, including Michigan and Minnesota.

Gibson said the organization has taken more calls from the public because of cuts in DNR staff. State officials don't have the time they once did to aid injured birds, so Gibson said her staff has had to respond or rely on people who are not rehabilitators to bring the birds in.

The changes have resulted in the organization taking in at least double the number of birds it did a decade ago, Gibson said. The Raptor Education Group also has seen its costs double and hired four more people.

Gibson, 63, and her husband, a 79-year-old retired pathologist, have used about half of their retirement savings to keep up with their bird operation's $400,000 yearly budget.

They take all kinds of injured birds, not just raptors, despite the name of the organization.

Some of the birds have been hit by cars or fly into windows. Others have been shot, poisoned or injured by cats. Marge Gibson estimates 98 percent of the injured birds were hurt because of humans.

"It's our human responsibility to try to get them back in the wild where they belong," she said.

She added that the time, energy and money she and her husband have spent is well worth it, especially once the birds are released.

"It lightens your heart in a lot of ways," she said.

Source: http://www.twincities.com/wisconsin/ci_21766940/antigo-wis-ranks-wildlife-rehab-specialists-show-sharp?source=rss

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