We live in arguably one of the prettiest parts of the PNW. With acres of forest land, miles of beaches and incredible views from towering dunes, the natural beauty of the Oregon Coast is captivating. Equally so, the marine and land flora and fauna that surround us continue to excite each adventure, between the migrating birds, large herds of elk, blooming trillium and abundance of wild berries, there is so much to appreciate. While we want to continue to admire our natural environment and all living things to thrive without disturbance, being able to help rescue and rehabilitate injured wildlife has been something I have really enjoyed doing!
My first injured wildlife encounter occurred on my way back from Pacific City where I drove past a small fluffy object in the road. At first, I thought it could have been a leaf, but once I passed it, I couldn’t help but turn around and check. To my surprise it was a little House Finch that was stunned from most likely hitting a car. I was able to bring it home and keep it safe for a few hours until it recovered and flew away! Little did I know at the time that there was a place I could call to bring the finch!
About a year later, my boyfriend gave me a call after a walk out in Oceanside. He had stumbled upon an injured Pelican that was unable to fly and called it into the Wildlife Center of the North Coast in Astoria. While the wildlife center in Astoria normally transports animals, they are short staffed, and did not have an available driver at the time to come down and pick up the Pelican (who we later named Gilligan).
He had already been reported a few times by locals who had seen him but no one had been able to make the commute to drop him off at the wildlife refuge. Since my boyfriend had the day off, he figured “why not?” and gave me a call. My bosses were really encouraging and let me take the rest of the afternoon off to join the adventure up to Astoria! The avian flu has been going around, so before you start the rescue process yourself, make sure to call the wildlife refuge and confirm that they are open and can accept the type of wildlife that you find. If they are able to accept, make sure you bring the proper equipment to transport the animal safely. For us, we only had a spare tote and a blanket which seemed to do the trick!
If you encounter an injured animal, here is a quick reference guide on who to call:
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There are so many ways you can get involved with the wildlife center! Whether you can sign up and volunteer a few hours, be on their “on call” list for transporting injured animals, or donating through their website portal.
Blog contributed by Meg Angier, Rob Trost Real Estate, LLC
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