Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Since 2013 I have been helping Raylene the owner of Vista Del Ray wildlife conservation center as a volunteer. Over these past couple of years I have got to see how much work went into caring for each animal, their meal preps, feeding, bathing, and the building the enclosures for them to temporally live in.

I got the pleasure of doing an interview with Raylene , about life as a rehabber and what it took to become one. Here is what she had to say.

1)Why did you decide to become a wildlife rehabilitator? I have loved animals since my early childhood. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have a dog. I’ve loved them, loved taking care of them and spent almost all my time with them. Once,one of my dogs, Tuffy, was hit by a car right in front of me and died. I remember feeling as a child, how helpless I was to make him well. He just died and I couldn’t do anything. I believe, at that moment, the idea was born inside of me.

2)How long did it take for you to become certified? To become legally certified, about 5 years. First, I got my associates degree in zoology and back-up in science. Then, went on to get my degree in wildlife conservation management, took courses in veterinary medicine and worked with a vet for 3 years, then worked with a wildlife rehabber in Tyler,TX for 2 years. I took a 10-month course with Texas Parks and Wildlife to get my Rehabbers license. 

3)Who is your favorite go-to rehabilitator you go to, when your questions seem to have no answers? Since I have been doing rehab, I have met several wonderful people that I enjoy talking to. But, the most level-headed person I trust when I have questions, is Diana Dominic. She is very knowledgeable in what she does. She’s been doing it for years, knows what she is doing, and does not panic in tight situations. Even though she lives in New York, we talk quite often and compare experiences.

5)What is the most rewarding part of your job? What is the most challenging?  

5a) The most rewarding is difficult to say. There are so, so many.Just the privilege to be entrusted with the life of a tiny 8-10oz animal, to raise, love and care for, is simply amazing to me. Someone once told me while she was feeding a bottle to a baby raccoon, “You can see into their soul through their little dark eyes when they look up at you”. It makes you feel so good to have those eyes look up at you and know they are loved; to hold them and feel their tiny little heartbeat as you hold them close. It is in these moments, that such a strong emotional attachment is born between you and the animal, an attachment that is made for life.  At least that is how it affects me.

Letting them go is also a rewarding time for me. To know you have raised this animal from a tiny little helpless creature, to a mature, functioning adult that can survive on its own, is an awesome feeling. To release them and watch them walk or run off, and then they remember to stop and turn back to you,and you see a look that says it all; thank you for loving me, feeding me, cleaning-up after me, holding me, playing with me, talking to me; that last look says it all, and then they are gone… Freedom. So much emotion flows between us at that time.

6)What type of animals do you help? At our center, we help wildlife of all kinds. We have taken in, raised, and released field mice, rabbits, squirrels, bobcats, raccoons, opossums, owls, hummingbirds, coyotes, and fawns. We do not do domestic animals such as dogs and cats.

7)How would you describe your daily activities? First and foremost is the care of the animals. We choose to feed & water in the mornings and at night. We feed, change water, check living conditions,examine the animal, then we go to work, if we are working jobs outside the property that day. Then we come home, do it all again, and tuck everyone into bed for the night.

8)What advice would you give to someone wanting to become a rehabilitator?

~Learn all that you can and always be open to learning more.

~Always love the animals, each and every one.

~Be willing to work hard.

10)Have you been in other interviews? How can we find out more about your organization? Not many interviews per say, but have done quite a few seminars, talks and demonstrations, and some programs for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, as well as,Texas Parks & Wildlife and Texas Master Naturalists meetings. To find out more about us… We are on FaceBook, Instagram and our site is Vista Del Ray.

11) Do you have a book on Amazon for us to buy? If not, anything in progress of being written?   At this time I have no book on Amazon but hope to in the near future.

Thank you Raylene for allowing me to do this interview on your center. I have learned so much these past couple of years about each of the animals you work with.

A lot of work goes into running her center. The animals need attention and depend on her to help them like a new born child. One of the most important things I have learned from working with Raylene is, not to remove baby animals unless you are sure the mother is not coming back for the babies.

If you enjoy learning about and looking at wildlife animals, stop over to Raylene’s site Vista Del Ray. She has some really great animals that come through the center.

      Raylene Hampton… Vista del Ray Wildlife Conservation, Rehab and Release Center       2009-presant day.

Thank you all for joining yet another page in my Chapter 27 journey.