By Teresa Konopka
RAMONA, California — Upon arriving at San Diego Humane Society’s Ramona Wildlife Center, I was greeted by a spitting image of Steve Irwin, the late Australian crocodile hunter. Andy Blue, the campus director, showed me to his office where we discussed both the history of the center and his career. His small dog Tug scurried around the room and gave me a scrutinizing sniff before granting his approval with a tail wag. On the wall behind Andy was a painting of Tug dressed in a Napoleon war suit. I could tell I was in for a fascinating time!
Blue has decades of extensive experience caring for animals. Starting at age sixteen, he broke his way into the zoo-keeping world as a food service worker and janitor at the San Diego Zoo Safari. He eventually obtained his animal welfare degree and worked his way up the corporate ladder. After a lot of hard work, Blue got promoted to animal keeper. He even worked for three years at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida before returning to work in San Diego.
Blue’s adventures include saving livestock from California wildfires to working on conservation projects all around the globe. Blue has travelled to exotic locations such as Ukraine, Iraq, Dubai, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Ethiopia, and Somalia. He even worked at a zoo in Iraq that was less than 50 miles from where ISIS was headquartered. Talk about living on the edge! Unfortunately, many places around the world smuggle exotic animals across borders. Animals like tigers and cheetahs are separated from their mothers. These babies are then sold as pets to people who more often than not are unable to properly care for them. These neglected and abused animals are left looking for an escape that is found in sanctuaries and animal rehabilitation facilities.
Founded in 1972 and initially called The Fund for Animals, the center merged with the Humane Society of America before joining San Diego Humane Society. The Ramona Wildlife Center is one of five facilities in San Diego County, the others being in Oceanside, El Cajon, Escondido, and San Diego. Between the two wildlife facilities, about 13,000 wild animals a year are given a second chance at life. While San Diego Humane Society’s Bahde Wildlife Center focuses on birds and small mammals, the Ramona campus focuses on larger mammals, predators and raptors. Throughout our entire dialogue, never once did Blue refer to the animals as animals. Instead, he referred to them as patients. From this I could tell that the facility really cares about the creatures they help. For the staff, this is not just a job; it is lifesaving work.
The Ramona facility focuses on what are known as the “Three R’s”—Rescue, Rehab and Release. Most patients of the center are animals hit by cars or birds that flew into power lines. Other less obvious causes for animal injury come from poison and shooting. Vermin like rice and rats that come into contact with the poison are later eaten by scavengers who then get the poison in their systems. Squirrels shot with lead-based bullets are eaten by larger predators who develop lead poisoning. To help determine the cause of an animal’s issues, veterinarians at the center use x-ray technology and bloodwork analysis. For anyone who thinks they have met a baby animal in need (who isn’t physically incapacitated or injured), they are encouraged to “stay and watch.” More often than not, babies who appear abandoned are just waiting for their mother to come back with food. Some species, such as the rabbit, purposely stay away from their babies during the day so as to not draw unnecessary attention from predators.
Before leaving the office to tour the grounds, I encountered a heartwarming plaque on the wall. Surrounded by illustrations of woodland creatures, the poem “A Prayer for Animals” written by Albert Schweitzer, read as follows:
“Hear our humble prayer,
O God,
for our friends, the animals,
especially for those who are suffering;
for any that are lost or deserted
or frightened or hungry.
We entreat for them all
Thy mercy and pity,
and for those who deal with them,
we ask a heart of compassion
and gentle hands and kindly words.
Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals
and so to share
the blessings
of the merciful”
While animals with no place left to go are welcome to stay on the property as ambassador animals, the main goal is to release them back into the wild. A recent popular rehabilitation story involved an injured eagle who was released shortly before the Fourth of July [1]. Eagles and other birds of prey are tested with obstacle courses and staged prey before release. This is to ensure they can maneuver through trees and hunt once they are released. Depending on the situation, however, there are occasions when release is just not possible. Some animals are too far removed from their wild instincts and cannot survive independently in the wild. One such animal is Hannah Shirley, a pygmy hippo who is living her best life at the Ramona campus. Found neglected in an Escondido backyard, Hannah was brought to the Ramona Wildlife Center. Her huge enclosure includes a pool that is cleaned weekly, as well as several enrichment toys. She is taken care of so well that she is the oldest known living pygmy hippo. If that’s not testament to the facility’s excellent care I don’t know what is!
The wonderful work that the Project Wildlife team does in Ramona is costly. The center relies on donations from the public to fund its work. Those looking to give a tax-deductible charitable gift are encouraged to use the donation website [2]. Givers can select “Project Wildlife” under the “direct my gift to” option if they’d like funds to go directly to the Ramona Wildlife Center. For givers who prefer to attend upscale charity events, there is also the well anticipated Fur Ball Gala [3]. Expected to be in person, the gala is set for October 2, 2021. More than money, people are encouraged to give compassion. Blue, the Ramona campus director, is oftentimes amazed at how far people will drive just to help a small bird or rodent, some coming as far away as from Imperial or Riverside county.
“If you see that your neighbor’s donkey or ox has collapsed on the road, do not look the other way. Go and help!” – Deuteronomy 22
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NOTES
- Rendon-Alvarez, Karla. “Rehabilitated Eagle Soars Free Just in Time for Fourth of July”. NBC San Diego. 2 July 2021. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/entertainment/the-scene/rehabilitated-eagle-soars-free-just-in-time-for-fourth-of-july/
- “Make a Donation,” San Diego Humane Society. 26 July 2021. https://secure.sdhumane.org/site/Donation2?df_id=12667&mfc_pref=T&12667.donation=form1&set.DonationLevel=23035
- “Fur Ball Gala,” San Diego Humane Society. 26 July 2021. https://www.sdhumane.org/support-us/fundraising/fur-ball-gala/
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Teresa Konopka is a freelance writer based in San Diego. She may be contacted via teresa.konopka@sdjewishworld.com