Most children say puppies and kittens are their favorite animals, but not Haley O'Briant — her infatuation with opossums led her and her mother to become wildlife rehabilitators.
O'Briant and her mother, Tandy Chevalier, run the Cape Fear Critters Animal Rescue and Sanctuary near Wilmington, North Carolina. O'Briant was obsessed with the marsupials as a child and worried about them getting hit by cars, so they began rehabbing small animals.
They've constructed enclosures to mimic natural habitats. Aside from feeding the young opossums, the mother-daughter pair tries to give them as much space as possible.
"We don't want them with people any more than absolutely necessary," said Chevalier.
The Federal Highway Administration reports that over one million wildlife-vehicle collisions occur annually in the United States, which impact human safety and animal survival. These incidents are especially hazardous for endangered and threatened species.
In particular, habitat fragmentation breaks homes up and leaves limited space for animals to hunt, forage, and mate. Deer, raccoons, and other species risk their lives crossing busy streets.
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Efforts to mitigate roadkill have been successful in some places. For example, the Banff Wildlife Crossings Project in Canada reduced wildlife collisions by 80% on the Trans-Canada Highway, with deer and elk collisions decreasing by 96%.
Chevalier and O'Briant's work is needed in Brunswick County, where rapid development has led to an increase in drivers. The nonprofit has seen an uptick in incidents involving dogs, cats, and squirrels.
Their efforts contribute to the ecological balance in the Cape Fear region, where they educate the community about wildlife and responsible pet ownership. The importance of wildlife rehabilitation centers cannot be overstated.
"What's so wonderful about these animals — about all animals — is that they get out of that unbelievably horrific setting, and we place them in grass outside in the sunshine with the breeze blowing, and they just stop," said Lynn Cuny, founder of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in Texas. Her mission took in 330 animals from a fur and urine farming facility.
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Not even close 🧑🌾 Arizona's Liberty Wildlife also rescues animals from extreme heat and wildfires. Its education coordinator, Laura Hackett, always aims to release a rehabilitated animal back into the wild.
"If it can't survive in the wild anymore," she said, "we can transfer them to an education permit, and they can become an education ambassador, or we have foster animals."
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