Vendors wanted for family fun event planned for August 4
By Andrew Harris, GALLERY from Madison Reed pictured with a baby possum
Living in the Western New York “Wilds,” brings us all very close to the abundant wildlife, sometimes too close. We all want to help that family of cottontail rabbits or young fox without a mother. The trouble is that removing wild animals to “save” them is often counterproductive, illegal, and best left to professionals.
In Allegany County, the need for wildlife rehabilitation is much greater than the resources available. Belmont’s Madison Reed is excited to announce that her new rehab service, “Life on the Wild Side,” is now available to fill some of that void.
Madison came to this vocation after volunteering for the SPCA Serving Allegany County and being shocked by the volume of wildlife calls the shelter received. Because the local SPCA does not have a wildlife rehabilitation operation, they refer calls about wild animals to a licensed “rehab.” This situation peaked her interested, then came a possum.
Reed found a possum in her garbage can and immediately reached out to a local wildlife rehabilitation provider. This experience brought her to the realization that the options were limited. Local rehab operations were full, and had been for a while. She knew that more licensed rehabilitators were needed.
When the NYS exam for the rehab licensing was announced she thought, “Hey why not try?”
She was thrilled to learn that she had passed the test and began the process of obtaining the necessary credentials.
Fast forward a few months and Madison holds a Class 1 wildlife rebabilition license and has a large group of animals under her care. Because a Class 1 license has some limits on the type of wildlife she can care for, Reed must refuse calls for birds, bats, skunks, raccoons, reptiles, and large mammals like deer and bear. Those limitation certainly haven’t slowed down the intake at Life on the Wild Side.
As of today, Reed is thrilled to house a large group of small animals and enjoys the nature of the work, “everything is a learning experience,” she explains.
17 possums, 6 cottontail rabbits, 6 grey squirrels, 4 red squirrels, 2 baby red fox, and 1 woodchuck are currently being cared for by Madison.
This is a big job and Reed has a big event planned in Belmont on August 4 to support her work and engage with the public. Join Madison at the Belmont conservation club for a fun afternoon that is FREE for the whole family. She will have famous local artists Eric Jones on hand doing his charicatures, there will be a bounce house, and various vendors on site. Vendors are wanted so please contact Madison today to get registered, email her anytime: lifeonthewildsiderehab@gmail.com
Madision and her family are ready to introduce you to some of the animals they are caring for also. “Half of this work is education!,” says Reed so be please come with questions!!
Mark the calendar for August 4 and bring your wild side!!
Connect with Life on the Wild Side on Facebook today ! Call (585) 520-2874 with animal emergencies or questions
