Coastal wildlife rescue group endangered

The rescuers need a helping hand of their own.

Keeper of the Wild, a nonprofit wildlife rescue and rehabilitation organization based in St. George, is facing the all-too-real possibility of having to shut down its operation. The question of what would happen to the animals the group otherwise would help has founder and director Janet Kinser at a loss.

"I don't know," she said. "I've done this for so long and dedicated so much to it, that it's unfathomable to think we'll close these doors and not be able to help these babies."

Kinser is left hoping for the best, but the reality is harsh.

"The bank account is at zero," she said.

The mission of Keeper of the Wild is to be a resource for the public to call when they find an injured or helpless wild animal and need a knowledgeable handler to pick it up. Kinser said her group focuses on the state's indigenous mammals, which include deer, squirrels, raccoons, bobcats and otters, among others. They'll also care for the state's only marsupial, the possum.

The organization's roots extend back about 23 years, when Kinser was busy making a life for herself as an interior designer. While she was working at a job site, she saw that a tree had been knocked over. A mother squirrel didn't survive the fall, and a nest was destroyed. Kinser felt responsible for the young squirrels and took them in. She found information on how to nurse them back to health and gradually found herself on a less-glamorous path than interior design.

"It just seemed something else would come along and someone would bring me something else (to take care of)," she said, adding that her reputation for being able to take care of animals was growing. "I saw there was such a need for it. There were a lot of people helping dogs and cats, but not (doing) wildlife rehabilitation."

Keeper of the Wild was formed to get animals back in their natural habitats. Kinser said that when they get infant animals, the group raises them only until they're old enough to have a chance at survival back in the wild.

"They go from the nursery to the outdoor and prerelease pens. We try to buddy them up so they bond to each other and not to us," she said.

In November 2001, Keeper of the Wild began leasing a 98-acre parcel of land in St. George from the state. The plot came with some buildings that they have used to house some of the animals and to create an educational center for group tours and camps. They pay between $100 and $1,000 per month for the property, depending on whether they make physical improvements.

Keeper of the Wild serves nine counties, an area that spans the entire coastal border of the state. It functions completely on volunteerism with about two dozen people giving their time. Kinser said annual costs run around $75,000 for such things as food, medication and gas for the vehicles. The current recession has had a serious impact on its ability to generate funds through donations.

"Two years ago, we got a grant, but with the economy, we haven't been able to get that again," she said.

"We've had lulls before, but this time is different. We're trying to get in more fundraisers, but this time we're taking in half of what we've done in the past."

The group already has made some drastic cuts. The organization used to operate three vehicles. They included a converted ambulance that allowed them to care for large animals and transport multiple animals during larger emergencies, as they did when they went to Louisiana to help with the Hurricane Katrina recovery. Now, the ambulance and another car sit unused on the property after the group canceled the tags and insurance on them. An office phone also was cut off, and Kinser takes all calls on her cell phone.

The idea of capping the number of animals they can house at one time might make sense from a fiscal standpoint, but Kinser said it wouldn't serve the public good.

She worries about the people who are calling for help with an animal that's susceptible to having rabies.

"What would happen to those people? Sometimes (the animal's) injured. Sometimes people are scared -- the animal is in their backyard and they don't know what to do," she said. "Our first goal is to get it out of the public's hands and keep the public safe. People tell me all the time, we're the only ones who answer the phone."

She said most of her calls come from people who have encountered an injured animal while they're engaged in some weekend recreational activity or in the evening when people are home from work.

Kinser said a friend has cautioned her that she can't expect to save every animal that needs help, and she understands that.

"I'm not foolish enough to think I can save the world," she said. "But when God brings them across my doorstep, I've got to try."

Contact Bill Henley at 937-5433 or bhenley@postandcourier.com.