Called to care

Each year, many wild animals get hurt or orphaned and require human intervention to recover. That’s where wildlife rehabbers such as Donna Robinson, the founder of nonprofit Squeezle Farm Inc Wildlife and Rehabilitation (named after what Donna’s children used to call squirrels when they were young), comes in.

Donna’s journey began in 2009, when she began mainly working with raccoons after answering an ad in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to do wildlife rehabilitation. A few years later, Donna had to downsize after losing her husband and step-father and her mother had to move in with her. She moved to her current location in Weatherford in 2015.

“I’m kind of a triage center…and an intake center,” Donna said. “I have about 25 people that I’ve trained that work under me, and so when animals come in, I make sure they’re healthy, eating good, doing all the things they need to do, and then I delegate to my people.”

Although Donna delegates, she still cares for many animals. She now specializes in wild cats (such as bobcats), foxes, and skunks instead of taking in raccoons. In her backyard, there are several shaded and air conditioned enclosures with swings and other furniture for the larger, more grown animals. There is also a shed containing quarantine cages, Donna’s medical equipment, and other supplies.

“I’m not quite a vet, [but] there’s a lot of stuff we have to have to work with the animals. We’ve got vitamins and penicillins and wormers and steroids and stuff like that that we use with them.” Donna said.

According to Donna, she and her subs probably see as many as 500 animals a year. The main reasons she sees animals come in are because they got hit by a car, they were poisoned, or they are baby animals whose moms were shot or relocated. 

“People put out poison for the rats, the rats get ate by the owls, or the rats get ate by the foxes…and it just [starts a] chain reaction. You’ll get a beautiful owl in, and then they’ll be gone the next day because it ate a [poisoned] mouse.” Donna said. She recommends using live traps to relocate rodents instead of using poison.

Fawns and baby rabbits are frequently brought to rehabbers unnecessarily because people mistakenly believe they’ve been abandoned by their mothers if they have not returned in a while. It is important to check for signs of dehydration, such as curled ears on a fawn, to determine if they truly need help. Additional information can be found at the Texas Metro Wildlife Rehabilitators’ (of which Donna is a member) website at txmwr.org. 

Pets, such as dogs, also tend to go after rabbits. To protect rabbit nests in yards with a dog, Donna recommends not to move the nest. Instead, place a basket with a rabbit-sized hole cut in the front and back of it upside down over the nest. Place something on top of the basket to weigh it down. That will keep dogs from reaching the nest while still allowing the mother rabbit to reach her young. 

When asked what her favorite part of the rehabbing process is, Donna answered, “seeing them get released, watching them run and play and run up a tree…It’s bittersweet when you’ve raised them from little tiny babies, and you watch them go out the door. It’s a relief, too, you know, because it’s like, ‘Okay, I can have a break now,’ but yeah, it’s always bittersweet.”

Contrary to what one might believe, Donna and other rehabbers are not paid for their work. Most of Squeezle Farm’s expenses are paid through donations from private individuals or come out of Donna’s own pocket. Many rehabbers do not last in the line of work for long. “A lot of people think it’s fun and games…[until] they find out how much work it is and how much it costs,” Donna said.

However, donations do not have to all be monetary. Many people bring Donna meat from their freezers, paper towels, trash bags, laundry soap, and other items. For more information, contact Squeezle Farm at 817-597-9175 or visit txmwr.org. Squeezle Farm has a Facebook page as well.