Injured birds need a wing up

Key West bird rehab center will close without someone stepping up

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By SEAN KINNEY

skinney@keynoter.com

Posted - Saturday, October 18, 2008 07:01 AM EDT

Unless a volunteer steps forward, the birds will be permanently grounded at the Key West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at Indigenous Park on White Street.

In September 2006, the center merged with the Marathon Wild Bird Center in Marathon. Following the merger, the Key West facility's staff spiffed the place up, clearing away residual damage from Hurricane Wilma and reconstructing pens that serve as temporary housing for convalescing birds.

But now, the very real possibility exists that the center could close due to a lack of volunteers, leaving Maya Totman's Florida Keys Wildlife Rescue on Big Pine Key as the only place to take injured birds between Marathon and Key West.

Key West bird center

Click to see the chicken pen at the Key West bird center.

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"I can't run two facilities," said Kelly Grinter, who runs the Marathon bird center and who took over operation of the Key West facility in 2006. "Whoever runs it needs to be there; I'm 50 miles away."

The Key West site was set to close Sunday but Grinter is giving it another four weeks in hopes that someone will step up and take over. If no one does, the birds there will be moved to Grinter's Marathon site.

The Key West facility includes a hospital where injured birds and wildlife are treated and monitored, an outdoor rehab area and a large holding area where various fowl await either release or relocation.

Volunteers like Kathy Uptegrove primarily staff the place but it needs more. "We're in transition," Uptegrove said. "Hoping someone will take over so we can still volunteer."

"I love it," Uptegrove said, referring to her volunteer work. "I go home smelling like pelican poop but I love it. It's so nice when you can take an animal and release it."

Just last weekend, Uptegrove and her husband trucked a load of birds, including a pelican, two cormorants and seven gulls, up to Tavernier to be released.

The center also recently relocated two pelicans that were permanent residents to the Jacksonville Zoo. But as nice as releasing a recovered bird is, Uptegrove said that there's a down side to the volunteer work.

"We've gotten some bad cases in here with people hurting them [birds and wildlife]. I don't care what you think, everything has feelings."

Uptegrove stressed that it's up to residents to watch out for injured animals and to take a stand if there's wrongdoing. "Don't let people abuse animals. Do something."