Wildlife Resqu Haus
by Allyn West (written in November 2003, prior to construction of the new rehab facility)
Diana Shaffer’s house is tucked inconspicuously on the north side of State Road 32, a road that winds and bends and splits through Yorktown, Ind. At first glance, the single-story house is plain, sitting quietly next to a black driveway darting back from a brightly painted, neon-yellow mailbox. Everything is typical, bathed in charming, Midwestern coziness.
But immediately behind the house is a busy backyard full of nine outdoor flight cages and a rehabilitation building that, together, Shaffer calls the Wildlife Resqu Haus, Inc. Named after a St. Bernard dog she once owned, Resqu Haus is one of Indiana’s oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation centers.
Shaffer,
66, is the creator of the WRH, founding it in 1964. She cares for 400-600
animals annually, including birds of prey, mammals, waterfowl and some
reptiles. She spends most of each day providing them all with special
diets, temporary housing and nurturing care: Watching her speak to her
animals is like watching a mother with her newborn.
She works with local veterinarians like Dr. Dawn Hess, who provides rehabilitative medical care, which allows Shaffer to eventually return the animals to Indiana’s woodlands, rivers and skies.
During the summer months, Shaffer can get as many as 40 animals each day. On two typical days last June, she said, “I got a red-tailed hawk, a robin, a titmouse, two American kestrels, four baby squirrels, a starling, two robins, a screech owl, two doves and a woodpecker,” plus lots of baby rabbits. During the winter months, the WRH receives fewer animals but still has most of its cages occupied.
Shaffer's patients come from caring, concerned citizens across the state. “Everybody brings animals, from every walk of life, young and old," she said. "They come on bicycles, in cars or even motorcycles. People find them and they bring them in.”
When she receives an animal, she said, “I always check them over. It’s no different than if you go to a doctor. I do a complete physical exam on them, except I'm looking at feathers and beaks.”
But because she cares for so many and such different animals, the current rehabilitation space at the Resqu Haus is inadequate. So, as the center turns 40 years old, construction on a new building will provide large indoor cages, an exam table, a heater and running water—four necessities Shaffer does not currently have. All in all, the new space will allow her to care for even more animals.
“There are no words to tell you how excited I am about it,” she said. “This building is a dream.”
When
she was younger, Shaffer was always interested in the outdoors. That’s
how her interests in rehabilitation started.
“I was fascinated by wildlife, and my heart went out to certain little creatures. I would enjoy just sitting and watching them.”
Eventually people started bringing her injured, sick and orphaned animals. At first, admittedly, it was a haphazard process with little thought of the future. But her work kept progressing until she realized there was a need for an organized center.
“When you first start doing something like this, you’re doing it more for yourself. You get a neat feeling that you’ve been a part of a creature’s life and you saved it, then saw it returned to the wild,” she said. “But then I realized that this is something we truly need.”
And the Wildlife Resqu Haus is something Indiana needs. “I never dreamed that it'd get as big as it is," Shaffer said. "At times I get overwhelmed with the number of creatures.”
At the same time, over the 40 years that the WRH has been around and grown to become one of east central Indiana's most popular rehabilitation centers, Shaffer’s work ethic hasn’t diminished a bit. She often doesn't get to bed till 2:00 a.m., only to start the morning feedings three hours later.
Caring for so many animals requires a tremendous amount of work. At 65, she is a veritable superhero.
“I do most things myself,” she said. “I have some volunteers who come and help, but I do nearly all of the care and cleaning. As I’ve gotten older, I've realized how much work is involved and the time it takes.”
Although she’s gained a lot of her knowledge from reading books and talking with other rehabilitators around the country, most of what Shaffer knows about animal rehabilitation and care has come through her own experiences. “It’s amazing, the things I have learned, just sitting in a cage with my back to the wall and watching what (the animals) do," she said. "It’s a different atmosphere when you’re in there watching them.”
Through it all, caring for the animals has brought her many different emotions. “It’s frustrating but very rewarding,” she said. “It’s thrilling at times and it can be very sad at times. It has about anything that anybody would want in their life.”
Shaffer's work as a wildlife rehabilitator isn't just about caring for the animals, though. It's also about education. Each year she presents 30-50 programs to schools, civic groups, and other organizations throughout east central Indiana, informing her audiences about the place of wildlife in our ecosystems and the ways that human activities can harm wildlife.
When
she started the Wildlife Resqu Haus, one of Shaffer's hopes was that,
in 50 years, the center would still be around and maybe even have saved
a species considered threatened or endangered in Indiana.
And it has. The list of such species that Shaffer has cared for includes a bald eagle, two golden eagles, six peregrine falcons, a half-dozen long-eared owls, a snowy owl, and many others. Altogether, she has taken in more than 7,000 animals since 1964. [After the summer of 2004, that figure was raised to more than 7,500.]
Shaffer knows better than anyone that running the center requires patience, strength and—most of all—time. But, as the new building is being raised, Resqu Haus can remain headed in a positive direction.
“I’ll want to keep working at this new building until I’m 99,” she said, laughing, “but I’d like to know there is somebody who has time to continue this.”
When the building is finished, the WRH will continue to do what it has done for 40 years, but even more effectively: nurture and care for injured animals and promote environmental awareness.
Rightly proud of all her years of work, Shaffer said, “I've done it because the animals are there. This is my life.”
And she’ll continue living that life, making a difference outside a small house with big plans, just off a winding Indiana road.
- Allyn West graduated from Ball State University in May 2004 with a degree in journalism
