The Second Chance Wildlife Center in Gaithersburg, which temporarily closed several weeks ago, has reopened its doors. The decision to close, however, underscores the reality of wildlife rehabilitation in the area.
Second Chance, which opened its doors in 1996, rents its facilities from the Maryland Capital Park and Planning Commission. When it first opened, the Center took in about 1,600 animals. Now, the center takes in closer to 5,000 animals and its facilities have not expanded. The result is overcrowding and inadequate capability to care for, rehabilitate, and release all the animals that the center receives.
“[Closing temporarily] was the only solution to the problem,” said Christine Montuori, Second Chance’s executive director. “We considered limiting admissions to only Montgomery County. We considered stopping accepting certain species. We considered all sorts of possibilities to reduce number, but we didn’t like any of them, and we didn’t like closing, but it gave us breathing room and time to advance the animals we’ve got.”
Second Chance is the only local facility that is fully equipped to take in all injured or orphaned wildlife, and accommodates the needs of Montgomery, Howard, Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties as well as Northern Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. Second Chance is also part of a small and growing community of wildlife rehabilitators, who have permits to work with wildlife in their homes. When their facilities become overcrowded, these home-based rehabbers often send people to Second Chance.
“Second Chance doesn’t turn away any animals. When people come in they’re so relieved that there’s someone who can take care of orphaned and injured wildlife. It’s a wonderful facility to have and I don’t think that [Second Chance] gets the funding that they should for the services it provides,” said Connie Markwood, who has been volunteering at Second Chance for the last six years.
The lack of funding is the main obstacle in Second Chance’s desire to expand its facilities.
“We think it’s about time that the county and state understand that wildlife rehab is necessary and beneficial, not just for the wildlife but also for the public. [The lack of funding for Second Chance] leaves people with no alternative place to take injured or orphaned wildlife. We don’t think that’s right. It took many years for people to realize that there was a need for domestic animal shelters, and I think we’ve gotten to the point where a similar consideration should be given to wildlife,” said Montouri.
“Most shelters that take in domestic animals are not fully equipped to deal with wildlife. The wild animals that are taken to shelters are often killed because shelters have neither the trained personnel nor the equipment to deal with them,” said Leslie Sturges, who works as a naturalist at Locust Grove Nature Center and rehabilitates bats.
SECOND CHANCE HAS seen the likes of myriad animals. The center’s most common animals include baby squirrels and baby bunnies, brought in during the spring and summer months. Baby birds of all sorts, including cardinals, robins, and sparrows are also brought to the Center. But the animal that tops the list is baby ducklings.
“We get a lot of baby ducklings because mama builds her nest in a stupid spot. We get lots of calls about ducklings being in pools. We get calls because Mama Duck is trying to lead her babies across the street and next thing you know mom’s been hit by a car and there’s a dozen ducklings running around,” said Montouri.
But Second Chance has seen its share of extraordinary animals too. Two caimans (reptiles that are similar to alligators) found their way to Second Chance last year. The Center also gets a fair number of fawns, herons, hawks and owls, and is currently rehabilitating a baby skunk.
And while the phones at Second Chance seem to always be ringing, not all callers necessarily need to bring in the wildlife that they’ve found.
“A lot of animals that people find, in many cases, don’t need the help. People should make sure that an animal really does need help before taking it out of the wild. Often the best place to leave it is where it is,” said Rob Gibbs, resource manager and naturalist for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.