Wildlife rescuers seek permanent home in southern Westchester

Red tail hawks aren't very big, but nursing injured birds back to health requires large spaces so they can spread their healing wings.

The Center for Wildlife Rescue, Research and Conservation in Bronxville has been rehabilitating small wild animals in its nurse's Yonkers home since it was incorporated five years ago. It's not an ideal situation, so the group is looking to set up a wildlife nursing center in the most densely populated part of the county.

"It's needed in lower Westchester because we live in such close proximity to wildlife," said Loraine Izzo, the center's president.

Currently, there is no place in Westchester County where residents can bring injured wildlife for rehabilitation. Anyone who finds an injured wild animal has to visit a state website that connects the public with licensed animal rehabilitators.

Izzo said there are many hazards for wildlife in the densest parts of the county. For example, on Monday morning, Izzo released a red tail hawk in White Plains that had impaled its wing on a slender metal rod in a corporate park's lawn as it was catching a squirrel.

The center's quest for a permanent home is one reason behind a May 5 fundraiser in Bronxville. The event's details aren't settled yet, but supporters can contact the group's website requesting an invitation.

Given the region's real estate prices, they'll need a lot of money if they buy or lease a property, so they've priced their naming rights accordingly. A donation of $150,000 will give a donor naming rights for the future building, according to its website.

For now, the wildlife nursing is done at the Yonkers home of Joanne Dreeben, the group's nurse and secretary. Dreeben nursed the hawk, and on Tuesday, she was caring for an injured barred owl that was rescued from a backyard deck in Cortland Manor.

Caring for injured animals can get expensive.

"We are private people who do what we can for wildlife out of our own pockets," said Dreeben, 75. "If you're going to do things properly, you don't feed them dog food. You feed them food that's appropriate."

In the case of the owl, that means mice.

Dreeben said that proper rehabilitation for birds also means the center needs a flight cage, which is an enclosed space large enough for a hawk or owl to fly. Such a cage would ensure that a bird is truly ready to be reintroduced to the wild.

"Nature doesn't allow time for wound healing," Dreeben said. "If you're injured, you're going to get eaten by the first predator that comes along."

Twitter: @ErnieJourno

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