The Mercer County Wildlife Center in Hopewell Township helps many animals in the county, as well as educating the public on how to coexist with wildlife.
The carcasses of wild animals on our roadways are a grim indication of how much development and a corresponding increase in traffic is encroaching upon these animals' habitat. The critters that once had the run of wide open fields and large tracts of wooded areas now live in close proximity to humans.
The result has not been beneficial to the deer, possums, raccoons and many other four-legged animals that now scurry through our back yards and across our streets. And then there are the feathered creatures such as songbirds, hawks, owls and even eagles that now have limited feeding grounds.
Helping these animals and humans to co-exist is the Mercer County Wildlife Center in Hopewell Township.
The center was recently in the news when it released three purple martin birds that were nursed back to health after they were injured in a thoughtless act of vandalism when their birdhouses were tossed into a fire pit.
Caring for these injured wild creatures has been a critical mission of the center since it was founded in 1983, when the county naturalist, Joe Schmeltz, began caring for hurt animals in the basement of the township jail. In 1989, the operation moved to a farmhouse on Route 29, then to trailers when the building became too old and dilapidated.
Birding group replacing birdhouses set ablaze
Today, the state and federally licensed facility is located in a 6,000-square-foot building on Route 29 in Titusville, where it is open every day of the year with a small cadre of full-time staff, including a licensed wildlife rehabilitator, along with several volunteer veterinarians and more than 100 trained volunteers who are the backbone of the operations.
The wildlife center, which is a facility of the Mercer County Park Commission, cares for more than 2,000 animals a year.
But caring for sick and injured animals is only a part of what the center does.
Another critical function is education, which the center believes is the key to a peaceful coexistence among the varied inhabitants of our area.
Birds killed when houses tossed into fire pit
Part of its education program involves a group of animals with permanent disabilities that cannot be released back into the wild. These animals are paired with specially trained speakers who travel to schools, scout meetings, senior centers and community events to spread the word about sharing our environment with these creatures.
To carry out its mission, the center relies heavily upon volunteers and donations from the public.
We encourage animal lovers to help the center either through offering their time or treasure by contacting the center at wildlifecenterfriends.org or mercercountyparks.org (click facilities than wild life center).
It's up to us to protect our wildlife from us.
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