Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center expands to meet wildlife needs - WDBJ7

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. -

Southwest Virginia now has a full-fledged wildlife center big enough to meet the demands in the region.

Wednesday marked the fourth operating day for the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in Roanoke County.

The name and center have been around for years, but it is now considered a Category III center, instead of a Category II center, according to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wildlife rehabilitation regulations.

Sabrina Garvin is the center’s executive director. She built the non-profit from the ground up during the course of nearly 15 years.

“We considered this six years ago,” she said.

Garvin said she started searching for a new facility about four years ago and purchased a property right up the street from the former center about two years ago.

Garvin received the green light from the Feds earlier this month.

“It’s taken that long to get in here,” she said.

Garvin said she has always had a passion for animals, but she intended to rescue wildlife animals as merely a hobby.

“I started this as a love for animals, but it has evolved,” she said.

It has evolved so much that Garvin and her team went from helping 150 animals in 2000 to helping 1,250 animals last year.

“We need to coexist,” said Garvin. “We need animals in order for us to be healthy. It’s all the life cycle.”

Garvin said the closest wildlife center is about two hours away.

From baby possums to squirrels, owls and birds, the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center takes in any and all animals.

Garvin used to have an on-call veterinarian at the old center, but the new center classification means Dr. Diane Dorazio can volunteer her vet services on a regular schedule.

WDBJ 7 spoke with Dr. Dorazio as she nursed a female Downy, a type of woodpecker, back to health Wednesday afternoon.

“He’s actually had all of his feathers plucked off by a cat,” said Dorazio.

Garvin said typical operating hours are 8 am to 8 pm, but admitted the center basically operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

She said it not only serves as a shelter for injured and orphaned animals, but as a way to get them back on their feet so they can survive in the wild.

"We’ll take anything that’s injured,” said Garvin. “Not everything can be saved, but we are here to try and fix the repairs. We want a viable animal that can sustain life.”

Boy Scouts in the area have donated their time to the center to help build new cages, but Garvin said they are always in need of help.

It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to run a center like this, according to Garvin.

She said they are always looking for food, supplies and volunteers.

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Source: southwest - Google News http://ift.tt/1G996wc