Posted 9/12/01
Wildlife rehabilitationis way of life for Kathy Thorp
By Danielle Strenke
She rescued her first animal at the age of eight. Kathy Thorp was asked by the local veterinarian to care for an injured robin. She accepted the responsibility, sleeping on the sofa with an alarm clock by her side, so she could awaken every two hours and administer eye medicine to the injured animal.
She said the bird recovered completely, and since then, the Lindstrom resident has always had an animal in her care.
Thorp, who also works as a receiving manager at Petersonís Farm and Garden in North Branch, has turned her home into a veritable wildlife habitat during forty years of doing wildlife rehabilitation.
After completing college, Thorp never stopped caring for animals. As her children came along, everyone encouraged her to go back to veterinary school. She did, and completed an education to become a veterinary technician.
She just recently retired after 20 years as a vet tech of farm animals, due to the physical stress of caring for the large animals. ìI loved it, but it was getting too hard to do,î Thorp said.
The animal rehabilitation entails partnering with the Minnesota DNR, which sends animals to her that have been hit by cars, maimed by other animals, neglected by humans, lost their mother, or simply found injured.
The animals themselves are found all over Chisago County, and across the state. Several come from Wild River State Park, and other state parks.
Her volunteer job as an animal rehabilitation specialist has four phases. Rescueñ the animals are brought to her, most of the time in need of emergency medical treatment.
Rehabilitation ñ she works to mend their wounds with the least amount of invasive treatment.
Rear young ñ when she first started animal rehabilitation, she cared for several baby animals, most of whom were orphans.
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She bottle fed them and maintained a warm environment to help them survive through those first crucial weeks.
Eventually, she trains the young animals, teaching them survival skills for life on their own. The most inherent survival skill ñ how to hunt their own food.
She works diligently to try and mimic the animalís own natural environment, where they can learn how to get food on their own.
Sometimes, this means showing the birds and waterfowl how to find fish in the small pond on her five acres of land. For other animals, itís using dead prey to teach them how to hunt as predators.
Thorp doesnít particularly like this part of the job, but knows itís necessary for the animalís survival. ìSomeone else could do that part, itís not really my favorite thing, but itís important,î she said.
The final step in the rehabilitation is the ultimate goal of her work ñ release. Thorp said she usually has a very high release rate. ìAround 80 percent are released back into the wild,î she said.
While some of the animals are released back into their natural habitat, others, like birds and squirrels, are simply released into the wooded area on Thorpís farm.
If they are not able to survive back in the wild, the choice is made to euthanize the animal, put it into the care of a foster home, or use it for educational purposes. Thorp said bringing animals into the schools is becoming a thing of the past, however. ìThey donít like to do that much anymore, which is a shame.î
She will use the animals in her own teachings, however. She most recently taught classes in animal behavior at Wild River State Park this summer, and this year she will instruct on the same subject at Chisago Lakes High School.
Thorp said she has learned so much about the behavior of specific animals in her four decades of caring for them. While she started her training in the medical aspect of taking care of animals, she has realized the emotional side of animals is just as important.
The most important thing she has learned is to respect them as wild animals. ìWildlife donít make good pets, but some are very sociable animals,î she said.
She has learned how to read the eyes and body language of the animals in her care, and how to get those animals back into the wild, despite their injuries.
Thorp has taken special care to construct habitats specifically for each type of animal brought to her.
The pen for the herons contain rocks, logs, and water stocked with minnows for them to eat.
The squirrels have their own pen, and when they are well enough to leave, they are placed in a squirrel release pen that has holes in the mesh sides big enough for them to get out, yet too small for predators to get in.
The list of animals on Thorpís farm could be straight from a Dr. Doolittle movie. It includes crows, herons, song birds, turtles, geese, squirrels, owls, and two bald eagles. At other times she has cared for bats, woodchucks, wildcats such as lynx, and domestic animals.
There are 56 animals in various stages of rehabilitation currently on her farm. In a typical year, Thorp has over 100 animals in her care.
She said she will take almost any animal, except for bear. ìThey have those black eyes ñ you canít figure out what theyíre thinking, and theyíre pretty aggressive.î She is also hesitant about skunks and raccoons. When one of these animals is in need of rehabilitation, Thorp is able to send them to other volunteers who are experienced in working specifically with those animals.
There is little doubt Thorp is doing something she loves by caring for the animals.
When she talks about any of the animals and their specific stories, she refers to them as ìkids.î She has taught orphaned kittens to purr, and found a dachshund mom to adopt them. She cares for each ìkidî as a unique individual.
As a volunteer, Thorp receives no compensation for the countless hours she spends caring for the animals, or the the materials, supplies and food needed for them. She estimates spending at least $2,000 a year of her own money for supplies.
Because she is not a non-profit agency, Thorp cannot accept monetary donations to defray costs.
However, she would gratefully accept donations of materials such as screens and lumber to build pens, and food for the animals ñ such as venison for the eagles. She said people can also sponsor an individual animal if they wish.
Despite the time and money she puts into caring for the animals, Thorp couldnít imagine her life any other way. Now that her own two sons are grown, she is teaching her grandson about the animals. ìHe wants to help feed the squirrels,î she said.
The most important lesson she wants her grandson and all kids to learn, is how to respect nature and animals. ìItís real important to pay attention to nature,î she said. ìThe animals know to do that.î
For information, contact Thorp at Petersonís, 674-4425.