Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Thanks Supporters & Local Community for Big Donations

With 2,355 animals rescued and rehabilitated this year so far, over 16,000 phone calls from their 24 hour hotline fielded just from Memorial to Labor Day, and open 362 days a year, the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center’s (EAWRC) dedication to preserving Long Island wildlife is second to none. Yet, they have only been able to do this because of the unmatched support and donations from our locals.

“We only exist because of our community,” says Kathleen Mulcahy, Executive Director of the EAWRC.

So what goes into keeping this wildlife center alive?

To take care, feed, X-ray, and medicate the 30 to 50 animals at any given time, excluding the 15 educational animals kept on sight, the EAWRC spends well over $750,000 a year. “We are incredibly lucky because our donor base and community are the same, and we have thousands of people sending between $5 and $50,000, all of which we are so incredibly thankful for,” adds Mulcahy, “and our donors love knowing where it all goes.”

The EAWRC receives towels, sheets, pillows, and comforters from people who casually drop by old or extra bedding, which comfort the cages of all animals in rehabilitation as they go through 30 loads of laundry a day. A volunteer recently came by and redid the skylight, in addition to repainting the whole front building, and even more people drop by with extra pet carriers, fish tanks, bird cages, and more. “Most of everything we have is given to us from our supporters,” Mulachy explains, “We just posted a Facebook ad asking if anyone had any extra trampolines for our fox Keeyla, since we are always looking for enrichment for our educational animals. Soon after, a woman called us requesting the exact trampoline we wanted, as she was going to order it on Amazon for us.”

Mulachy further explains that, “Every year, we typically give out thank you cards to our donors. After running some statistics, we discovered that over 2,000 people give between $25 and $50 dollars, which adds up to around $50,000.” This supports a large portion of the EAWRC’s budget, going towards costs such as medication to even water maintenance. This can cost, for example, “$50 a month just for medication for our ambassador owl Archie, and over $60 per order of water maintenance which helps our swans, ducks, and geese,” adds Tammy Flanell, education animal caretaker at the EAWRC.

Jessica Chiarello, Senior Animal Care Technician and hospital supervisor at the EAWRC further explains, “Just basic medication tests, such as lead testing kits, which are crucial since lead poisoning is so prevalent now, can be $500 per kit, and we go through them at least once a month.” Even the EAWRC’s lead machine (Lead Care) is $4,000, however, Chiarello reiterates, “We wouldn’t be able to buy the supplies if people weren’t donating.”

Even foods are a big cost, as the EAWRC goes through five dozen eggs a week. “Fox Valley formula, different for all the animals, can cost from $200-300 per order, and we go through a lot of formula,” adds Chiarello, “even frozen mice and chicks for our raptors and other large birds can be well over $700 a month.”

“This is all funded by our locals,” continues Mulcahy, “A man donated us our $50,000

X-ray machine, and another woman recently donated us $10,000 because she called our hotline, and we helped her connect a lost baby bird back to its mother.” Even local fishermen help feed all types of birds, from ospreys to gulls, dropping off extra caught fish anytime the EAWRC posts about it on Facebook.

Yet it’s not just the people and supporters that help the EAWRC, but companies and businesses as well. Wild by Nature donates all expired produce 6 days a week, which helps feed all of the animals that need greens, including Allen McButterpants, the EAWRC’s most popular ambassador, who eats on average “3-4 heads of romaine a day,” states Chiarello.

“We are thankful to the grants that contribute to our funds, and our land paid by Suffolk Country Park, which can supply about a quarter of our budget. Income from our two biggest events, the Mothers Day Plant Sale and the Get Wild Gala during the summer, cover another third,” explains Mulachy, “but the rest is from our community, which is why we are so thankful.”

In this time of Thanksgiving and fall friendship, the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center and its dedicated employees have, and will, continue to keep the community in their hearts for all of the loving support and donations that the EAWRC, and the 2,355 animals saved this year, receives.

The center is located at 228 West Montauk Highway, Hampton Bays. It can be reached at 631-728-4200, and animal emergencies can be reported at 631-728-WILD (9453). The center is open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. seven days weekly. Visit wildliferescuecenter.org for info.