Amanda R.

I have loved animals my entire life and have always wanted to care for them in some capacity. After taking a few general college courses about animals I knew I needed to jump in and start working with them. I searched high and low for volunteer opportunities to work with animals, particularly wildlife. At the time, I didn’t even know wildlife rehabilitation was an occupational possibility! When I learned that there was a group of people who take in sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife, rehabilitate them, and then release them back into the wild, and that most of them did it as volunteers, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do.

After some research I discovered an at-home licensed rehabber not too far from my home. Unfortunately she wasn’t able to take volunteers because of her set-up, but she directed me to a facility that would eventually hold a huge piece of my heart. I began volunteering at All Things Wild in Georgetown, TX in April 2022, and from my first day there, I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

I was amazed at how everyone at the center loved and cared for these animals that most people didn’t understand, or actively avoided. I learned the importance of each of these animals in the wild, how to treat them while they were under our care, and truly how much was involved with rehabbing these animals. I was hooked. After 10 months volunteering, I became employed at All Things Wild, and I can honestly say it is the dream job. I love caring for the animals, educating the public about their importance, and releasing them back into the wild to do what they were born to do!