Sarah R.

I have been working with wildlife in some regards for over 20 years. I started working in a wildlife rehabilitation setting around 2012, and have been working full time in the field as a wildlife veterinarian since 2016. At my current center, we admitted over 11,000 animals in 2021. At a high volume center, it is challenging to provide the round the clock care that some neonates and juveniles need that home rehabbers can provide. This means that I have started to take some of our smallest and youngest mammal patients home for continue overnight care. While the cycle of animal care night and day can 100% contribute to the burn out that is commonly seen in this profession (and I have the utmost respect for home rehabbers who have been doing this every baby season for years!), I have found this nighttime ritual has a positive effect on my mental health. The heating pad/small terrarium set up I currently have does not provide the best heat support, so I am hopeful that the addition of an actual incubator will help overall survival rate.