Botstiber Clinic opens at Red Creek Wildlife
Hundreds of well-wishers turned out Saturday for an open house at Red Creek Wildlife Center, a refuge and treatment facility for injured wild animals, in Wayne Township, Schuylkill County.
The center opened the Botstiber Clinic, a 4,500-square-foot treatment facility underwrit- ten by the Botstiber Foun- dation, a Delaware County wildlife advocacy group.
And, even as a long line of people waited to tour the clinic, a van arrived with an injured opossum.
“It’s phenomenal what they do here,” said Peter Wolfe, a Berks County resident who visited the center for the first time. “It’s very impressive.”
Founded by wildlife rehabilitator Peggy Hentz in 1991, the center was struck by a devastating fire in December 2022.
Working tirelessly, Hentz transformed the center into a modern, fully-equipped treatment and rehabilita- tion facility that’s three times the size of the previous one. It was done in about a year and a half.
A new education center sits on the site of the building that was destroyed by fire.
Devastating loss
On Dec. 5, 2022, fire broke out about 8 a.m. in a building that housed some of the center’s animals.
Several of its beloved residents, including tortoises named Sherman and Abrams, perished.
The one-story structure was declared a loss.
Within two months, the center was back in operation nearby in a former residence of its founder.
Insurance paid for the
education center. There was also an outpouring of financial support, including a $1 million donation by the Dietrich W. Botstiber Foundation, which offset the $1.5 million cost of the clinic.
‘Impressive’ facility
The line of visitors awaiting tours of the Botstiber Clinic stretched out the front door and into its parking area.
Staff members guided groups of eight or 10 people through its 24 rooms, including treatment areas, an intensive care unit and, shortly, an X-ray department.
Lylee Leonard, director of education, introduced
visitors to Acadia, a northern saw-whet owl, the state’s smallest owl species.
Acadia was brought in after being struck by a vehicle. She is expected to recover, but it’s uncertain if she can be reintroduced to the wild, according to Leonard.
Animals that are unable to be released become part of the center’s education program, visiting schools and community centers.
Next to Acadia, there was a peregrine falcon injured when it flew into a glass window in the Harrisburg area, and an injured crow found in a junkyard.
Red Creek takes in about 4,000 animals a year. Most species are accepted, except
bear, adult deer and venomous snakes.
Leonard introduced the visitors to Flower Girl, a raccoon who cannot be reintroduced to the wild. She will become a foster mother to the rash of baby raccoons that are expected in the coming weeks.
“Spring has sprung. We’re getting 10 drop-offs a day,” Leonard said, referring to the annual baby boom in the wild.
The clinic, Leonard pointed out, has specialized rooms for reptiles. They require a relative humidity of 65% to 70% and a temperature of 75 to 78 degrees.
Botstiber Clinic also has a special heated room for
songbirds.
Britt Klouser, founder of Be Ellie Happy animal rescue in Dauphin County, toured the clinic with her mother, Carol Conrad.
“It is very impressive,” said Klouser, who has brought animals to Red Creek previously. “We’re very fortunate to have a facility like this in our area.”