Rhinelander--A Northwoods wildlife rehabilitation facility is still open, doing what they can, though the available supply of help has fallen off sharply.
Wild Instincts on Apperson Drive near Rhinelander continues to be open, rescuing injured wildlife as owner Mark Naniot explains..
"We currently have about 50 animals in care, so we're doing our same daily routine. We were deemed(by the state) as necessary, so we weren't shut down at all. We are still able to accept animals. With the shutdown, it's a little difficult to bring us animals. We're limited on our rescues. We have closed doors to our volunteers and volunteer drivers..."
Naniot says a key is calling ahead should you find an animal in distress...
"Somebody has an animal, they're welcome to bring it in. We have a doorbell in the front, they can just ring the doorbell, we'll have somebody come out and meet them. We apologize for not shaking hands and hugging people. We are very helpful for them helping out the animals We're trying to do our part in disease control and things like that. It's what we do anyway..."
He says with very limited staff they will do what they can do. He says they're available for phone consultations when a situation arises. When you arrive, they meet you in the parking lot to retrieve the animal. If you are unable to call in advance, either call from the parking lot or ring the door bell.
He says they're doing what they can to keep themselves healthy. Naniot says if you aren't feeling well, don't come by. He says it there are donations they leave them sit for a couple of days to avoid handling things that could be infected.
It's the nesting season for eagles so they have a number of them on hand. He says many species are having their babies now and that often causes more intake.
