By: Kate Zaffarese, Follow South Jersey Community Journalist
MEDFORD — Despite the bitter cold on Saturday, Feb. 7, people showed up in droves to support Cedar Run Animal Refuge’s annual Wildlife Baby Shower in Medford, New Jersey.
Cedar Run is a non-profit wildlife refuge that rehabilitates injured wildlife brought in by people throughout New Jersey, with the eventual goal of releasing them back into the wild. The group is committed to protecting wildlife and teaching the importance of caring for the natural world. Supporters of Cedar Run came together to donate the group’s most needed items in preparation for the group’s busiest time of the year: baby season.
The baby shower was hosted at The Farmstead, a local independent senior living community which provided refreshments for guests. It was not only a donation drive, but also a celebration of the community which gives them the support it needs to continue rehabilitating wildlife.
The packed event had stations dedicated to animal education, games, raffles, and more. There were even appearances by some of the stars of Cedar Run, the wildlife ambassador animals which cannot be released due to certain injuries or habituations. Guests got a chance to see Hoo-dini, a great horned owl, a resident of Cedar Run since 2010, as well as other fan favorites such as Remy, a black rat snake and Nazar, an eastern screech owl.
Director of wildlife rehabilitation Lori Swanson oversees all of the incoming wildlife patients, as well as continuing care of Cedar Run’s wildlife ambassadors. Rehabilitation can be a complicated and lengthy process, and the support of the community makes the job much easier.
“This is so great because before we had this event, we would get to the middle of the summer and be like, ‘Oh my gosh, we are running out of paper towels,’” Swanson said. “Then you have to ask online and hope that people decide to contribute. So this gets us set up before the season so we don’t have that panic in the middle of the season.”
In preparation for baby season, the group reached out for support from the community to donate some of their most needed items such as paper towels, examination gloves, and puppy pads.
For most animals, baby season begins early in the spring when the weather becomes warmer and food is more abundant. This is Cedar Run’s busiest time of the year. Last year alone they took in more than 5000 baby animals, about 66% of the total animals they saw that year.
“Many times babies are separated from their parents by human interaction. They are encountered in people’s yards and thought to be orphaned…their parents may be trapped and removed leaving the babies behind unknowingly, their parents may pass away from disease or injury, or their dens and nests may be destroyed,” Swanson said.
Due to the influx of baby animals from March to September each year, the rehabilitation center requires lots of materials and volunteers in order to take care of these animals.
“There are about 200 volunteers just in the Wildlife Hospital each year. They’re helping us really be able to give the best care that we can to the animals,” said Swanson. “They’re here with us in the middle of the summer and they’re here in the middle of the winter when it’s like two degrees outside. They truly are the lifeblood of Cedar Run.”
The organization is bracing for the incoming baby season, and with the generous donations of the community, they now have the resources to ensure every animal gets the rehabilitation it needs.
To learn more about Cedar Run and its various programs, click here. To learn more about donations, check their list of most needed items here.
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