Wildlife Rehab Owners Seek to Expand Refuge
By Rudabeh ShahbaziPENDLETON-- The couple who started nursing bald eagles and other wildlife back to health 20 years ago, says it's time to do more. MultimediaLynn and Bob Tompkins built the Blue Mountain Wildlife rehab center out of their home. Bald eagles and other raptors live in the wilds of eastern Oregon and Washington, but the the Tompkins are the only ones in the region to care for them when they are sick or injured. "It's not a survival thing, that we're the strongest, so we survive," said Lynn Tompkins. "It's that we got hit by a car, or we hit a power online, or we landed on a power line and got electrocuted, we got shot, we hit a window, things like that." Last year they rescued almost 400 birds and mammals, twice as many as the year before. They cared for dozens of eagles that had been shot, and treated others for lead poisoning after they ate small animals that had been shot. Many were euthanized. But resources are scarce, and the center is running out of room, using a tiny section of the house as a clinic. "I have two bats in my office right now, that are wintering because there's no place for them in the clinic," said Tompkins. Plans have begun to build more fly pens and cages to separate animals, and to buy an in-house x-ray machine. They also want permanent housing for interns, who sleep in a double wide trailer. They say the cause benefits the community. "We do lots of classroom visits with these birds, so the kids get to look at them up close and personal, and realize what beautiful creatures they are," said Tompkins. "A golden eagle, it's a brown bird, but when you get up close, you can see all the different colors in its feathers." Tompkins says she realizes times are tough economically, but the need is still great. The price tag for the renovation would be $50,000, which they are seeking through donations and grants. They hope to have it up and running by 2011. |
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