History of Cayman Wildlife Rescue

Catherine Redfern

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Cayman Wildlife Rescue is a programme of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands tasked with rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing sick, injured and orphaned native animals back into the wild, to maintain the health and integrity of our unique Caymanian ecosystem.

The organisation started in 2001 as the Wildlife Rehab Centre and Fund as a result of members of the public bringing injured birds and other wildlife to the offices of the National Trust, the Humane Society, the Department of Environment and the Department of Agriculture as well as directly to the veterinarian’s offices.

Obviously there was a need for a dedicated wildlife rescue and rehabilitation service in the community. Many people were unwilling to pay for treatment of wild animals they felt they already helped by taking the time to rescue and the veterinarians on the island found themselves having to absorb the expensive costs of materials and time to treat these animals.

Island veterinarians have historically donated enormous amounts of time and materials to the care of wildlife and felt that their office kennels, designed for dogs and cats, were inadequate for the needs of wildlife, which require quiet, stress–free habitations in an environment that resembles their natural habitat as closely as possible. In 2001 Dr. Brenda Bush of Island Veterinary Services requested financial and volunteer help as the caseload increased.

To address this problem, the Department of Environment assisted by building cages with the help of private donors in order to construct a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. This safe place situated on private land lent to Cayman Wildlife Rescue by a sympathetic and generous resident is ideal for recovering wild animals because it is centrally located near all the veterinary clinics, yet is peaceful, quiet and wooded next to a small pond.

The Department of Environment funded the building of the cages and The Department of Agriculture also assists by supplying catching equipment such as raptor–proof gloves and large nets as needed. In addition, the National Trust for the Cayman Islands and the Cayman Islands Humane Society has designated $500 per year to Cayman Wildlife Rescue.

The primary purpose of the fund held by Cayman Wildlife Rescue is to help to defray the costs to local veterinarians for the expense of treating wildlife. These expenses, previously being absorbed by the veterinarians, include medicines, diagnostics, surgery, treatments, equipment usage and office staff hours, as well as fresh fish in the cases of Boobies, Frigates, Pelicans and other large seabirds.

The presence of Cayman Wildlife Rescue shows responsibility to a growing need as development continues.

Since 2004 the case load has increased as a direct result of an increase in human encounter – with over 98 per cent of cases seen Cayman Wildlife Rescue resulting from accidents involving human beings, unrestrained pets or manmade structures.

A commitment to help save injured wildlife will serve the interests of the entire community by highlighting the fragility of Cayman’s unique ecosystem, and the many endemic species of flora and fauna that are dependent on a healthy native animal population.

This commitment to maintaining healthy ecosystems relies on the successful rehabilitation and release of native Caymanian birds and animals. As such, responding to problems regarding non–native invasive Green Iguanas, Monk Parakeets or other introduced species such as the Red–eared Slider is at the discretion of the volunteers, but Cayman Wildlife Rescue is not responsible for animal control or nuisance problems that should be referred to the Department of Agriculture.

Cayman Wildlife Rescue started as a small project of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands providing follow–up rehabilitative care to animals that had been treated by the island veterinarians. Under the stewardship of Lois Blumenthal, the project manager for Cayman Wildlife Rescue until November 2006, a group of volunteers including Mars van Liefde, Joanne and Caroline Ross, Lisa Bartolotto, Janice Blumenthal, Tansy Maki and Teresa Strad worked tirelessly to care for anything from Cayman’s endemic Dwarf Boa to large Magnificent Frigate birds and small Bananaquits.

Today Cayman Wildlife Rescue boasts a volunteer base of approximately 20 active individuals, all donating time, services and skills to the wildlife rehabilitation effort. Our volunteers are becoming qualified in basic wildlife rehabilitation through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council based in the United States, and have able to expand the scope of their activities to include more comprehensive and skilled care to support the work of the island’s veterinarians.

In addition our volunteers have started providing educational services to schools, social clubs and other interested parties in the community – the most recent success being a project managed by long–time volunteer Tansy Maki at St. Ignatius School where they embarked upon a developing a publicity and awareness campaign for Cayman Wildlife Rescue that won the school the Jiminy Cricket’s Environmentality Prize awarded by Disney Cruise Lines for valuable environmental contributions to the community.

It also actively fundraise to continually improve the facilities for rehabilitating our needy wildlife and develop the skills of our dedicated volunteers – our first Pub Quiz organized by volunteer Justine Riseley with the help of the Triple Crown Pub was held in May 2007 and helped to raise a quarter of our operating costs for this year.

Former Project Manager Lois Blumenthal, and subsequently volunteer Alison Corbett have been instrumental in liaising with Cable and Wireless to ensure that we have a permanent 24 hour emergency hotline dedicated to responding to wildlife rescue emergencies. Cable and Wireless have donated a hotline cell phone –917–BIRD (917–2473) which is manned by Cayman Wildlife Rescue volunteers to deal with wildlife emergency calls at any time of day or night.

Other community organisations are also recognising the work with groups of 20–strong volunteers from organisations like Rotary Club Central getting involved in helping to build cages for captive parrots.

It is also expanding volunteer services to include resolving human/wildlife conflicts such as woodpeckers invading homes, bats invading ceilings and other situations that may arise. Cayman Wildlife Rescue works closely with the Bat Conservation Programme of the National Trust for the Cayman Islands run by Lois Blumenthal – Cayman’s own Bat Lady – who has been championing the cause of Cayman’s bats for many years. There are now volunteers like Teresa Strad who have been specifically trained in the rehabilitative care of bats.

The growing need for the services of Cayman Wildlife Rescue reflects a greater need for habitat conservation and protection

While the services provided by Cayman Wildlife Rescue are directly related to rescue, rehabilitation and release of injured individual animals, this programme can only be considered successful when seen as part of the wider Caymanian environmental context. Helping one individual back into the wild is not an achievement unless there is substantial ‘wild’ for it to be reintroduced back into.

Development and natural disaster are having an adverse affect on the quality of wild habitat on our small island. The unique ecosystems support many endemic species of flora and fauna which are cleared in favour or exotic landscape.

Development is necessary for economic growth, developers are urged to look to landscaping with native plants to encourage native birds, butterflies and other animals to create homes in their grounds.

Residents of these beautiful islands are urged to take ownership of their special natural resources – to recognise their value and pass on a national pride in a special ecosystem on to their families and friends.

Cayman’s national symbols reflect the uniqueness of our islands – the Cayman Parrot, Banana Orchid and Silver Thatch Palm are found nowhere else in the world – and cannot exist in isolation of the rest of the unique ecosystem that we call home. Above all, we need to remember that we are part of our ecosystem – not separate or above it. Every action we make has an impact on it.

Cayman Wildlife Rescue is entirely staffed by unpaid volunteers and is 100 per cent funded by public donations. It is growing from strength to strength as demand for its services increases, but its success depends on the commitment of the community to support this programme. If you would like to donate money, time or services to Cayman Wildlife Rescue, contact Catherine Redfern, project manager, at caymanwildliferescue@gmail.com.