Second-Chance Animals Become Educational Ambassadors

Wildlife Sanctuary Brings Together Rescued Animals and Troubled Youth 

Two young grey foxes following their mother through a schoolyard in Arizona suddenly found themselves in an extraordinary situation when the school bell rang for recess. Children poured out of their classrooms and, instinctively, the mother fox dashed for cover. Too young to escape, the two young kits were left behind.

The children quickly found the kits and approached them. First one child, then another, began throwing stones at them. Finally, someone stepped forward to protect them.

The orphaned foxes are now living at an animal sanctuary called Wildlife Associates in Half Moon Bay. Named Tahoe and Tucson, they are animal ambassadors in educational programs designed to teach children about wildlife in an effort to prevent the kind of suffering they endured.

Tessa Teichert, wildlife educator, presents Savannah, an African serval,
as part of the Wildlife Associates education program.

By teaching children at a young age to value wild animals, Wildlife Associates aspires to reach youth when they are most impressionable, so that given the same situation of encountering wild animals, children might recognize the need to protect the animals and respect them as gifts of nature.

Steven Karlin, the executive director, combines his background in environmental science with a teaching style that integrates the art of storytelling. “The earliest cave paintings are not of people; they are of people and their relationships with animals,” he explains. “Fostering a sense of wonder, empathy and love for wildlife is central to the educational programs.”

Michelle Durant, assistant director, engages children in a conversation about respecting
wild animals during a presentation to day campers at Redwood Grove.

Professional animal handlers travel to schools, camps and libraries to present up to five animals to students. The program charges the schools a fraction of the actual cost of the education program and the remaining cost is subsidized by the generosity of donors, foundation grants and corporate support.

Wildlife Associates cares for 45 to 50 non-releasable animals that would not survive on their own and commits to caring for them for the rest of their lives. The animals accepted at the sanctuary come from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and humane societies.

Some are rare and endangered species that have suffered illness, abandonment or injury. But Karlin looks past their predicaments and searches for signs of behavioral suitability so they may join the program. If the animal can be nurtured back to health, it may begin its new life as an animal ambassador.

In some cases, Karlin needs to earn back the animals’ trust of humans. But he is not faint of heart. His determination and passion for helping animals is evident in his sincerity. At the same time, his sense of humor and youthful joy is refreshing and contagious.

Over the years the program has expanded to include adults and corporate events, but the focus remains on reaching children. At-risk youth and foster children are close to Karlin’s heart, and the program is designed to bring these kids on-site to the sanctuary. Bringing together traumatized kids and rescued animals has a transformative effect.

Steven Karlin, executive director at Wildlife Associates, and the rescued
Canadian lynx, Tacoma, have forged a lifelong bond at Wildlife Associates.

At the sanctuary, the Andean condor named Veedor has a commanding position high on his perch. The raptor is large, with a bald-looking head and a white collar around its neck. Veedor looks wise and regal. When foster kids visit the sanctuary, Karlin invites them to sit on the grass at the foot of the condor’s massive enclosure and ask a silent question that has been on their mind.

Karlin explains to them, “The first soft voice you hear may be Veedor answering your question.” Sometimes a child will be moved to tears. Karlin smiles and explains that we all have the answers within ourselves; we just have to be quiet enough to listen. “We give them a magical place to be who they are,” he says.

Since 1980, the Wildlife Associates programs have reached an astounding 8 million children in Northern California. What motivated Karlin to create such an impressive program? Not surprisingly, he explains by telling a story.

One day, he came home and there was black smoke billowing from the backyard. He ran to see the baby robins, but instead saw a bulldozer. The tree was lying on the ground. The babies were dead. And the two robins were circling overhead, screaming.As a third grader, he befriended two robins living in the tree near his home. It took time to earn their trust and sit in the tree branches alongside them. Eventually, the robins felt comfortable with his presence and built their nest and laid their eggs. Soon, the chicks emerged.

“I promised myself that I would do something that had meaning in this world that would protect them,” Karlin says. “And teach people that they have to think and feel before they act. They have to understand that we’re all connected. … So I had a lesson. Those two robins mentored me into what I’m doing today.”

Wiyaca is an American kestrel who lives at the sanctuary.

Wildlife Associates teaches about nature’s web of existence. On a sunny Thursday morning in Redwood Grove near Los Altos Hills, Tessa Teichert, wildlife educator, and Michelle Durant, assistant director, present a serval, a hawk, a kestrel and a porcupine to a group of day-campers, ages 4-6 years old.

The children are asked to sit quietly and save their questions, a tall order for fidgety youngsters. Yet, as Durant begins her narrative, the kids are attentive. And as the black-spotted paws of an African serval step out of the white van onto the forest floor, the kids become still. To everyone’s delight, Teichert introduces the wild cat, Savannah.

Durant engages the kids with fascinating details about Savannah’s habitat, diet and behavior. Animals are respectfully presented in short durations and students are not allowed to touch or approach them. Storytelling is a key component in how Durant communicates with the kids, and her message focuses on empathy.

“Wild animals have feelings and emotions because they’re alive, just like us. What makes them so different is the way they think about the world around them. And sometimes when things are different, they’re hard to understand. So what we try to do at Wildlife Associates is teach people about these amazing animals … so the next time you see a wild animal or learn about them, they’re easier to understand and to respect,” she explains.

Back at the sanctuary, Karlin echoes this sentiment, saying: “We learn from science that animals have stored memories in sounds and pictures — not words and language that we use, but a different type of language … a consciousness all their own. They don’t feel pain like people do, but they feel it. And when the kids walk away, they’re living in a different world.”

One girl who visited the sanctuary said, “I wish there was a place where we can speak our truth and nobody would judge us.” Karlin replied, “This is a wildlife sanctuary. But this is also a sanctuary for people.” Introducing the kids to the animals can be a transformative experience. “Schools bring us back year after year because we make a difference in the kids. We make shifts.”

If you are interested in scheduling a school assembly program, or donating time or resources, please contact Bruce Holaday, development director, at 650-712-0800. http://www.wildlifeassociates.org/