Rita Stima’s first call was for a great blue heron.
She arrived at the scene and saw the bird down an embankment in an icy, swampy area.
It was December, and the region was in a polar vortex. It was -5 degrees, and winds were whipping at about 40 mph, she said.
Stima observed from afar, checking for signs of injury and assessing how to best handle the situation.
Then she jumped into action. She used her equipment cache of nets, gloves and crates to capture the heron and take it to Raven Ridge Wildlife Center.
The bird had been hit by a car and had a complex wing injury. The medical professional at the rehab center determined it needed to be euthanized.
“It was very gratifying,” Stima said of her first rescue, even if the end result wasn’t as positive. “I’m getting choked up as I talk about this. It was gratifying because I care so much about wildlife and they need a second chance. We never know when we go on a wildlife call what the outcome is going to be, so we always need to try.”
Stima is a wildlife capture and transport permittee based in Lebanon County, meaning she has been trained on how to respond to wildlife in distress and get them to rehabilitation centers so they have the best chance of survival. She has been capturing and transporting animals for about two years now, after a training and registration process.
Permittees need to pass a background check, an interview process and be approved by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Then, they have to work through a wildlife rehabilitator sponsor.
“This is a volunteer position,” Stima said. ”It’s my own time, my own money, my own equipment.”
But it’s a labor of love for her.
She said she’s a “big nature nut” and has been an “avid birder” since 2011. In 2022, she stumbled across an article on social media urging people to become wildlife volunteers.
“There was a training coming up,” Stima said. “On a whim, I just signed up and showed up the next weekend and took the training.”
After the required training sessions and 50 hours of working under a sponsor, she got her full permit. She now focuses on birds, specifically raptors, which are predatory birds like eagles, falcons and owls.
Stima is retired and has various health conditions. She said this volunteer opportunity fits perfectly because of the flexibility. If she isn’t feeling well one day, she doesn’t have to take a call.
But the calls can come in at any time.
“Responding to wildlife calls is 365 days a year, 24/7, every day, so there’s no set schedule when we might be able to be called out,” she said.
Requests for intervention can come from the state Game Commission, a rehab center or through Wildlife in Need PA’s internal community system.
Once they gather all the necessary information from whoever originally reported the animal, Stima said there are many safety precautions for volunteers.
“We have protocols, we have guidelines that we follow. Safety must always come first with the permittee,” she said. “Before I even approach the animal, I kind of want to get a better feel of what might actually be going on with it.”
She said she also considers the surrounding landscape — what might help or hinder the capture. There might be a busy road nearby or a slope that requires Stima to secure herself using rope.
Her specialty, raptors, has talons and hooked beaks. If they feel threatened, they might use these tools in self-defense.
She said her safety equipment is essential, and her understanding of the birds and their behaviors keeps her and the animals secure as well.
When people come across an injured wild animal, she said they should call the experts.
Once, she said someone tried to help when a bird was caught in a fishing line. They cut the bird free, but it was still bleeding, tangled and needed further assistance. It took over 24 hours to capture the bird again to provide the necessary medical attention.
“We understand that people are concerned and they want to help, but they need to rely on the trained people to get there,” Stima said. “Wait and be patient. Try to be patient, as hard as it is. Wait for the trained people to arrive.”
Animals are released back into the wild when the medical professionals deem they have healed enough and stand a chance at survival.
Stima said the original capture and transport permittee might be contacted in these cases to help out if they’re available.
“Sometimes the rehabbers will contact the original person that captures the animal or the person that was involved somehow with the rescue,” she said. “Capture transport permittees find it extremely gratifying to see the animal released back into the wild again, knowing that they played a role in getting that animal help and giving it a chance to survive.”
Though the outcome isn’t always a healthy bird going back into the wild, Stima said the mission is the same — “release all birds.”
“We either help them heal and release them back out into the wild again or we release them from the trauma of their pain and suffering,” Stima said.
Wildlife in Need PA has information available online to determine if a wild animal needs help and phone numbers to call to file a report.
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