Medford NJ wildlife refuge hosts rehabilitation, rescue supply drive

Sep 25, 2023

MEDFORD — Blueberry is friendly, so friendly the little bird lights on the heads of people who come into its enclosure to clean and feed it. So friendly, in fact, the bluejay would probably never survive in the wild, unable to fend for itself, too trusting of humans and not strong enough to escape predators.

So the staff at Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford care for Blueberry, calling out in a sing-song voice so the bird flies right to the edge of the enclosure and tweets back a return greeting.

Blueberry, like Hallie, a bald eagle rescued from beneath a tree in Wyoming as an eaglet being attacked by a murder of crows, and like Poe, a raven who came from the Adirondacks in New York, was brought in as a baby — one of 6,300 baby birds and animals that are seen, treated and (best case scenario released back into the wild) by Woodford Cedar Run annually.

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That's why the refuge is hosting a Wildlife Baby Shower on Feb. 11 at the Medford United Methodist Church. The event from 1-3 p.m. will also serve as a fundraiser, with a $5 suggested donation.

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The refuge, like any potential caregiver, even has a registry of sorts. Here's what they need:

The first wildlife baby shower was held in 2020, with the timing especially lucky, explained Heather Evans, assistant director of wildlife rehabilitation and volunteer coordinator: just before the pandemic forced most of the world to shut down.

"The world spun out right after that," she recalled. "A lot of the things we need all the suddenly got very hard to find: paper towels, rags, bleach, cleaners ..."

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During "baby season," usually in the spring and early summer, Woodford Cedar Run will see as many as 500 animals and birds on a given day, said Tracey Bloodworth, director of development and communications. Of the 6,300 birds and animals treated at the refuge each year, about 4,000 of them are brought in between April and September.

The refuge hosts educational programs, summer camps, field trips on- and off-site, nature hikes and more, and is on a 171-acre preserve in the Pinelands. Their three certified Wildlife Rehabilitators and 13 paid staff members see and treated more than 150 species last year, helped by a group of volunteers.

About 50 birds and animals are permanent residents of the refuge. Most have either suffered permanent injuries that affected their flight or ability to escape of fend off predators, while others have imprinted on humans ― they've come to recognize humans as friendly, as nurturers or as providers of food and shelter, good for an animal in captivity but deadly in the wild, Evans explained.

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Woodford Cedar Run's animal hospital accepts rescued birds and wild animals 24 hours a day, with an open reception area where people can leave injured animals in crates. There's a fresh supply of clean towels and blankets, even heated ones. Animals are not only in pain when they're injured, they're often fearful and traumatized further by human contact, explained executive director Mike O'Malley, so the safest and most humane thing to do is leave the animal in the crate, where it will be warm and safe.

"Stress can and does kill an animal," Evans said. "There's a name for it: capture myopathy. Any issues can be exacerbated by human contact.

"Any good Samaritan who finds an animal can call us," said Bloodworth. "We'll give them advice about what to do and, if necessary, whether to bring it here."

Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge will hold a Wildlife Baby Shower from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 11 at Medford United Methodist Church, 2 Hartford Road. The refuge is at 4 Sawmill Road, Medford. For more information or to volunteer or donate, visit www.cedarrun.org/ or call 856-983-3329.

Phaedra Trethan has been a reporter and editor in South Jersey since 2007 and has covered Camden and surrounding areas since 2015, concentrating on issues relating to quality of life and social justice for the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. She's called South Jersey home since 1971. Contact her with feedback, news tips or questions at [email protected], on Twitter @wordsbyPhaedra, or by phone at 856.486-2417.

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