ONLY ON ABC7NEWS.COM: Lindsay Wildlife Experience rehabilitating animals, working to ensure its own survival amid pandemic
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. (KGO) -- At the Lindsay Wildlife Experience, it's all about adapting to a difficult situation.
"We set up a drop-off area out here that still allows people to bring their injured animals," explained Carlos De La Rosa, Lindsay's Executive Director.
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The patients Lindsay serves know nothing of the pandemic that's affecting so many humans.
That includes this young bald eagle, treated just this week for a broken bone in his chest.
"For so many years, we created that culture of caring for wildlife, now we feel the obligation and responsibility to maintain that," said De La Rosa.
The intake process here has changed dramatically, moving completely outside.
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Once a staff member moves an injured or ill animal inside, it gets the same care always delivered by Lindsay.
While the hospital side at Lindsay is still humming with activity, the museum side, the one that hosts 100,000 visitors each year is mostly quiet, except for those that make it their home.
That includes Woody, a 26-year-old woodpecker and 73 other "ambassador" animals being cared for by Lindsay staff.
"We have a dedicate corps of animal keepers who've been coming here extended hours to work tirelessly to make sure all the animals get what they need," said Emma Molinare, Lindsay's Curator of Animal Encounters.
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With its museum closed and revenue streams cut off, an emergency fundraiser has been launched, called Love for Lindsay.
The goal is to make sure the 65-year old center can still serve its community--animal and human--once the pandemic has passed.
"This pandemic is symptomatic of a larger problem and that problem is what we try to solve," said De La Rosa. "We want people to reconnect with nature in ways that are positive."
For more information on Lindsay Wildlife Experience, including the "Love for Lindsay" fundraiser, go to their website here.
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