Erie Co SPCA helps rehab wild animals

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - The Erie County SPCA is giving a lot of T.L.C. to some animals that you might not be used to seeing there.

A wild fox, a hawk, turtles, and wild birds - it may sound like the zoo, but it's the Erie County SPCA. Each year around 3,000  wild animals are rescued or rehabilitated by veterinarian Karen Moran and her staff.

Moran said, "A lot of times the wild animals are injured because of people. I feel we have a responsibility to help these animals get back to where they belong."

Thursday night, a frozen fox rescued in North Tonawanda became their latest patient.

"She was called by the homeowner who saw the fox on his property," Moran said. "He was frozen. He was pretty comatose; he wasn't responsible."

The fox's body temperature was so low veterinarians could not get an accurate reading. But he's already almost back to normal.

The SPCA is also treating a hawk, which right now is wearing a dog coat.

Moran explained, "She's a Cooper's Hawk, so she chases other birds and must have missed. She ran into a window. Sometimes they see the reflection and think it's just clouds."

The hawk has a spinal injury so they created a prop to hold her up as she heals, using a dog coat to hold it all together.

And on Friday, at-risk Buffalo children from MLK Multicultural School graduated from the T.L.C. program. They helped train disobedient dogs and turn them into family animals.

If you see an injured wild animal, call the Erie County SPCA at 875-7360.