Willowbrook Wildlife Center to celebrate 60 years

When they enter the Willowbrook Wildlife Center, visitors can see a variety of different animals, like the bald eagles in their outside exhibits, raccoons climbing around their cages and plenty of birds being cared for by staff and volunteers.

The Willowbrook Wildlife Center started 60 years ago as a bird refuge operating in a garage. Over the decades, the center has expanded its mission beyond helping birds and has grown to take in more than 9,000 animals a year that need rehabilitation.

The center opened in one of the first pieces of property donated by a private resident to the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Originally, the center was dedicated to rehabilitating birds, but then people started bringing in a variety of suburban animals in need of help. Some time later, the center became a full-fledged rehabilitation center and, in 1981, the educational facility was built.

"Where we've been and where we're going have been pretty exciting," said Sandy Fejt, education site manager.

Community connections

Something Fejt finds especially exciting from the last 60 years is how much the center puts back into the community, and the love the community shows the animals. Though the center does not rescue animals directly, animals are brought in by the public, such as a man last week who saw a bird on the side of the road and called the center.

"We see a lot of really sad things, some intentional, some are not. What I think is most rewarding for all of us is the extraordinary steps people will take (to save the animals)," Fejt said.

"That's really what the reward is, all of us coming together and we can see these animals going back out into the wild."

Willowbrook's evolution from garage to rehabilitation and education facility represents other changes the center has experienced. For example, animals that used to be rare are now more common, such as Peregrine falcons. The falcons' population is growing with the help of the Chicago Peregrine Program, Fejt says. The group monitors the falcons' nest sites, conducts scientific research and educates the public on the birds to help restore the decline of the falcon population.

There is also more vigilance from the public, with people calling the center to ask whether they should interfere when they see an injured animal or baby animals without an adult, and how to keep themselves safe when helping an animal.

"People are saying, this is not normal if seven ducklings are along the expressway, that sort of thing," Fejt said.

Over the years, the center has also worked to maintain relationships with the Lincoln Park and Brookfield zoos as well as the DuPage County Public Health Department.

"What makes us so successful is those connections," Fejt said.

Born to be wild

Animals brought into the center are brought into an emergency room-like situation where the clinic staff comes in and examines them to see what they need. They get X-rays, blood work, anesthesia, surgery and other necessary medical care, and there is a refrigerator stocked with quails, mice, rats and fish to feed animals ready for solid foods. The animals are then cared for in different areas until they are able to take care of themselves.

Willowbrook's ultimate goal is to get the animals back into the wild, able to survive on their own.

"We want them to be wild. We don't want them to think humans are where their source of food comes from," Fejt said. "We want them to be on their own, out of attics and decks."

If this is not possible, they are cared for in the exhibit area.

The center takes in almost everything that is native to DuPage County except pigeons, starlings and sparrows.

"Whatever that animal is that needs some kind of medical support, we're going to provide it," Fejt said. "It can be turtles, it can be toads. We've even had people who bring us butterflies, dragonflies."

Around this time of the year, a majority of the younger animals come because of stormy weather. When a storm is raging, it can knock babies out of their nests, which dogs can then dig up.

"It's not unusual to get a lot of baby bunnies, 300 ducklings," Fejt said. "They come in because something happens to mom, whether she was attacked by a wild animal or hit by a car."

Although rehabilitation is a big part of what the center does, education is important as well. Willowbrook offers 300 classroom, senior and other educational programs to teach the community about wildlife.

"Yes, we are wildlife rehab, but we think outside of just caring for wildlife," Fejt said. "The bigger picture is, how do we help the public learn about the wildlife?"

Helping hands

Around 120 active volunteers work for the center, with some at the front desk, others in the clinic, or wherever else they are needed, and veterinarian Jen Nevis works with students interested in working with animals.

"We get quite a variety of personalities," Fejt said. "They come from everywhere. From retired folks to housewives to chemists to doctors, it's kind of an interesting background."

The thing that keeps this diverse group of people together is their passion for wildlife.

Dan Tarka began volunteering about 18 years ago, he said, because he believes the life of animals reflects the life of the environment.

"They wouldn't live here if it was polluted," Tarka said.

Tarka lost his leg to cancer, then lost his job. When his dog died, he decided he didn't want another dog, but he always loved wildlife. When he saw a column in the paper about Willowbrook, he knew it would be the place for him.

"I love getting other people enthused about wildlife," Tarka said. Some of his most memorable moments in the center include seeing a white-tailed deer walk right down the path, and the time he was able to explain to a family that a snake they saw was not dangerous, alleviating their fears.

Along with the wildlife, Tarka also has an enthusiasm for the people he works with.

"They haven't kicked me out yet," he joked.

Willowbrook events

Willowbrook Wildlife Center, 525 S. Park Blvd., Glen Ellyn, will celebrate its 60th anniversary with a slate of special programs. Here's a look at some of what's planned. For information, visit willowbrookwildlife.com or call (630) 942-6200.

• A pizza party is from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 9.

• A Wildlife Camp Out will be from 6 p.m. Saturday, July 30, to 9 a.m. Sunday, July 31.

• A Night Owl Benefit is planned for Saturday, Sept. 17.