Wildlife Displaced After Wildfires

Animals are trying to find new habitats after thousands of acres were charred by wildfires, Rondi Large with the WildCare Foundation in Noble said.

"They're in a real hardship right now, trying to find places to call home, places to find food for their tummies," she said.

The non-profit is taking care of more than 700 animals right now. Large said there have not been many cases of animals directly involved in fires. But with residents clearing brush and trees to create defensible space near their homes, there has been an increase in baby squirrels and birds at WildCare, brought in when a nesting tree was unknowingly cut down.

As animals that escaped the fires began looking for new vegetation and woods to adapt in, they are encountering new problems, Large said.

"They're pushed to the permimerters, which is another animal's territory so then you have animals compete for food and water," LArge said.

Residents can help. You can put out food like seeds, fruit and dog food and shallow containers of water for animals as they get used to new surroundings.

"Its as bad, for me at least, as when I see the homes that were destroyed and people's lives that are changed. Its just as devastating to me when I know that there's a lot of animals that never made it out, and we'll never hear anything of them," Large said. "All we can do is pick up the pieces of the youngsters that comes in and have new habitat grow in and then populate those animals with new wildlife coming in those areas."

WildCare will accept any animals displaced by fires, or in need of help.        Wildlife Displaced After Wildfires

Posted: Saturday, August 18 2012, 09:30 PM CDT