By Tiffany Merlo Phelps
mail@floridanewsline.com
Two events changed the course of Jonathan Howard’s life in 2010: battling cancer and finding a baby deer, ultimately named Lily, in his yard.
The first taught him the fleeting nature of life and the second reinforced that message to such a point that he eventually opened The Ark Wildlife Care and Sanctuary (The Ark) in 2014.
“It really changes how you look at life,” said Howard, adding that Lily was released back into the wild when ready.
Today the facility, which includes an on-site hospital, is home to 118 animals on a permanent basis with the majority handicapped in some way. The 21½ acre site houses a variety of wildlife including bobcats, deer, skunks, emu, squirrels, otters, raccoons and foxes. Veterinarians Dr. Michael Payne and Dr. Alicia Emerson work with The Ark around the clock to provide care.
“We give them the best life that we can,” said Howard, whose wife Mendy assists in the mission. “We found that there is nowhere else to send these animals. If it has a will to live, then I want to save it.”
While some animals are permanent residents, The Ark’s goal is to release wildlife back into the wild when possible. Annually, 300 – 500 animals are treated and released. Animals in rehabilitation must be released by law after 180 days unless a medical necessity dictates otherwise, said Howard. Releases, he said, can be both beautiful and difficult.
“It is very heart-wrenching,” he said. “There is no greater feeling than taking a fragile, tiny life and seeing it grow and flourish and then go free.”
Howard has 10 offsite volunteers that assist with The Ark’s mission and are on call for those who have found a baby, injured or trapped animal. Some volunteers help on site as well, starting their day at 5 a.m., often bottle feeding the babies, cleaning cages and sanitizing feeders.
The Ark, based in Hilliard, serves the state of Florida, including St. Johns County where many calls originate because of the rapid development in the area. Howard said that he is available 24/7 to respond to injured wildlife, but not for nuisance control.
“There is a huge volume of displacement in Northeast Florida,” said Howard. “Lots of people are not compassionate toward wildlife. You must learn to coexist with them.’
Howard said his organization does not accept birds or reptiles.
That’s where Karen Ward-Lynch, who founded The Ark Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation in St. Augustine (a separate facility from The Ark in Hilliard), comes in. She and her volunteers work primarily with ill, orphaned, or injured birds in seven area counties, including St. Johns. During their busiest season from March to August, her organization will receive 83 calls per day. In response, they have a 24-hour veterinarian service available, including weekends and holidays. About 170, primarily birds, are in the care of Ward-Lynch and her offsite volunteers right now. Every year, 2,500 birds (songbirds account for about 1,000) are released back into their natural habitats.
Ward-Lynch started the organization in 1999 after a neighbor found an injured baby bird and she decided to help. The day before she encountered the injured baby bird, she had prayed for God to help her find her true calling.
“The very next day, I found the baby bird,” she said.
Ward-Lynch said The Ark also cares for squirrels, marsh bunnies, gopher tortoises and turtles.
Both Howard and Ward-Lynch do not receive any state funding and often spend their own money to survive. Howard said that it costs $45,000 a year to operate the Hilliard facility and that he has no paid employees with 100 percent of donations being dedicated to the cause. Ward-Lynch spends $60,000 a year to keep her facility running also with unpaid volunteers and donations going to wildlife care.
[Author’s note: Howard’s most needed items are paper towels, bleach, cleaning supplies, dry Meow Mix seafood flavor cat food, and puppy chow. To report an injured animal, call Howard at (904) 424-6543. For more information, email Howard at vkinstream@gmail.com. For Ward-Lynch, the most needed items are paper towels, regular facial tissue, laundry detergent, pecans, and grocery store gift cards. These items can be sent to The Ark Wildlife Rescue at 171 Green Turtle Lane, St. Augustine, FL 32086. To report injured wildlife, call Ward-Lynch at (904) 679-1533.]
Photo courtesy Tiffany Merlo Phelps
Jonathan Howard holds Nooty, a cross between a beaver and a rat known as a Coypu.
