These Delaware volunteers care for injured squirrels, possums and other wildlife at home. They want to build the state’s first rehab center

What are journalists missing from the state of Delaware? What would you most like WHYY News to cover? Let us know.

Sherry Hulse’s backyard in Ellendale is filled with homemade enclosures. Right now, they serve as the homes for several squirrels and seven possums.

The possums and most of the squirrels are juvenile, and would not be able to survive on their own. Hulse hopes to release them all back into the wild come spring.

“They’ll be here all winter, make sure they get all nice and beefed up and don’t get frostbite on their ears or tail,” Hulse said.

She is also caring for an adult male squirrel. After he was injured, he suffered a neurological issue that made it difficult for him to navigate the wilderness. Hulse said he’s about 95% recovered compared to when he first came to her, though he still moves with his head slightly tilting.

“I want it to be a successful release,” Hulse said. “I want to know that he has every chance because he’s come so far.”

A lifelong animal lover, Hulse received her official certificate for wildlife rehabilitation in October, but has been working with the Delaware Council of Wildlife Rehabilitators and Educators for about a year. She said her work as a rehabber came into her life at the right time.

“It really has affected my life and it kind of gave me what I needed at that time,” Hulse said. “It’s very, very rewarding. It’s tiring. It can be heartbreaking, but it’s very rewarding.”

The council is a volunteer-led nonprofit that cares for injured, abandoned or orphaned wildlife, with the intent to eventually return them to their natural habitat. The statewide organization formed in 1995 with the goal of educating the public about wildlife, promoting respect of wildlife and training members on rehabilitation standards.

Tonyea Mead, the president-elect for the council and a wildlife rehabber, said the organization has 12 certified rehabbers and almost 90 members.

Right now, the council is supported by annual membership dues and public donations. Volunteers that work with the organization care for animals out of their homes and pay for supplies like formula, caging and veterinarian care.

However, the cost of care can sometimes be overwhelming, especially when it comes to the limited wildlife vet care available in Delaware.

“Because we don’t have a lot of wildlife vets, most of the time [injured animals] get euthanized,” Mead said. “And we have to take them to a vet and get euthanized. If they have a broken leg, it’s $800 out of our own pocket. If we get 10 rabbits with broken legs, that’s a lot of money.”

It’s one of the many reasons the group is looking to build a centralized wildlife center. The organization announced plans last month to start fundraising for a potential facility.

“We are now trying to find land, property, house, barn, whatever, so we can grow our facility and get more instead of turning animals away,” Mead said.

What does Delaware’s wildlife council do?

To become a rehabber in Delaware, a person must be certified by the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. In order to receive a certificate, a person must work under a certified rehabber for a year and learn proper care protocols. Hulse was Mead’s apprentice, prior to becoming certified.

The council works with a wide range of animals, including rabbits, bats, beavers, turtles, snakes, deer and more. Different volunteers with the organization often have “specialities” with certain animals. Hulse, for example, takes in a lot of possums, and Mead often works with bats, though they both care for animals outside of those groups as well.

The group fields calls from residents who encounter an abandoned or injured animal. From there, volunteers who work as transporters will pick up the animal, and either take it to a rehabber or to a vet.

Al Rizzo, a member of the nonprofit’s board of directors, said the council is working to create transporter teams and supply them with appropriate handling gear like gloves, nets and disinfectants.

Hulse said that taking care of the animals can oftentimes be bittersweet. She is grateful when they can recover, but sometimes misses them after spending so much time caring for them.

“When you have a baby, especially one that when you get it you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, they’re so fragile,’ and sometimes you’re just sure that it’s not going to make it,” Hulse said. “And when it gets over the hurdle and you see it grow and you actually get it to the point of release, it’s like the best.”