Photo/submitted
Westborough – From Feb. 1 – 29, there will be a supply drive for Tufts Wildlife Clinic at the Westborough Public Library. Items needed include clean towels and baby blankets (no comforters) with no frayed edges and clean 17.6-oz. yogurt containers to make nests for injured birds. Kaleigh Wright, 17, a junior at Westborough High School, is working on her “Wildlife Safety in Westborough” Girl Scout Gold Award and is running the drive.
“I see a lot of wildlife in my backyard, like turkeys, coyotes, rabbits and lots of birds,” said Wright, a member Troop 30555. “I thought it would be helpful to research what to do if you encounter wildlife in your yard.”
Wright’s Gold Award is focused on educating people in Westborough about wildlife in this area, and creating awareness about how humans can co-exist with wildlife, ensuring that people know what to do if wildlife comes into their yards and neighborhoods. She spent some time at the front desk in the Tufts Wildlife Clinic to learn more about area wildlife. Collecting these supplies will help Tufts continue their impressive work helping injured wildlife.
Due in part to the harsh winter last year, Tufts Wildlife Clinic saw an unusually high number of injured and weakened animals in 2015. In all, they treated 2,636 animals, which was 371 more than in 2014, and the highest number of animals they have ever seen in one year.
The blankets and towels will be used for the animals’ living areas and the yogurt containers will have a knitted insert and serve as a nest for injured birds. Small, soft, fleece baby-sized blankets are very helpful to line the incubators.
If you have any questions about this supply drive, or the Wildlife in Westborough Gold Award project, contact Kaleigh Wright at [email protected].
