Kalen Keys can’t look out the back window of her home without recalling the large, helpless bird she frantically tried to help three weeks ago.
The bird, tangled in fishing line, had tried to land in the giant oak tree behind Keys’ home.
The line snagged the tree limb and the bird was stuck - hanging upside down.
“Every time he would try to fight to get free, he just started swinging from the line caught in the branches,” recalls Keys.
“I saw him struggling for his life at about 6:30 on Friday night,” Keys recalls. “I immediately jumped on the computer and started looking for bird or wildlife rescue in Tampa.”
The big oak sits on a tiny island in the middle of a pond in her back yard. The trees’ limbs hang out over a few feet of water. Without a boat or at least some help, Keys was powerless except to call for help.
She did that, over and over again.
She made no fewer than a dozen calls that night to various agencies.
Each call turned out to be a dead end. Automated messages rerouted her to after-hours emergency numbers.
One number was disconnected.
Some didn’t answer.
Others had automated operators that asked her to leave a message that would be returned.
A call to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office offered the first human contact. The dispatcher gave Keys a number for a wildlife rescue, but that turned out to be disconnected.
The dispatcher suggested she call an animal emergency number - which led to a voice mail requesting the caller leave a message regarding the emergency.
Other desperate calls went to “critter removal” services. She found out they do not rescue animals and did not consider her situation to be an emergency.
Keys went to bed frustrated, hoping she would hear back from one of the places where she had left a message.
“I woke up the next morning and he was dead, still swinging from the branch,” Keys says.
It has been three weeks, and no one has called her back.
Many Good Samaritans find themselves in similar, desperate situations. They’re eager to help but don’t know where to turn.
Truth be told, there are gaps when it comes to services for injured animals, wildlife in particular.
There are places you can call, but keep in mind that even these places have limitations. They may not be able to help when you need it, or they may not handle the kind of animal you’re trying to help. Also note that some of these are nonprofit groups that rely on donations, and others are private companies that charge a fee.
The SPCA Tampa Bay also is willing to help as an after-hours resource for all animal emergencies. After hours, leave a message for the on-duty humane officer to call you back.
“If we can’t handle your animal emergency, we know who to direct you to,” explained Connie Brooks, director of operations at SPCA Tampa Bay.
CRITTER CALENDAR Pet Palooza At Apartments
In support of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, Camden Apartment Communities will host five Pet Palooza events across the Bay area this spring. Each event will feature pets available for adoption, hurricane preparedness tips for pet owners, information on microchipping and spay-neuter, training tips and lots of pet-friendly activities.
During Pet Palooza events, anyone who signs a new pet apartment lease will have his or her pet deposit waived, and Camden will donate $50 to the Humane Society.
Pet Palooza is from 1 to 4 p.m. April 28 at Camden Bay Pointe, 5902 Memorial Highway, Tampa, and 1 to 4 p.m. April 29 at Camden Providence Lakes, 1702 Chapel Tree Circle, Brandon.
Dog Walking Seminar
Join Stop Pet Overpopulation Together for a pet care seminar on training dogs to walk on a leash. The course is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Azalea Recreation Center, 1600 72nd St. N., St. Petersburg.
Guest speaker and dog trainer Maria Ryan will talk about the importance of walking dogs on a leash for better health and well-being.
The seminar is free for SPOT members and $5 for nonmembers. For information or to RSVP, go to http://www.spotusa.org or call (727) 545-3463.
SPCA Adoption Day In Brandon
The Lakeland SPCA features adoptable pets from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 28 at PetSmart, 11331 Causeway Blvd., Brandon.
Adoption fee is $80 and includes spay-neuter, vaccinations and more. For information, call (863) 646-7722 or go to http://www.lovemyspca.com.
Tuxes & Tails
Join the Humane Society of Tampa Bay for its fifth annual Tuxes & Tails event from 6 to 11 p.m. May 5 at the Pepin Hospitality Center, 4121 N. 50th St., Tampa. Celebrities team with their own pets or an adoptable pet for a fashion show.
The evening includes live entertainment, a high-end silent and live auction and dinner. Tickets are $125 per person. All proceeds benefit the Humane Society. Corporate tables and sponsorships are available.
For information or to purchase tickets, call (813) 876-4150 or go to http://www.humanesocietytampa.org.
Pet-lifestyle expert Kristen Levine can be reached at Fetching Communications, P.O. Box 222, Tarpon Springs FL 34688; e-mail at ; or fax at (727) 934-6451.
