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Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center opens doors for humans to come in so animals can eventually go back out

Akuma, a 2-year-old red fox, became a permanent resident of the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center after she was attacked by a dog when she was young. She shares a home with a grey coyote that was found in the area and mistaken for a dog. He was brought to the Hamilton Township center as he got older and is now cared for by volunteers.Those were just a couple of the stories shared Sunday with visitors who came to get a behind-the-scenes look at the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center during an open house.Community members watched as volunteers played with Akuma in her den. Visitors, if they were very quiet, also may have caught a glimpse of some of the animals the rehabilitation center is nursing back to health in hopes of returning them to the wild, including a black bear cub and fawns.Volunteers shared the stories of the animals at the facility to educate the visitors and create a safer environment for Lehigh Valley wildlife.A volunteer at the Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center teaches visitors about the danger opossums face on the highway, during an open house Sunday in Hamilton Township. (Hannah McMullan / Special to The Morning Call/)One volunteer held an opossum in her hands while warning of the dangers the animals face on highways, and urging drivers to look out for boxes on the side of the road that may contain baby opossums, known as joeys.Kathy and Eric Uhler, the center’s directors, host the annual event to raise money and show the impact the center is having on the local environment. It is also their way of giving back to the followers they have gained over the years, they said. “Without the community’s support, we couldn’t do what we do,” Kathy Uhler said.She said the center, which has been rehabilitating native wildlife from an area bound by the Lehigh River to the Susquehanna River for about 38 years, ­takes in more than 2,400 animals annually. Hannah McMullan is a freelance writer for The Morning Call.HOW TO HELPThe Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center encourages Lehigh Valley residents who see injured animals to contact them at 570-402-0223 or poconowildlife@gmail.com.
Source: Morningcall

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