Wildlife rehabber neglected animals

Papers lay on countertops as if someone had thrown them like confetti, and old supplies of animal feed slumped in corners.The room was filled with boxes. When Fox opened one of them, what she found almost took her breath away.Inside almost all of the boxes lay barely moving baby squirrels, raccoons and other wildlife.She scooped up an infant raccoon she was certain was dead, but it began to twitch in her hand."I couldn't believe it," she said, holding back tears. "It was cold. It was smelly. And when I picked it up, it started cooing and crying."

Fox had been volunteering at local wildlife rehabilitator Leslie Straub's Gainesville house for about two months when she made the grisly discovery.Both the State Attorney's Office and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission charged Straub with a total of 24 wildlife rehabilitation violations.She could face a three-year suspended wildlife rehabilitation license for the charges.Straub said the charges took her by surprise, Dinopark Tyrannosaurus Rides in Outdoor,especially because she was inspected before without issue and cooperated with the state.

She said she received many more injured animals than usual this year, especially during the summer when Tropical Storm Debby passed through the area.Playground Show-Animatronic Allosaurus"It was a perfect storm," Straub said. "All of your energy is spent dealing with this influx of animals. Your normal routine is thrown off."She said she usually gets an influx of baby animals during spring and summer. The larger number of animals makes it more difficult to clean all of the animals' spaces.