Mother Nature, especially in Central Texas, can be indifferent and even catastrophic at times, but with residential areas constantly expanding in the state, those that depend on her, like the native wildlife of the Hill Country, are becoming increasingly vulnerable to human interaction and intervention. But there are those, like the volunteers and permitted wildlife rehabilitators that run the Drift Inn Wildlife Sanctuary, that are working to rehabilitate and release orphaned, injured and displaced wildlife.
The Drift Inn Wildlife Sanctuary is a nonprofit that helps orphaned, injured and displaced members of the native Texas wildlife population. Adult deer hit by cars, orphaned opossums, fawns and squirrels, bobcat babies whose mothers have been shot by hunters, and raccoons caught in traps are just a few of the situations that bring animals to their nursery.
Jean Clifton and Beth Young, both permitted rehabilitators at Drift Inn Wildlife Sanctuary, have worked with the organization for 9 years. Both Clifton and Young are retired Austin Police officers. After they retired from the force, each with 22 years, they started doing dog rescues around Central Texas. It wasn’t until a neighbor called them one night asking if they could help with a possum that was lying hurt in the middle of the road, that they delved into rescuing wildlife.
