Cayman Wildlife Rescue - Growing need is met by growing commitment from the community

This project is managed and staffed entirely by volunteers with other full time jobs, and is financed 100% by donations from the public. 

If you would like to help by donating funds or volunteering time, please contact 
caymanwildliferescue @gmail.com

The Trust's Wildlife Rescue Program is an all-volunteer effort which works to rescue sick, injured and orphaned native animals, rehabilitate them in cooperation with local veterinarians and release them back to the wild.

Founded in 2000 by Dr. Brenda Bush of Island Veterinary Services and Lois Blumenthal, Bat Conservation Coordinator for The National Trust for the Cayman Islands, today the program has grown in size and scope thanks to the hard work and organizational skills of outgoing Program Manager, Catherine Redfern. The good work continues with our new Program Manager and dedicated volunteer, Alison Corbett..

We now have a volunteer base of approximately 20 active individuals, all donating time, services and skills to the wildlife rehabilitation effort. Our volunteers are becoming qualified in Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation through the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) based in the United States, and have been able to expand the scope of their activities to include more comprehensive and skilled care to support the work of the island's veterinarians.

Continuing Education – As funds allow we send key volunteers to seminars and workshops for training. We are slowly gaining the expertise we need to handle all the different needs of our various species.

Tansy Maki displaying a poster she made to take to the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council Workshop. The painting of the owl was donated to their fund-raising auction. We are in close touch with organizations like this, and rely on them to assist with protocols (like the threat of Bird Flu) and for both general and specific advice as our fledgling organization grows.
Photo by Lois Blumenthal

The National Trust Blue Iguana Recover Program is a separate, but often overlapping endeavor. To learn more about BIRP and to find out how to volunteer to help, visit www.blueiguana.ky or www.nationaltrust.org.ky
Photo by David Blumenthal

Improved nutrition was the key to successful captive breeding. Photo by Courtney Platt

Baby Blue Iguanas eat flowers, so their cage is always beautiful! For more on this very successful National Trust Program visit www.blueiguana.ky or www.nationaltrust.org.ky
Photo by Lois Blumenthal

The Cayman Islands Department of Environment monitors the wild sea turtle populations. Volunteers walk Cayman Islands beaches during the summer months so they can protect sea turtle nests and hatchlings. To volunteer contact the Cayman Islands Department of Environment Sea Turtle Project by email at DOE@gov.ky
Photo by Janice Blumenthal

A rare event. This newborn manatee was found floating alone near Grand Cayman. The Cayman Islands Department of Environment and volunteers fed and cared for this baby –named 4B after the four men who found him (all with names starting with the letter “B”.) He was air-lifted to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, Florida where he is growing and thriving.
Photo by Lois Blumenthal

Volunteers Welcome

Cayman Wildlife Rescue relies fully on the commitment of its volunteers to successfully carry out the mission of rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing native wildlife. There are many areas that you can help preserve Cayman’s unique natural history:

• Administrative tasks - filing; scanning Graphic design - design brochures, flyers and public serivce advertisements for local media
• Man the hotline telephone - answer calls and direct them to the appropriate volunteer
• Wildlife rescue - undergo training to go out and catch injured birds and transfer them to the vet
• Wildlife rehabilitation - undergo training to provide day-to-day rehabilitative care to animals that are being conditioned for release
• Parrot Patrol - weekly checkups, feeding and care for captive Cayman Parrots in Savannah
• Carpenters - building aviaries, bird houses and bat houses

If you would like to get involved then email caymanwildliferescue @ gmail.com (no spaces) or call the hotline on 917-BIRD (2473) to find out when our next meeting is.