WILD ANIMALS GET GOOD CARE

Nursing wildlife back to health so that the animals can be returned to the wild isn't the type of service you find many people engaged in. But an area husband-and-wife team been doing a good job of it for a number of years.

John and Carolyn Watkins sometimes are nursing as many as 100 wild animals back to health on their farm in Bollinger County. It takes countless hours of work and a love for wildlife.

It isn't something anyone can do. You must be licensed to care for wild animals. As a surgical assistant to two heart doctors in Cape Girardeau, Watkins has a medical background that he aptly applies in rehabilitating the animals taken to his farm for temporary care.

The Watkinses were involved in animal rehabilitation long before such a service was recognized in the state. He started the work in 1969, and they became so good at it that when licensing became a requirement, authorities turned to them for continued help.

John Watkins is quick to point out that people should use caution around wild animals. And it should be noted here that possession of live wildlife is illegal in this state without permission of the Missouri Conservation Department.

The Watkinses may be doing only a small part to assure the survival of wild creatures, but their dedication to its cause is unmeasurable.