 It is the Hotline volunteer who first gets the call from the public when an animal is found in distress. The kind member of the public who decides to act to save an ill, injured or orphaned wild animal usually has no idea of the proper course to follow….and indeed, as the 911 public service announcements exhort, the best they can do is call for professional help. Upon receiving a call, Hotline volunteers assess the situation and give the caller advice. They may ask them to bring the animal into the facility, but if it is a large raptor or mammal, they will ask the caller to hold tight and begin calling for a Rescue and Transport volunteer. These are the volunteers who have been trained to safely box the larger animals and bring them quickly to Liberty Wildlife for care.
 All Hotline and Rescue and Transport volunteers receive training. Hotline volunteers are supplied with extensive information on all sorts of wildlife/human encounters. Most of the calls that come in have to do with injured animals, but some people call with questions about wildlife they have observed near their homes. Hotline volunteers are trained to give advice about baby birds and mammals, how to discourage wildlife from hanging around human-inhabited areas, and much more. They become experts on the natural history of Arizona's wildlife. They learn about the various species we treat and those we don't. They are tapped into pages of referral numbers of individuals and organizations that can help when Liberty can't. (Liberty Wildlife is licensed to care only for native Arizona wildlife.)
 Rescue and Transport volunteers come to the facility for their training. They are taught about the tools of their new trade, and given information about the probable actions of an injured raptor being approached by a human. They learn about causes of injury and illness so they can be knowledgeable when they arrive at the rescue site. They are taught the procedures for checking an animal into the center, as that will be their responsibility. They are given pointers for dealing with the person who found the animal. These people are often extremely invested in the rescue, as finding an injured raptor and acting to help it can be an incredible experience. Finally, the new Rescue volunteers are taken to the sixty-foot flight cages, where they learn how to safely box a wild raptor. This needs to be done without harm to the animal, the Rescue volunteer or anyone nearby! Rescue volunteers work when needed, coming out to rescue animals found near their home or workplace when called upon to do so.
For both Hotline and Rescue volunteers, the winter months can be slow. It is the babies and juveniles that get into the most trouble. It is estimated that more than 50% of wild birds do not make it past their first year. So for Rescue and Hotline volunteers, things start picking up when the early nesters set up house in February. By late March and April, baby bird season will be in full swing, and all of our volunteers will have plenty to do. To learn more about these volunteer positions, please call our hotline at 480-998-5550.
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