Today we’d like to introduce you to Fairl Thomas.
Hi Fairl, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was the kid who always found animals that needed help and brought them home with me. I wanted to be a vet. The rescue that started it all was a pair of Muscovy ducks that my mom helped me save when I was only in second grade. They were adopted by a wildlife rehabber that later became my mentor. In high school, I started volunteering for the rehabber to gather my bright future hours. From there, I was hooked in wildlife rescue/rehab and she became my mentor in the field.
Once I got to college, I already had one year of experience rescuing birds for a new nonprofit, Birds In Helping Hands. I slowly gathered more and more bird experience, began a research project on brown pelican and fishing line entanglement with my professor, and was later known as the bird girl on campus. I am now a board member for Birds In Helping Hands and I graduated college in December ’21. That same month I accepted a job offer as a park ranger and am living my dream job as a both a ranger and animal caretaker.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I gathered experience through rescues and internships, often learning how to do new things or how to handle new animals on the spot during a rescue situation. There have been plenty of bumps in the road, as you can’t save them all but that doesn’t mean I won’t keep trying to save every single animal I get a rescue call about.
My biggest personal bump on this road was when I suffered a hairline knuckle fracture and contracted necrotizing fasciitis in my right hand due to being speared by an anhinga (water bird) that I rescued. This particular bird had fabric stuck to his bill that was preventing him from opening his mouth. It took me weeks to finally catch him, and he was successfully released, but my finger certainly paid the price.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a wildlife rescuer and sub-permitted rehabber. I specialize in bird rescue and research. In college, I was known for my pelican rescues and research (specifically in regards to fishing line entanglement) but now I’ve taken on a new role fighting against the use of anticoagulant rodenticides (context: when a rat eats anticoagulant rat poison, then an owl or other predator eats the rat before it dies, it will die of poisoning too). My advocacy work is what sets me apart from other rescuers and rehabbers. I am very proud of the following my rodenticide advocacy has gained and the changes that we’ve created. Safety Harbor was the first city in the State of Florida to pass a resolution against the use of anticoagulant rodenticide.
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
You can’t save every animal but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. Burnout and compassion fatigue is a real challenge to keep in mind.
Contact Info:
- Email: birdsinhelpinghands@gmail.com
- Website: https://birdsinhelpinghands.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/226335709651892
- Other: http://cityofsafetyharbor.com/DocumentCenter/View/16140/Are-You-Poisoning-Wildlife-and-Pets
Image Credits
Terrie Dahl-Thomas
