Injured Wildlife? Here’s What You Do – City Wildlife Saves “Cootie” the Turtle – Photo Essay

“Cootie” a Red Bellied Cooter Turtle, after Rehabilitation by City Wildlife

A summer camp group in Kinston Park gets a lesson in herpetology

Paula Goldberg, Executive Director of City Wildlife

Preparing for launch

There’s no place like home

Injured Wildlife?  Here’s What You Do – City Wildlife Saves “Cootie” the Turtle – Photo Essay

by Larry Janezich

You probably don’t know about City Wildlife, but it’s an organization created in 2007 to address the need for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in Washington, DC.  Each year hundreds of wild animals in DC are unintentionally harmed by people and the urban environment.  In general, if you can approach a wild animal and it does not run or fly away, it probably needs help.  Check their website to determine if the animal needs to be brought to a wildlife rehabilitator.  www.citywildlife.org

That’s what former ANC6B Chair Neil Glick and his partner Boone did, when they found an injured Red-bellied Cooter turtle on the Anacostia bike trail.  After rehabilitation by City Wildlife, the turtle – which Glick named “Cootie” – was returned to the Anacostia River in Kingman Park last Friday. According to Glick, there were at least 5 summer camp groups in the park, and Paula Goldberg, City Wildlife’s Executive Director, showed the turtle to each group in turn, eliciting from each, a “Good Luck!” wish to the turtle.

According to the City Wildlife website, Goldberg joined City Wildlife staff in February 2014 after five years on the Board of Directors.  Having served for several decades as a health care provider in the world of human medicine, she now applies her medical skills and expertise to advance urban wildlife rehabilitation.  Goldberg also volunteers at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and pursues natural history field studies and educational programming on her own locally and in New England.  She is a licensed Master Wildlife Rehabilitator (MD).