arnold s - okeechobee the magazine

ARNOLD’S Wildlife Rehab Center’s

Mission in ProgressBy Rachel Buxton Photos by Sandra Pearce and Susan Giddings

www.OkeechobeeTheMagazine.com July/August 2016 | 21

The shelter, run by a trio and volunteers on a former

commissioner’s spread, releases around 650 wild animals back into nature each year.

thAnniversaryL O O K B A C K

‘After people come here and see and pet and learn about the animals, they gain more respect for them.’~ Angela Waldron, one of the center’s two full-time employees

Most people think of opossums as just road kill or nuisances that come out at night, but that’s not the case at Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. For founder Sue Arnold, opossums are part of the family, a big family comprised of any and all types of animals.

Okeechobee The Magazine first featured Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center and Arnold in the Summer 2007 issue. Readers got an inside look at all the hard work and long hours that are put into making Arnold’s Wildlife the animal refuge that it is today.

For 21 years, Arnold’s Wildlife has taken in animals of all species, domestic and exotic, in an effort to develop community awareness of the value of wildlife.

“After people come here and see and pet and learn about the animals, they gain more respect for them,” said Angela Waldron, one of only two full-time employees besides Arnold. “Once they see the animals up close, such as opossums, they don’t want to shoot them anymore.”

Arnold’s Wildlife is home to more than 50 species of mammals,

Arnold’s Wildlife sits on 50 acres that is the original homestead of Arnold’s late husband, former Okeechobee County Commissioner Clarence Arnold.

She had a vision of rehabilitating animals and, with the support of her husband, started Arnold’s Wildlife from scratch with just two panthers, Jake and Sierr.

“He said you can do anything you want if you just stayed home,” she said. “So I stayed home.”

Freddie and Endangered F ishing Cats

Angela Waldron, Sue Arnold and Freddie Holecek

Baby White-Tailed Deer and Texas Dall Sheep

‘People have no idea about nature. They’ve lost touch with the outdoors.’~ Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center founder Sue Arnold

birds and reptiles, with 11 of them on the endangered list.

It is home to the first group of fishing cat babies, a medium-sized wild cat native to South and Southeast Asia that relies heavily on fish for food. Because of the destruction of wetlands and marshes, the fishing cat was put on the endangered species list by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 2008.

“We take in any type of animals, except for venomous snakes,” said Arnold, “and we do try to actively breed the endan-gered species.”

The newest member to the Arnold’s Wildlife family is Annie, a Paint/Pinto camel that was born June 11 to LuLu, a rescued brown camel that lives at the center. A local rancher brought LuLu to Gainesville to mate with a spotted camel, and for the past year Arnold and her crew have anxiously awaited Annie’s birth.

“Where else is there a camel around here?” Arnold said, smiling. “It was just luck of the draw that we got one because we had the room.”


White-Tailed Fawns

Baby White-Tailed Deer

Camels LuLu and Baby Annie

Angela and Baby Annie

22 | July/August 2016 OKEECHOBEE THE MAGAZINE

For several years Arnold ran the rehabil-itation center by herself with the help of several volunteers. Over the years, the rehabbing took off, and more and more animals were being rescued and in need of care. Arnold began to need full-time help, and that’s when she hired Waldron and Freddie Holecek.

“They found me and saved the day,” she said.

All three, Arnold, Waldron and Holecek, live on the premises, as the animals require care 24/7/365 (or 366, this year). That

leaves no time for vacation, something that was virtually nonexistent to Arnold for years. In fact, last fall was the first time she left the center for an extended time; she went up north to see the leaves change. While she was gone, a former

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volunteer called looking for her. When Holecek said Arnold was gone, the lady was so shocked that she called the sheriff’s department in fear that something had happened to her because Arnold being on vacation was unheard of.

“At least I know Okeechobee County cares about me,” Arnold said with a laugh.

The center averages 1,000 rehabs a year, with 65 percent able to be released back into their natural habitats. For releases, Arnold’s Wildlife relies on the help of Waste Management, a certified

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Baby Screech Owls

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‘‘‘We appreciate the efforts of Sue Arnold in nurturing and rehabilitating the

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28 | July/August 2016 OKEECHOBEE THE MAGAZINE www.OkeechobeeTheMagazine.com July/August 2016 | 29

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For those 1,000 rehabs, along with the permanent animals, it costs roughly $80,000 a year to operate Arnold’s Wild-life. The center is a nonprofit organiza-tion that relies heavily on fundraising and donations.

Indian Blackbuck Antelope

‘‘She [Sue] does amazing work and has for many

years. There's nobody that cares more than her.’‘

~ Volunteer Barbara Mueller

wildlife habitat dedicating 2,000 acres of its Okeechobee Landfill site to wildlife.

“Waste Management is proud to work closely with Arnold's Wildlife Rehabil-itation Center to assist in the release of rehabilitated animals back into their natural habitats," said WM Public Relations Manager Teresa Bishop.

Arnold’s Wildlife has released many reha-bilitated animals at Okeechobee Landfill, including American bald eagles, bobcats, raccoons, sandhill cranes, box turtles, Anhinga birds, deer and otters.

"We appreciate the efforts of Sue Arnold in nurturing and rehabilitating the wild-life in Okeechobee and are thankful that Okeechobee Landfill employees work weekly to maintain the acreage for re-leases," Bishop said.

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“We are always in need of donations,” Arnold said. “We never know how many animals we are going to have. Don’t send flowers — send money.”

Through class trips, educational pro-grams and public tours, the center tries to maintain a steady income to keep going.

The public tour and nature trails give visitors a chance to see animals, such as bobcats, panthers, peacocks, fox, otters and many other species of animals, up close.

Arnold’s Wildlife has the only bobcat that lives with a panther. Both were born at the center 11 years ago. Another strange duo that the center recently received is a hybrid wolf named Zanny and a black lab named Blooper. The two were rescued together after their owner passed away. The center is building a habitat exclu-sively for them.

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Marmoset

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“We’re constantly building,” Arnold said.

Just within the past 10 years, the butterfly garden has grown into three-quarters of an acre, with 500 to 800 free-roaming butterflies and 88 species identified by the National Butterfly Association. It is in the shape of the Florida state butter-fly, the zebra longwing. The garden has created its own ecosystem with Mother Nature taking care of it.

A hospital building has also been built, for which financing was assisted by vol-unteer, Bari Fischer. She raised $20,000 in sponsorships when she ran the 26-mile Paris Marathon in France.

Unfortunately, with rehabbers going out of business, that leaves more animals and work for Arnold and her volunteers.

“She does amazing work and has for

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F lorida Panther

F lorida Bobcat

Kookaburra

many years,” said volunteer Barbara Mueller. “There's nobody that cares more than her.”

The center has gotten so busy to the point where Arnold and her crew no longer go and do their own rescues because they can’t leave the facility and animals for any length of time. But you will never hear any complaining from them, just love and dedication.

“It’s what keeps me going,” Arnold said. “It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle.”

‘We take in any type of animals,

except for venomous snakes.’

~ Arnold’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Center founder Sue Arnold

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reathe.Listen for my footfall in your heart.I am not gone but merely walking with

You.Endangered Baby Ring-Tailed Lemur

Sue Arnold

arnold s - okeechobee the magazine

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