Aspyn Acres kid’s wildlife clinic

The Aspyn Acres Wildlife Rescue and Farm Sanctuary held a practice clinic designed to introduce young learners to the information and techniques needed to take care of sick or injured wildlife. The event took place Saturday, June 14 at the Aspyn Acres property just north of Waseca; about 50 children and their accompanying adults were present.

 

The clinic included having participants dress in medical garb while they learned to assess, wrap and otherwise treat wildlife in distress. 

 

“We do a lot with the farm side, but we wanted to bring an event that kind of focused on the wildlife side,” owner Chasity Haslip said of her facility, which is divided between a farm animal refuge and a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation operation. 

 

According to Haslip, it is important to host events like this for the community to learn conservation education, including how to coexist with wildlife.

 

“Maybe they’ll spark an interest and want to help animals. Maybe they’ll go into something like this, or they’ll be more apt to, as they grow up, see something, do something type of deal,” Haslip said. 

 

Kids Lanie and Rory Kimbro and Jax Cassiey came to the clinic because they are animal lovers.

 

“I helped a baby bird from my cat,” Rory Kimbro explained as she took off her doctor scrubs. 

Around 50 children and adults had gathered at tables in the farm yard. Kids selected from a variety of stuffed animals, donned their scrubs, and got to work figuring out what was “wrong” with their animal so they could set and wrap the injury. Some stuffed animals sported wrapped legs or torsos, while others had more unfortunate injuries, like one goose and its wrapped neck.

 

“Our main goal is to care for injured, orphaned, or sick or displaced wildlife,” Haslip explained about Aspyn Acres. “On both sides, one of our main focuses is also education towards our youth or offering work experience and education and quality of life to other people with financial or educational barriers. We have a lot.”

 

Information about Aspyn Acres and upcoming events is available at aspynacres.com or on Facebook.