Bradenton Beach wildlife shelter cares for 150 animals hurt or left orphaned by Hurricane Ian

More than 150 animals affected by Hurricane Ian made their way to Wildlife Inc., an animal rescue organization on Anna Maria Island.

Unfortunately, some of them didn’t make it.

The group is tucked into a Bradenton Beach side street and run by Ed and Gail Strait.

“We have squirrels galore!” said volunteer Gale Tedhams. “It’s squirrel season, and Hurricane Ian blew a lot of baby squirrels out of their nests — not all of them made it.”

The ones that did survive are being carefully hand-fed by the Straits and volunteers. Feeding all the animals takes up to 15 hours a day.

On Monday night, one person drove from Punta Gorda, Florida, to bring a baby squirrel to the rescue organization. After Ian, Wildlife Inc. is one of the only rescues operating in the region.

“Most of the rescue organizations to the south are not open,” said Tedham.

Along with the squirrels are baby opossums, a cardinal that cannot fly, an owl and baby skunks. Two baby opossums were found abandoned, another was clinging to its mother after she was hit by a car. The mother didn’t survive, volunteers said.

Tedham said some people have found the baby squirrels crawling up their legs. “It’s heartbreaking,” she said.

Anyone who would like to help the rescue effort can donate through their website at www.wildlifeinc.org or call the organization to ask about volunteer opportunities at (941) 778-6324.

This story was originally published October 5, 2022 at 11:30 AM.