Lynn Marie Cuny's stories from Wildlife Rescue and
Rehabilitation (WRR) range from the humorous to the
tragic, from the surprising to the inevitable. Who
could not love the racoon with burned feet who refuses to
give up? Or a self-appointed guardian hen who refuses
to leave an injured fox? Or an abandoned emu befriended by
an old one-winged vulture in a game of pick-up sticks?
Always, she reveals the dignity of each animal trying to
survive in a world made cruel and dangerous by the
thoughtlessness of humans.
Founded by Cuny in 1977, WRR provides rescue,
rehabilitation, and release or orphaned, injured, and
displaced wildlife. WRR also gives permanent care, in
large natural habitats, to indigenous wildlife that
has been deemed nonreleasable. Permanent care is also
provided for nonindigenous wild animals that have been
victimized by the exotic pet trade, rescued from
roadside zoos, or retired from research facilities.
"Heartwarming tales of rescued creatures are presented
in this collection of vignettes from a large wildlife
rehabilitation center... Cuny's love for her charges
shines through in her stories." - Booklist
"Her brief stories are often touching, such as when she
describes a young racoon, rescued from a fire,
self-medicating its burned paws with aloe vera plants;
or two crab-eating macaques, confined inside a research
facility for eighteen years, experiencing the outdoors
for the first time." - Natural History
"This book deserves a spot on every library shelf
along with such nonfiction animal story classis as
Adamson's Born Free, North's Rascal, and the
work of Jane Goodall ... Cuny's achievement is
in her ability to present the animal's experiences
in a factual, sympathetic, but unsentimental tone."
- Appraisal: Science Books for Young People
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LYNN MARIE CUNY, executive director of WRR, began her
rescue work at the age of three by saving the lives of earthworms
after a hard rain. She serves on the boards of the Summerlee
Foundation and the Ahimsa Foundation and lives in Kendalia in
the Texas Hill Country.
