Our Heroes

Sometimes when you least expect it, you are a TV star! A big THANK YOU to Carmel Cafiero (center) and the WSVN 7 team for joining us in our fight to save the Caribbean Raccoons in the Florida Keys through the years. Barbie loves Carmel's shoulder and Nancy (right) is holding a three- week -old baby, Frankie.

Say hello to Richie. As you can easily see, he has his hands full with these six little guys wanting their bottle and getting tired of waiting for their turn. Once they become mobile, they are pretty hard to wrangle, even at dinner time. Richie does a fabulous jobs of managing them. He is a very attentive and loving "Papa" to all of the little guys. Richie does it all. He feeds, he rescues, he transports, gives attention, and supports wildlife rehab. He is truly a hero for the little fuzzbutts.

Our Heroes! The Monroe County Sheriff's Office has always been there for us, ready to lend a hand, or many hands in some cases. The officers take their motto, "TO SERVE AND PROTECT", very seriously. They have always been there for our babies and for that we are eternally grateful.

Meet Chris, an incredibly dedicated, compassionate, loving human being who was forever changed by a darling little girl named Rosie. Once that tiny baby came into her care, everything changed for wildlife in the Keys. Their newfound friend was able to accomplish things for them that no one else had been able to do. Chris is a miracle worker!

Teri is a remarkable young woman with the strength of her convictions. A wee slip of a little masked angel stole her heart right from the start. As an avid NASCAR fan, there was only one name for this little dynamo, Intimidator! She did an amazing job raising her little boy, until he was accidently injured. After he came to us, the rest, as they say, is history. Teri has her own place now, and Little Critters is making a difference in the central part of the state only because one person cared enough to try and make a difference.

Kelly, captured in a fairly typical moment, with carrier in one hand and taking a call with the phone in the other hand. She is standing in her hospital facility at Crane Point Hammock, in Marathon. Kelly came to the Keys with an impressive history. She interned at the Wild Bird Center in Tavernier, under the careful guidance of Laura Quinn, founder and director. After completing her internship there, she founded the Marathon Wild Bird Center. She is an integral part of our wildlife networking in the Florida Keys. She is the consumate rehabber rescueing birds as easily as mammals. Because the Keys are over 100 miles end to end, her dedication to all wildlife makes her center a sort of way-station for wild mammals before they are transported to us. Kelly is truly amazing!

Say hello to Cara. She is one extra~ordinary teen! She does it all with a nearly perfect 4.0, to being the Captain of her cheerleading squad, and all of the other activities she participates in. But her heart is the biggest of all and her compassion for those without a voice is boundless. With the support of her parents, she rescues and triages before the rescuees are transferred to Ark Angels. Even more amazing is her devotion to bats. After rescuing a tiny bat on vacation, she fell in love with them and familiarized herself with their plight. She can now rehab bats from newborns to adults, even those with injuries, and looks forward to the day that she will be able to attend BATCAMP with the amazing Amanda Lollar, the founder of bat rehabilitation worldwide.

Meet Nate. He is a really special guy because he has been helping his mom and dad rescue babies whenever he can. He is really interested in learning all he can about the babies we get into care and one day, he will be one heck of a rehabber! You could say that rehab runs in the family.

Robert and Roger never expected that their lives would take such an unexpected turn that they would be living side-by-side with wildlife, let alone feeding pinkie squirrels round-the-clock. Clearly, they have the situation well in hand and have become the loving parents to a steady parade of wild thing in need at our sister facility, Santa Rosa County Wildlife Rescue.

Erin and Walt are very precious friends who care passionately about our Keys wildlife, and in particular the very special Caribbean Raccoons that live exclusively in the Florida Keys. Those two little bandits have Erin and Walt wrapped around their little fingers!