Cote's Wildlife Rescue Needs Help
Donation protected
Don & Carleen Cote, of Vassalboro, Maine, have been operating their non-profit wildlife/animal rescue and rehabilitation facility out of their own personal home for 40 years. I've known it's whereabouts for about ten-years but never had a personal experience with them until recently.
While walking in the woods I came upon a orphaned fawn. It had been there for weeks and people had just ignored it. No sign of it's mother anywhere.
I could not get the help of local officials because frankly an orphaned fawn is not on their priorty list. I knew it would not survive if I didn't advocate for it.
I called Don Cote and worked with him until he successfully netted the fawn and transported him to his facility. Don is 77 years old and when he shot the net gun from the hip (because the situation called for quick action) it knocked Don over. He simply got up and did what he needed to do in order to help the distressed, manlnurished, very frightened little buck.
While visiting Don at his home a few days later, he showed me around. They live in a modest ranch home where thousands of injured or orphaned animals have been cared for. It was such a relief to see the fawn safe and with a big doe and several other little fawns. He no longer looked distressed.
Carleen was fast at work the whole time I was there with one volunteer. She has impressed me so many times with her wisdom about every wild animal imaginable.
77 year-old Don shared with me that he'd recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease which has affected his heart. He stoops over thirty or more food dishes a total of 4 hours day and it shows as he walks with clear indication of back pain written on his face. But more evident is the compassion and love on his face for animals. He knows every animals story on his property and showed me two that will never be able to be reintroduced into the wild due to the way their injuries have left them.
I asked him about funding and he told me they get no funding other than a handful of local donations and produce from some local stores that they're unable to sell. He kindly shared with me that they only way they'd been able to keep up with the expenses is because they never had children. But also, it's easy to see they sacrafice of themselves to help animals. Therefore I created a facebook page for them and a way that donations from caring, compassionate people could bless them. The goal is $50,000 but my prayer is that they'll receive much more. These are two people who have probably never had a vacation or done anything for themselves. Let's see if we can help them with the means to obtain several volunteers, if not paid staff, and ways to help them improve their facility for the sake of the animals but also to make it easier on the Cote's to take care of the animals. Thank you for any amount you can donate and please be assured the Cote's will get every penny!
While walking in the woods I came upon a orphaned fawn. It had been there for weeks and people had just ignored it. No sign of it's mother anywhere.
I could not get the help of local officials because frankly an orphaned fawn is not on their priorty list. I knew it would not survive if I didn't advocate for it. I called Don Cote and worked with him until he successfully netted the fawn and transported him to his facility. Don is 77 years old and when he shot the net gun from the hip (because the situation called for quick action) it knocked Don over. He simply got up and did what he needed to do in order to help the distressed, manlnurished, very frightened little buck.
While visiting Don at his home a few days later, he showed me around. They live in a modest ranch home where thousands of injured or orphaned animals have been cared for. It was such a relief to see the fawn safe and with a big doe and several other little fawns. He no longer looked distressed.
Carleen was fast at work the whole time I was there with one volunteer. She has impressed me so many times with her wisdom about every wild animal imaginable.
77 year-old Don shared with me that he'd recently been diagnosed with Lyme disease which has affected his heart. He stoops over thirty or more food dishes a total of 4 hours day and it shows as he walks with clear indication of back pain written on his face. But more evident is the compassion and love on his face for animals. He knows every animals story on his property and showed me two that will never be able to be reintroduced into the wild due to the way their injuries have left them.
I asked him about funding and he told me they get no funding other than a handful of local donations and produce from some local stores that they're unable to sell. He kindly shared with me that they only way they'd been able to keep up with the expenses is because they never had children. But also, it's easy to see they sacrafice of themselves to help animals. Therefore I created a facebook page for them and a way that donations from caring, compassionate people could bless them. The goal is $50,000 but my prayer is that they'll receive much more. These are two people who have probably never had a vacation or done anything for themselves. Let's see if we can help them with the means to obtain several volunteers, if not paid staff, and ways to help them improve their facility for the sake of the animals but also to make it easier on the Cote's to take care of the animals. Thank you for any amount you can donate and please be assured the Cote's will get every penny!
Organizer
Andrea Isola Sforza Tardif
Organizer
Vassalboro, ME
