Blog the Change is an event, where bloggers from all over the globe focus on animal causes that are near and dear to our hearts.
Today I’d like to shine the light on someone who works tirelessly in the field of animal rescue. I’ve been following her efforts on my facebook page for the last few months.
Annette King Tucker is the owner and operator of a 10-acre ranch located in Claremore, Oklahoma. Wild Heart Ranch is an animal sanctuary that rescues, and rehabilitates wild animals, who are injured by either natural causes or the cruelty of man.
Picture copied from Wild Heart Ranch Website.
I copied her mission statement from her website:
- Provide medical or infant support to any indigenous wild animal in need of assistance and release it into suitable wild habitat once care is completed.
- Refrain from imprinting the animal to its human caretakers during its stay in captivity
- Educate the public about wild animals in our area and teach a genuine appreciation and respect of their needs and characteristics
- Educate ourselves in the care and needs of each species that we experience so that all animals receive complete, professional and individual care
- Maintain our facility in the most stringent of cleaning and organizational standards to prevent errors, disease, infection and hazards to both humans and animals
- ALWAYS respond with patience when faced with ignorance and remember that not all the world has seen through our eyes or cared with our hands
- Lend assistance, instruction or advice to anyone trying to assist a wild animal in need of care
- NEVER cage a wild animal a day longer than necessary, and always euthanize if release will never come
On her facebook page she shares pictures of wild babies that have been brought to the ranch along with the circumstances surrounding their injury or illness. The photos show staff tenderly caring for the delicate lives they’ve been intrusted with.
When she can’t save them, she will help them find peace and freedom from pain in the only way she knows how. That’s when you see her mad, especially if the injury has resulted from something evil, like a leg trap.
What I love about this woman is her passion. Not only will she take in, help and rehabilitate any form of wildlife, but she works hard at educating the public. Her posts will explain to you why the cute orphaned deer should NOT be brought into your home and made into a family pet.
Wild Heart Ranch doesn’t normally take in cats and dogs, but they will assist them in other ways, or provide another resource to assist the animal.
Annette King Tucker talks the talk and walks the walk.
But she’s got a little problem, her wonderful ranch is quickly outgrowing the small ten acres that surround it. Recently 40 acres across the street from the ranch went on the market, Annette is working hard to raise the needed funds to purchase the land in order to expand the ranch.
She has a chip in widget on her website, and through her website you can connect with her on her social media sites.
I’m not asking you to donate money to WHR, I’m asking you to take a moment and check out Annette King Tucker and if you (like I) think she’s making a difference, can you please share her story.
Together we can be the change.
(Author’s note, the ‘cat’ you see in the left side of the picture is Kira, a cougar that had her claws removed by a man with a pair of wire snippers. Annette rescued her and Kira lived her life at Wild Heart Ranch, until a few months ago when she passed away.)
(I did send a message to Annette asking her to contribute to this post, but she did not respond. If she would like the picture to be removed I will do that. )
Annette sounds to be doing the most wonderful work. We’re off to find out more.
🙂
What a remarkable woman. Great post!
Thank you
wonderful feature for #BtC4A we need more people like Annette King Tucker in the world
I agree Caren!
Annette sounds like an amazing woman! And what a great cause to spotlight during Blog the Change. People can be so cruel to all animals. I am glad there are people, like Annette, and places, like Wild Heart Ranch, to care for animals in need.
Thank you for sharing!
I am so glad too! And you are right, people can be cruel. I wish we could fix that!
Thank you for sharing about Annette today. I can only imagine how tirelessly she works on that ranch. I love that she also works to educate people as well. I hope she’s able to buy more land so that she can help more animals.
Peggy Frezon
Team BtC4A
Thank you, me too Peggy, I hope she can do it!
You are a nice person to feature an organization that did not respond to your request. 🙂 I am not sure I am on board with the last point of their mission statement.
“NEVER cage a wild animal a day longer than necessary, and always euthanize if release will never come”
They sound like they try to do good work. Best of luck to them.
Well I actually considered not writing about her, but I had planned this for a bit and in my note to her I told her I was writing whether she responded or not. 🙂
I hesitated on that last point of their statement too, but having been following her on facebook for a while, and from what I can tell, they only euthanize if they can’t save the animal.
Kira the cat lived there for a very long time, they did everything they could to try and save her and there was no way she could be released into the wild since she didn’t have claws.
I think they do try to do good work.
Hey Sampson, Hey Delilah, Jetty here. Hi Miss Jodi.
What a devoted person! Thank you for educating us, we always look forward to your posts.
Thanks Jetty!!
I can’t imagine how hard it would be to run a place like this. Thanks for bringing her to our attention, what an amazing woman!!
Hi Jodi – thanks for participating in Blog the Change Day, and thanks for letting us know about Wild Heart Ranch. People who work to rescue and rehabilitate wild animals are to be commended. We have a wildlife rehab center that’s very close to where I live, and they do a great job of working with the indigenous wildlife that have been injured or orphaned. I hope Annette is able to purchase the additional acreage she needs to continue helping wild animals. Thanks for sharing!
Vicki Cook
Team BTC
I love that you chose to shine a spotlight on one incredible individual. This sanctuary is so commendable and I’m sure makes miracles every day. Wonderful post!
PoochieProject.com
What an irreplaceable business! We need more Annette’s in this world.
Wishing continued success and increased support for the Wild Ranch and its lucky inhabitants –
Thank you for blogging the change for animals!
Kim Thomas
Team BtC4A
Thanks for bringing Wild Heart Ranch to our attention. I have so much respect for wildlife rehabilitators – it’s not easy work and it is, probably more often than not, heart-breaking.
I’m going to go check them out now. Thanks.
Hi all, I am one of the many volunteers at Wild Heart Ranch. I wanted to explain the last line of the mission statement. If an animal is not able to be released, we do humainly euthanize. We dont have the room or staff to keep every animal, and some just aren’t able to be saved. Example, we had a raccoon brought in that had been kept as a out. But it was kept in the garage where the owners were cooking meth. A bowl of acid or some corrosive was left out and this little coon walked thru it, it immediately started eating away at his feet. Once he was at WHR, Annette and the other staff started treatments. For a few days it seemed to be working. But as the skin started to heal “Tweak” as we called him started to self mutilate. Raccoons have senses we don’t and the tingling of the healing process was to much for him. Annette made the decision to end his suffering. It was not easy for her, it never is. She cries alot when she has to put an animal down. Another reason is we are under strict guidelines from the Oklahoma department of wildlife conservation and the federal government. Our goal is to release them all, but that is not possible.
Jodi, I am sorry Annette hasn’t contacted you, she is dealing with some personal issues. Her husband is in the hospital having to go on dialisys. So her schedule right now is pretty full. I know it wasn’t intentional. Sorry this is so long, just wanted to explain. It’s not a job for everyone!
Hi Shellie, thanks so much for reaching out and clearing that statement up. I have been following Annette for many months now and I know where her heart lies and how much it hurts her when she loses an animal.
I’m sorry she is going through a tough time with her Hubby, I am sending warm thoughts her way and adding her husband to my prayer list. I wondered if all was well with her as I haven’t seen her around facebook too much.
I had sent her a message but wanted to touch base with her in case there was anything she wanted to add, that I couldn’t find on the website or facebook.
Please let her know we are thinking of her, I think she’s an amazing woman and hope the land works out for her. 🙂
Sorry, wrong email…this is the correct one. And that should say “pet”. Not “out”.
Sounds like a great rescue!
P.S. – Can you believe I forgot about Blog the Change again? 2 X in a row…
🙁
WHR sounds amazing! Thanks for highlighting this great cause for BtC. 🙂
A.J.
Team BtC4A
where is gus’s photos the dog with the shotgun holes in him he is black