![]() ![]() “The need will keep increasing,” said McMahon. By 2014 they were up to 3,100 and had an annual budget of $370,000. McMahon’s center treated roughly 1,500 birds the first year. “There’s just such a need for care,” said Rita McMahon, founder of the Wild Bird Fund. Before the Wild Bird Fund opened its $90,000 bird rehabilitation center in Manhattan in 2012, New York City was one of the few major U.S. If all goes according to plan, Urban Utopia will soon be the city’s second wildlife rehabilitation center and the only exclusively for mammals. So Moran and two fellow rehabbers decided to found Urban Utopia Wildlife Rehabilitation, a non-profit organization and New York City’s first mammal rehabilitation group. To get more hands-on training as a rehabber, Moran volunteered at the Wild Bird Fund, where she met other people who shared her concern about the lack of mammal caretakers around the city. She still took care of some birds, but the mammals had quickly taken over her life. After the initial influx of squirrels, Moran began receiving baby opossums and cottontail rabbits, often victims of road collisions or dog attacks. Most of them came to her because they either fell out of their nests or were pushed out by mothers who deemed them defective. So Moran’s apartment quickly became a squirrel nursery. Much like human babies, Moran’s baby squirrels are fed a special formula every few hours - even in the middle of the night. There were enough bird rehabbers around, but very few people were willing to care for the city’s wingless wildlife. Apparently licensed wildlife rehabbers in New York City tend to leave that little box empty on their registration forms. “I was completely overwhelmed with calls about baby squirrels,” she recalled. When she checked off the box next to “accepts mammals” on her registration form, she had no idea what she was getting herself into.Įnter the squirrels. “I’d been bringing these birds home, and I wanted to learn more about how to care for them, so I decided to get my New York State wildlife rehabilitator’s license.” Earning that license not only helped her learn how to take care of injured pigeons, but it also put her name and contact information on a public list of all licensed animal rehabbers in New York. “I just seemed to keep finding injured birds on the street,” said Moran. As her husband, actor Nick Moran puts it, “injured animals are attracted to her. But the city’s wildlife seemed to have other plans. ”Īlthough she still took in the occasional pigeon, Moran never intended to become an animal rehabilitator in New York. She also did stunt work for the television series “Gotham” (a spinoff on the fictional city from “Batman”), “Law & Order” and “Royal Pains. She went on to perform on stage in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame ,” “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “A Christmas Carol.” Her first stunt job was for “Meet Dave,” a movie starring Eddie Murphy. Within a few months, Moran got her big break when she was cast as Ramona in the touring theatre production Ramona Quimby. At 17, she moved to New York hoping to find acting opportunities. When she was nine, Moran enrolled in acting classes and started performing in local plays. “We were definitely a big animal household when I was growing up,” said Moran. Every time she stumbled upon a wounded or orphaned creature, she’d carefully pick it up and carry her new patient home to her mother. Moran not only grew up on an animal-free diet, but she also spent much of her childhood caring for animals, especially injured birds and stray dogs. She grew up with her mother, Victoria Moran, a vegan activist who has authored several books about ethics, animal issues, health and spirituality. ![]() Soon, she hopes to pull off an even more unlikely trick: opening the first center in New York City to rehabilitate injured squirrels, rabbits and other small mammals.īefore she came to New York City, Moran lived in Kansas City, Missouri. Leaping from rooftops, being set on fire, falling down stairs, catapulting through the air, and pretend-fighting on camera is all in a day’s work for Moran. ![]() As a stunt double, she performs outrageous physical maneuvers that most people would never even dare to attempt. To pay the bills, Moran relies on her acting career. While caring for baby squirrels and other furry critters may very well be the cutest job description ever, wildlife rehabilitation work rarely comes with a paycheck. When she’s not force-feeding stubborn, squirmy squirrels or bathing orphaned baby opossums in her cozy Bronx apartment, Adair Moran can be found dangling from ceilings or jumping from rooftops dressed like a young Bruce Wayne (a.k.a. ![]()
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