Over the years, junior Hannah Cockerham has maintained a steady love of creatures, big and small. An aspiring marine biologist, she began volunteering at Paws and Claws earlier this year as part of her IB service requirement.
Paws and Claws is a local nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation organization that takes in injured and orphaned animals from around the community and nurses them back to health with the goal of release. Animals range from squirrels, chickens, and deer to owls, ducks, pigs, foxes, tortoises, and more.
“Working at Paws and Claws has helped me develop more skills when it comes to working with my hands and learning methods of taking care of animals,” Hannah said. “I’ve learned how to feed squirrels, rabbits, chickens, skunks, and most of the wild animals in the area. I have learned a lot about how unique animals can be, how they have different needs, and how to take care of those needs.”
Hannah enjoys the unique ways she interacts with the animals and appreciates the experiences she has been exposed to.
“I love working with animals, and I enjoy rounding up the animals outside and feeding them, like the deer we bottle-feed,” Hannah said. “But I also like working on the inside with smaller animals like the tortoises and the chickens. We even had a hummingbird once that I had to feed by hand, so every day is unique.”
Hannah’s father, Tim Cockerham, volunteers with her about once a week and sees the positive impact Paws and Claws have on Hannah.
“It’s a good way for Hannah to learn how to help other people while caring for the animals,” Tim Cockerham said. “Working with the animals is really the side benefit of helping out the people there who need us.”
Hannah is grateful for her parents’ support, particularly when staying dedicated to the work seems difficult.
“My dad has helped me because it’s always nice to have an extra hand when doing all that heavy physical labor outside,” Hannah said. “My mom has helped me a lot because she always reminds me when I sign up for things even though it’s hard sometimes; I have hard days, and I want to stop doing it, but my mom reminds me why I started doing it in the first place and how it’s important that I keep at it and not quit.”
Finding reliable volunteers who work well with animals can be challenging for organizations like Paws and Claws.
“Hannah is a fantastic volunteer and helped a ton when I really needed it,” shift leader Katy Steakley said. “She is a hard worker, efficient, detail-oriented, and organized. She is always early and begins working right away. I only have to show her how to do something once, and she understands. She also volunteers very often, and we always appreciate consistent volunteers.”
Most days at Paws and Claws consist of routine cleaning, feeding, and treatments; some carry a far more serious tone that can take an emotional and mental toll.
“When working with animals, there’s always the possibility of the animals not making it because that’s just what happens with sick animals,” Hannah said. “It’s hard to be there when they don’t make it, and you have to transport them to the vet to have them put down. But we save many more animals than we lose, so the positive outweighs the negative.”
As she continues volunteering, Hannah has noticed the unique personalities of the animals, such as Harvey, the tortoise who sometimes behaves more like a dog than a tortoise.
“You learn that the animals have specific qualities, just like humans do,” Hannah said. “Every time I go into his enclosure, I forget he’s a tortoise. Earlier in the fall, he would walk around, and when I would go into his pen, he would get really excited and come over to see me,” Hannah said. “He would sit there and sniff your fingers, do a lap around his pen, and then come back and just sniff your fingers again. He’s quite the character.”
Working with the animals at the facility has been a fun experience for Hannah as she has bonded with each of them individually.
“There’s a turkey that walks around,” Hannah said. “I’m not sure if he was ever hurt or if he’s just the farm turkey, but his name is Thomas. Thomas tends to follow you around when you’re not looking, and he is so funny because he acts like he will attack you when he really isn’t; he’s just fun to be around when you’re working.”
Though Paws and Claws treats many indigenous animals, it also treats unique animals like the coatimundis, usually found in southern Arizona, New Mexico, or, more frequently, Mexico.
“I love going into the coatimundis’ enclosure because they’re mountain coatimundis, known for climbing, and they will climb on you and your head and just sit on your shoulders,” Hannah said. “That’s probably my favorite part of going every time because there are two of them, and they are just so sweet; they act like dogs.”
Paws and Claws operates as a non-profit organization that funds rehabilitation and health care for all animals based on donations and sponsorships to provide a better life for all its residents.
“I appreciate how every animal at Paws and Claws is getting a second shot at life,” Steakley said. “It always starts with someone finding the hurt animal and choosing to find it help.”
