R.G. Wexler

WETA Hometown Hero February 2007. R.G. Wexler is the founder of the Orphaned Wildlife Rescue Center.

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R.G. Wexler, founder of the Orphaned Wildlife Rescue Center (OWRC), is the focus of a month-long WETA Hometown Heroes profile airing in February on WETA TV 26. WETA selected Wexler for his commitment to rehabilitating the wildlife in Southern Maryland.

When the OWRC opened its doors to orphaned and injured animals in 1990, it was a fulfillment of a life long dream for Wexler. He had long been an advocate for animal rehabilitation, a commitment Wexler can track back to his youth when he found an injured baby rabbit.

When he grew older, Wexler volunteered for seventeen years at the former Chesapeake Wildlife Sanctuary in Bowie, Maryland before using his lifelong savings and retirement to establish the OWRC in Lusby. The center is only one of five wildlife facilities located in the state, and serves the counties of Calvert, Charles, and St. Marys.

Since its founding, the OWRC has rescued over 14,400 animals. Located on Wexler’s three-acre home, the center rescues all animals, from mice to deer to porpoises. The OWRC operates under a strict “no kill” policy and will help any animal. The public and local veterinarians refer forty to sixty percent of the animals; the remainder of the animals come in from animal control and the local police.

Although it is still the dead of winter, the OWRC is preparing for an influx of baby animals – ranging from rabbits to fawns – when the warm weather approaches. Springtime is known as the “baby” season, and the center will see up to twelve animals per day. The center is the only wildlife clinic in Maryland that operates a sonogram for pregnant mothers and an animal ambulance. Many of the babies seen are birds; most animals seen by OWRC are mammals.

“Birds are the hardest animals to care for. The babies need to be fed every fifteen minutes,” said Wexler. “That’s why I’m hoping to establish a separate facility just to care for birds.”

The OWRC is also the only facility in Maryland equipped to rescue wildlife in the Chesapeake Bay. The center owns three boats – two speed boats and a larger research vessel – all donated to the center by private citizens. Sea turtles, osprey and pelicans are among water wildlife seen by the center. The center is also equipped to rescue small whales that might become stranded in the bay.

Animals typically stay at the clinic from one to six weeks before returning to the wild. The OWRC has 12 volunteer veterinarians on staff to treat the animals. The other 25 volunteers include college interns, and the state department of natural resources licensed wildlife rehabilitators. The center also houses a training center offering classes for licensed veterinarians, Wildlife rehabbers and interns. It takes twelve CEUs and two years to become a fully licensed wildlife rehabilitator in the state of Maryland.

Wexler’s efforts are not just limited to the state of Maryland. In February 2006, Wexler traveled to the Galapagos Islands for three weeks in order to help spay and neuter 524 dogs and kittens along with Dr. Larry Richman, OWRC’s senior advisory veterinarian, and Matt Gambrill, a veterinary technician. While there, Wexler helped set up a veterinary clinic on the island in order for Ecuadorians to continue this work. The Ecuadorians will continue this important work on several islands in the future.