Friends of Texas Wildlife is ready and waiting to help area homeowners who find a wild animal in the attic or an injured one on their property, whether it is a skunk, raccoon, opossum, bird or squirrel.

“As our area continues to grow and more habitats are lost, we hope to educate the public more as to how to live alongside wildlife and also to help preserve some wild spaces as sanctuaries, which will never be developed,” Executive Director Lisa Wolling said.

Located just west of The Woodlands in Magnolia, Friends of Texas Wildlife supports the rehabilitation of native Texas wildlife and promotes coexistence of wildlife and people through education, Wolling said.

The organization’s almost 100 volunteers want the public to know that in Texas, it is no one’s responsibility to assist with wildlife in need—the job almost always falls to volunteers.

“Although we work under the guidelines set for us by U.S. Fish and Wildlife [Department] and Texas Parks and Wildlife [Department], we receive no funding or assistance from any local, state or federal agency,” Wolling said.

Most of the animals come in with little or no money donated, so support is of the utmost importance, she said.

Veterinarians are not licensed to assist with native wildlife, so wildlife rehabilitators are the only option for injured, displaced, or orphaned animals and birds, Wolling said.

“The most pressing need is donations, and we always need volunteers to help run the center, people to train to be wildlife rehabilitators, and construction assistance for projects around our intake center and grounds,” she said.

Montgomery resident Evelyn Heyde has volunteered for 24 years, caring for wildlife at home while working a full-time job.

“At one point I had 29 animals at my house—[I was] spending 2 1/2 hours in the morning, an hour midday and 2 1/2 at night feeding and caring for them,” she said.

All of the volunteers are all passionate about what they do to assist the animals, Wolling said.

“We would love it if more people understood that nobody receives a salary for caring for wildlife,” she said.