MEET JEANNE PADDISON
Since she could remember , Jeanne Paddison felt a calling to care for animals . Paddison began what would be her life ’ s work at just 14 years old when her father , who owned Port City Glass , Inc ., brought home an orphaned kit from a job site . A mural of Mandy – as she later named the raccoon – is painted on the wall at the rescue center . Mandy watches over the center as a “ guardian angel ,” guiding the rescue team in their mission every day . Paddison learned proper rescue methods under local wildlife rehabilitators and organizations such as Oatland Wildlife Center and the Savannah Science Center , eventually taking her certification test to become a formally licensed rehabilitator . Paddison formally organized a nonprofit rescue corporation in 2014 , after decades of rehabilitating animals from her home .
JUST MISUNDERSTOOD :
Paddison has always had a soft spot for raccoons . “ They ’ re just misunderstood ,” she says . Raccoons are the sixth smartest mammal and require a lot of motherly intervention during their maturation period .
DID YOU KNOW :
Opossums keep your lawn healthy ? They eat turf-destroying grub and diseasecarrying ticks , making them a key element to a wellbalanced yard .
LIFE DOESN ' T STINK .
OH , DEER !
Meet Eddie , a skunk who has endured two near-death experiences , and will soon need a forever home . Paddison and her team have nursed Eddie back to health , but due to a debilitating leg injury he is not fit for success in the wild .
While squirrels , raccoons and opossums are the most common species at the rescue center , deer and coyotes also come through . One such fawn was recently nursed back to health from a broken leg .
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