PEOPLE THINK THAT YOU KNOW WE JUST, WE FEED THEM, AND WE PLAY WITH THEM, AND THAT IS NOT THE CASE AT ALL.

UH, MY DAY, FOR EXAMPLE, CAN GO ANYWHERE FROM A MINIMUM OF 8 HOURS TO UP TO 16 OR 18 HOURS, A DAY.

AND THAT IS 7 DAYS A WEEK, 365 DAYS A YEAR.

BUT, UH, MY DAY STARTS EVERY DAY BY ROLLING OVER, LOOKING AND SEEING WHAT MESSAGES I HAVE, WHAT TEXT MESSAGES I HAVE.

I ALSO HAVE TO MANAGE MY VOLUNTEER STAFF, WHO ARE A GROUP OF SUPERVISORS AND EDUCATORS I HAVE TRAINED.

HELLO?

HEY, HAS ANYBODY CHECKED, CALLED ABOUT THAT RACCOON, THAT I ASKED ABOUT LIKE AN HOUR AGO?

I COME OUT AND I GIVE MORNING MEDS, DO MORNING TREATMENTS.

IT MAY BE WOUND CARE.

IT MAY BE TUBE-FEEDING TINY LITTLE 25 GRAM BABIES, OR AN INTESTINAL PARASITE INFECTION.

CUZ WE ACTUALLY NEED SOME OF THE OOZY-GOOZY SECRETIONS.

IS THAT A MEDICAL TERM, OOZY-GOOZY?

I'’’M JUST WONDERING.

YES IT IS COMPLETELY OVERWHELMING, AND AT TIMES YOU WANT TO SIT DOWN AND CRY, OR GO PUNCH PINE TREES AND SCREAM.

AND YOU DO THAT AND THEN YOU MOVE ONTO THE NEXT THING.

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW WITHOUT US DOING ALL THIS WORK, THESE ANIMALS WOULD LITERALLY HAVE NOWHERE TO GO.

OPIE ACRES IS A WILDLIFE REHABILITATION CENTER.

WE REHABILITATE ORPHANED, INJURED, AND ABANDONED WILDLIFE, WITH A PRIMARY FOCUS ON THE VIRGINIA POSSUM.

I AM THE OWNER, DIRECTOR AND PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD.

WHICH BASICALLY MEANS I'’’M FREE LABOR.

[LAUGHS] I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN AN ANIMAL LOVER SINCE I WAS A SMALL CHILD.

I WOULD LITERALLY RESCUE ANYTHING FROM WORMS TO BUGS TO FROGS TO DOGS TO CATS, YOU NAME IT.

WHICH MY MOTHER ABSOLUTELY HATED.

AND I DID A LITTLE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM AT THE CHATTANOOGA NATURE CENTER, AND FROM THERE I WENT INTO WILDLIFE REHAB.

I'’’M ACTUALLY A STANDUP COMIC, A HAIRDRESSER AND A WILDLIFE REHABBER.

I USED TO BE A PARAMEDIC, A RADIO TALK SHOW HOST, AND A WILDLIFE REHABBER.

SO BASICALLY WHEN I GET BORED I GET A NEW LICENSE.

BUT I DO SOME, YOU KNOW, SALON WORK ON THE SIDE FOR MONEY, BECAUSE I DON'’’T MAKE MONEY AS A WILDLIFE REHABBER.

THIS IS TWINKLE PIG, SHE IS A NON-RELEASABLE.

THEY DO THIS BECAUSE THEY WANT TO.

THEY LIKE WORKING WITH ANIMALS.

THEY ALSO DO THIS FOR FREE.

THEY CAN'’’T CHARGE FOR IT, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

WE GET, THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF CALLS FOR INJURED AND ORPHANED ANIMALS, STUFF LIKE THAT.

ALL OF THESE CALLS THAT WE GET, WE DON'’’T HAVE ENOUGH MANPOWER TO EVEN TAKE CARE OF HALF OF THEM.

POSSUMS ARE THE UNDERDOG OF THE WILDLIFE WORLD, IN MY OPINION.

POSSUMS SEEMED TO BE THE ANIMAL THAT WERE LEFT BEHIND MORE.

COMING FROM A CHILDHOOD OF ABUSE, I FELT LIKE THEY WERE VERY SIMILAR TO ME IN A SENSE THAT THEY DIDN'’’T HAVE ANYBODY ELSE TO TURN TO.

SO I MADE MYSELF AN OPTION FOR THEM TO BE ABLE TO TURN TO.

THE MAIN REASONS WE GET ANIMALS IN ARE, THEY'’’RE INJURED BY CARS, THEY'’’RE INJURED BECAUSE THEY, THEIR HABITATS OR THEIR HOMES HAVE BEEN TAKEN AWAY, AND THEY'’’RE OUT SEARCHING FOR A NEW PLACE, AND COME IN CONTACT WITH PEOPLE OR ANIMALS THAT THEY WOULDN'’’T NORMALLY HAVE.

THE ANIMALS WERE HERE BEFORE WE WERE.

SO OUR HABITAT, OUR HOUSES AND MALLS AND EVERYTHING, IS, YOU KNOW, GETTING SO BIG AND ENCROACHING ON THE ANIMALS'’’ HABITATS.

THEY HAVE NOWHERE TO GO, AND THEN THEY BECOME A NUISANCE TO US, WHEN ALL THEY'’’RE DOING IS LOOKING FOR SOMEWHERE TO LIVE AND RAISE THEIR FAMILIES AND EAT.

IF WE COULD LEARN TO BE MORE COMPASSIONATE, AND IF WE COULD LEARN TO BE MORE MINDFUL OF THE NEEDS OF THE LESSER SPECIES, OTHER THAN OURSELVES, AND FIGURE OUT A WAY FOR THOSE TWO TO MERGE AND WORK TOGETHER, THEY WOULDN'’’T BE A NUISANCE ANYMORE.

THESE ANIMALS ARE STRUGGLING SO HARD, ANYWAY.

SO IF THERE'’’S A WAY THAT WE CAN HELP THEM ON THEIR JOURNEY THROUGH LIFE, WE WANT TO DO THAT.

I'’’M A SONGBIRD REHABILITATOR, BUT I ALSO TAKE IN TURTLES, AND SMALL MAMMALS, SUCH AS FLYING SQUIRRELS AND CHIPMUNKS.

THERE'’’S THE BABY.

WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL ABOUT CHATTANOOGA, ITSELF, AS FAR AS THE REHAB COMMUNITY GOES, THERE IS A BIG NETWORK.

WE HAD A TORNADO GO THROUGH OUR BACKYARD, AND UM, WE HAD THREE TREES FALL ON OUR HOUSE.

WE HAD A LOT OF DAMAGE, AND WHEN WE WERE SURVEYING THE DAMAGE, WE FOUND A BIRD NEST ON THE GROUND WITH A BABY BIRD IN IT.

MY HEART WAS WITH ALL THESE ANIMALS WHO WERE AFFECTED BY THE TORNADO, AND THERE WAS NOBODY TO CARE FOR THEM.

SO I JUST STARTED DOING SOME RESEARCH, AND THAT'’’S HOW I MET ALIX.

THAT'’’S THE ANGEL DEFENSE POSTURE.

AND ALL HAWKS WILL DO THAT.

THEY'’’LL THROW THEIR WINGS UP, SWELL THEIR CHEST UP, TO LOOK LARGER AND MORE INTIMIDATING.

ALIX PARKS IS THE REASON THAT I'’’M A REHABBER, THAT JERRY IS A REHABBER, AND THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE EDUCATED UNDER HER.

SHE'’’S AMAZING, SHE'’’S BEEN A WILDLIFE REHABBER FOR YEARS.

MOST OF THE REHABBERS YOU MEET ARE SOME OF THE BEST PEOPLE YOU'’’LL EVER KNOW.

BECAUSE OF THEIR COMPASSION, YOU KNOW JUST SO GIVING.

SO IT'’’S REALLY A GOOD GROUP OF PEOPLE TO BE A PART OF.

WHAT WE DO COULD NOT HAPPEN WITHOUT PEOPLE ACTUALLY COMING AND DOING THE GRUNT WORK THAT HAS TO BE DONE FOR THESE ANIMALS TO MAKE IT THROUGH THEIR TIME IN CARE.

BUT THERE'’’S ALWAYS A SHORTAGE, WE NEVER HAVE ENOUGH.

AND IT'’’S PROBABLY OUR FAULT, BECAUSE YOU KNOW WE ONLY POST THE HAPPY, WONDERFUL STORIES ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA.

BUT THE REALITY OF WILDLIFE REHAB IS THAT IT'’’S A VERY STRENUOUS, VERY STRESSFUL, DIRTY JOB.

IT IS ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, COVERED IN MUD, COVERED IN BLOOD, COVERED IN FECES.WHEN THEY MAKE THAT REALIZATION, WHETHER IT'’’S ONE DAY OR TWO DAYS INTO IT, WE LOSE THEM.

AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE LOSE ABOUT 85% OF VOLUNTEER THAT SIGN ON.IT'’’S SO INTENSE.

AND I THINK THAT'’’S THE HARDEST PART OF ALL OF IT, IS THERE'’’S NO BREAKS, REALLY.

AS FAR AS ACTIVITIES, OR ANY KIND OF SOCIAL LIFE, I REALLY DON'’’T HAVE ONE.

IT'’’S WORTH IT TO ME, IT'’’S WORTH IT TO ME TO PUT IN, YOU KNOW, 12 SOLID HOURS A DAY, TUBING AN ANIMAL THAT DOESN'’’T MATTER TO SOMEBODY ELSE.

IT MATTERS TO ME.

AND IT IS SUCH A REWARD TO SEE THAT ANIMAL GO FREE AGAIN.

AND IF THEY CAN GET ANY EXTRA TIME IN THE WILD TO DO WHAT THEY DO AGAIN, IT'’’S WORTH IT.

I SEE YOU.

I SEE YOU!

DEEP DOWN, I HAVE AS MUCH WORRY AND SADNESS REALLY WITH A RELEASE, AS I DO WITH A DEATH.

BECAUSE, IT'’’S FINAL, IT'’’S NOT LIKE THEY CAN SEND YOU A TEXT AND SAY, HEY, I'’’M DOING OKAY.

IT'’’S AMAZING TO JUST TO WATCH THEM JUST SCURRY OFF AND GO UP A TREE, OR GET IN A CREEK AND TAKE OFF SWIMMING.

IT'’’S LIKE THEY'’’VE ALWAYS BEEN THERE.

SO, BITTERSWEET EVERY TIME.

[POSSUM HISSING] OW!

HE'’’S READY!

IT'’’S TRULY A CALLING.

I FEEL THAT GOD HAS CALLED ME TO DO THIS, TO REHAB HIS CREATURES.

AND SO, IT'’’S A TRUE BLESSING.

AND IT'’’S JUST A WONDERFUL THING TO HELP AN ANIMAL THAT DOESN'’’T MATTER TO A LOT OF PEOPLE.

ALL I KNOW IS THAT, YOU KNOW, GOD GAVE ME THIS AMAZING ABILITY TO FEEL COMPASSION FOR ANIMALS, AND I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO KEEP AN ANIMAL FROM SUFFERING.