Why spend time and money on rehabbing an opossum or starling?
Foremost, we are a compassionate species and are empathetic toward any suffering. That is the wisdom of humans. Secondly, because we care for a variety of species from diverse habitats, we are a prime source of information concerning the health of wildlife and the health of their habitats. A rehabber in New York, I believe, was first to report the symptoms that lead to the discovery of West Nile virus and subsequent data that helped wildlife biologist begin to isolate its cause and effects. With the rapid destruction of habitats our wildlife is moving to the cities. More and more are injured or orphaned. So we need ever more knowledge about our wild neighbors.
