We were lucky to catch up with Rebecca Hamlin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rebecca thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?

On a regular basis, members of the community express their kindness and gratitude for us. We are a nonprofit 501c3 organization that rescues, rehabs, and releases native Texas wildlife. Our Facebook page, intake line, and inboxes are constantly flooded with support from the community.

But, to answer this question, the kindest thing that the community does is go out of their way to save wildlife. Finding an animal in need is rarely convenient- you’re rushing to work when you see a fallen squirrel near the entry way, you’re making deliveries late at night when you see baby opossums clinging to their mama that was hit by a car, and so many other scenarios. Finders are the reason we exist- the compassion and willingness to help they extend fuels our passion.

Rebecca, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a wildlife rehabilitator with North Texas Wildlife Center. I specialize in injured and orphaned opossums. In addition, I manage our social media pages as well as fundraising and event planning, board and volunteer recruitment, and whatever else needs to be done.

I fell into the rabbit hole of rehabbing wildlife when I found an orphaned opossum, then an injured opossum, and then a senior opossum. At the end of the last drop-off for the senior opossum, I decided I was just going to stay- that was three years ago!

The main thing I want people to know about North Texas Wildlife Center is our passion to care for even the smallest of critters. Each member of our team has general knowledge across species, and a specialty too. We have an amazing team of volunteers and a network of other rehabbers. We also have a great community supporting us- which we’re very thankful for!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I am a wildlife rehabilitator and volunteer with North Texas Wildlife Center. We’ve taken in over 1,500 animals since January 1st 2023, making this a record breaking year for our organization.

When animals come to us, whether injured, sick, or orphaned, I have to immediately go into rescue mode. Assess for injuries. Begin stabilization. Tend to wounds. Determine which medications are best. In addition to rehabbing wildlife and managing the center on the weekends, I manage our social media presence. Due to Texas Parks and Wildlife guidelines, visitors are not permitted into our center to prevent acclimation to humans. Each animal comes to us with the goal to release them back into the wild so we have to tread lightly. As a result, social media is the only glimpse many people will get into the amazing work we’re doing.

With photo editing software, graphic design software, and my sarcastic- Simpsons style humor, I create memes with the wildlife in our care. I take cute photos, silly photos, emotional photos, and really strive to capture the reality of what happens in our intake center. The most rewarding aspect of this is bringing the community together and breaking the negative stigma wildlife has as pests or nuisance animals.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

When I first started rescuing animals, a man told me I was “too thin skinned” and wouldn’t be able to set my emotions aside to make hard decisions. I held onto this words like a knife into my heart. Then one day, I was faced with a heart-wrenching situation. An opossum came in with life-threatening injuries. In fact, I was shocked at the mere fact that she was alive. She had multiple injuries- severe head trauma, traumatic globe luxation in which the eye protrudes from the socket, a spinal cord injury and more. I knew the only option was humane euthanasia. As I prepared the medicine, I saw pinkie opossums in her pouch. I carefully removed them and placed them in an incubator to warm them up. Out of 13 babies, 9 lived to be released. There was immense heartbreak involved with each little life lost but for the ones that survived, I gained a better understanding of what they need at that size, how to emotionally prepare myself for taking on pinkie opossums, and how to focus on the positives in the situation riddled with good and bad.

Since then, I’ve become an opossum specialist with a focus on traumatic injuries and pinkie opossums. It can be emotionally taxing and is definitely physically taxing- feedings every 3 hours, cleaning and wrapping wounds daily, sometimes tube feeding adult opossums while they stabilize. I’m happy to be able to withstand the hardships and save so many precious lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ntxwildlife.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northtexaswildlifecenter/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ntxwildlife