Teacher Runs Wildlife Rescue 365 Days a Year for 30 Years

For 30 years, Louise Sagaert has started her mornings teaching special education students and ended them caring for injured eagles, orphaned bunnies, and recovering hawks. Her Wildside Rehabilitation and Education Center near Eaton Rapids, Michigan, never closes, not even on holidays.

The 20-acre sanctuary treats around 1,500 animals every year. On any given day, you might find a beaver named Pine getting his twice-daily tub time, a red-shouldered hawk healing from a car strike, or a starving red-tailed hawk being tube-fed back to health.

Sagaert's passion for rescuing animals started in childhood. "I was always the little kid that picked up the animal on the side of the road that was still alive," she said.

Space is tight at Wildside, with cages running floor to ceiling. But the center has built a large aviary specifically for rehabilitating raptors, giving eagles and hawks room to strengthen their wings before release.

Not every animal makes it. Sagaert recently cared for bald eagles suffering from severe lead poisoning that didn't survive. She sees ending suffering as part of her mission when recovery isn't possible.

But the wins keep her going. A trumpeter swan with frostbitten feet recently healed completely and is headed to a bird sanctuary. Three young barred owls were just released back into the wild for the first time.

Sunny's Take

Thirty volunteers work daily shifts at Wildside, including a licensed veterinarian who helps with raptor care. The center also maintains education animals like Starry, a 31-year-old Great Horned Owl who was Wildside's founding resident and is now enjoying retirement.

Sagaert balances two demanding careers because she can't imagine doing anything else. After 40 years of teaching high school students by day and nursing wildlife by night, she still finds joy in every release.

"I think about the pictures of the bald eagles being released," Sagaert said. "It's very heartwarming, and it's very fulfilling for me."

The center runs entirely on donations, proving that one person's dedication can create a safety net for thousands of creatures with nowhere else to go.