HOUSTON — Wildlife in Southeast Texas was hit hard by Hurricane Beryl.
The Houston SPCA Wildlife Center has taken in more than 1,600 animals since the Category 1 storm's landfall and they need the public's help to continue helping animals rehab and recover.
Eight days after landfall, animals were still being dropped off. For perspective, they usually receive 40 to 50 animals on a typical day. Their daily intake continued to exceed that since the storm hit.
"It's exponential how much different those first few days were for impact on how many animals we had," Houston SPCA Wildlife Center Director Brooke Yahney said.
Last week, as Beryl was just beginning to push out of the area, she and her team were in northwest Houston rescuing hundreds of baby egrets that had been blown out of their trees by Beryl's winds in the middle of their busy nesting season.
"They would not have made it on their own," Yahney said.
A day after Beryl, the Wildlife Center received over 700 animals in 24 hours. The next day, they got more than 300. More than a week later, they're still coming in.
"There's animals coming in now that have been alone now for a week on the ground," Yahney said. "They're not in great condition, unfortunately."
The baby egrets rescued last week doing a lot better now. So are the baby owls and don't forget the baby squirrels, they're gaining their strength, too. Even a baby pelican rescued off Tiki Island is starting to feel like his old self again.
The goal is to get them stable and able to thrive on their own in the wild.
"A lot of times it can be months before these babies are ready to fly," Yahney said.
The need is so great, many animals were transferred to other facilities across the state to make room for more on the way.
"We're grateful that Houston's population were compassionate enough to pick up the animals and bring them in," Yahney said.
There's still plenty of work to do. The Houston SPCA's Wildlife Center getting ready for a long hurricane season ahead.
"We've made it through with the help of a lot of our volunteers," Yahney said. "Anything they're willing to give will be good for us."
If you'd like to help the SPCA, they're looking for monetary donations or specific supplies. You can find more info on how to donate here.