A bunny rescued from the Menasha tornado storm damage. (Courtesy: Andrea Bierbrauer)
MENASHA, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — It’s not just people that were affected by the Menasha tornado. It also left many birds and small animals without a home.
Despite dealing with its own damage, Heckrodt Wetland Reserve quickly stepped in.
“We started out as a hub for supplies, but we soon realized that we were a much needed resource of wildlife that people found as they were cleaning up,” Andrea Bierbrauer said.
The Reserve took in dozens of injured or displaced animals that were found in the weeks following the storm.
“I don’t think any of us realized that would happen,” she explained. “We were like, ‘oh yes, we can help you with that’. And soon I ended up calling the wildlife rescues who are licensed to care for them.”
Among the animals rescued were a pelican and an injured Great Horned Owl. Those rescues were brought to Raptor Education Group Inc, or REGI, for rehabilitation.
“Just kind of like when we go to physical therapy, they have to do animal therapy. So they will be released eventually,” Andrea said.
Bierbrauer says a particular rescue that stuck with her was a man who had found a nest of baby bunnies under a downed tree.
“He boxed up these baby bunnies. And when I drove there, he was missing his roof, and he had his windows boarded up, and he’s like, ‘I kept them alive all night, thank you, they gave me a sense of hope’. You know, he had tears in his eyes, I had tears in my eyes,” she recounted.
Bierbrauer says the last month has been a display of just how caring the community is not only for their neighbors, but for the wildlife around them.
“That’s the wonderful thing, not that the tornado was wonderful, but one of the great things about the tornado was watching the community come together and help each other,” Bierbauer said.
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