As the only wildlife rehabbers in Kentucky, Bill and Beth Ott have helped countless injured and orphaned animals over the past 21 years. The animals, which include common backyard foragers like raccoons, deer and coyotes as well as the more exotic (foxes and armadillos!), are all given equal and loving care by the Otts.
When a tree is chopped down and a baby bird tumbles from its nest, or a deer is struck by a car, or a fox gets its paw hurt in a bear trap, the Otts take in the injured animal and help it to heal, before releasing it back into the wild.
While the instinct to help animals comes naturally to the Otts, caring for them can be difficult and expensive, so they hold fundraisers to raise money for housing, vaccines, medicine and food. Despite help from the local community, they still pay for much of it themselves: In 2018 alone, they spent $20,000 of their own money taking care of wild animals.
To learn more about Western Kentucky Wildlife Rescue and how you can help, watch the video above.