[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_color=”#d9ae52″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_stops=”rgba(224,153,0,0.73) 0%|rgba(224,153,0,0.91) 100%” background_color_gradient_overlays_image=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”rgba(224,153,0,0.73)” background_color_gradient_end=”rgba(224,153,0,0.91)” background_image=”https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/altatena-woods-bgrnd.jpg” background_position=”top_center” custom_padding=”39px||41px|||” transparent_background=”off” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Title Header” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ text_font=”Crimson Text||||” text_text_color=”#ffffff” text_font_size=”30″ header_font_size=”63px” background_layout=”dark” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
The Animal Healer \u2013 An Interview with Cleo Watts<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ background_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0)” transparent_background=”on” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”91%” make_fullwidth=”off” use_custom_width=”off” width_unit=”on” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/racoon-gloves.jpg” title_text=”racoon-gloves” show_in_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”11px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
By Val Zavala<\/span><\/p>\n Behind a modest home on Altadena Drive is another smaller home with some unusual occupants. Two people, 11 squirrels, four parrots, a full-grown raccoon, two baby opossum and a couple very friendly chihuahuas. The human in charge of this menagerie is Cleo Watts. You may have seen her on Next Door. She\u2019s an official \u201cSmall Mammal Wildlife Rehabilitator\u201d, certified by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Over the past 20 years about 1,000 injured wild animals have recovered under her dedicated and knowledgeable care.<\/p>\n \u201cSquirrels are the most common patients. One baby squirrel I cared for fell or was pushed from its nest. It was only a few days old with no fur and its eyes were still shut. An x-ray showed its tiny body had five broken bones.\u201d For several weeks she fed it with a syringe in a heated cage. (Baby squirrels can\u2019t self-regulate their temperature.) It survived.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”26px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Then she showed me two larger squirrels. \u201cBoth have head trauma. This one has seizures and this one goes in circles. We keep them for up to a year and they do come out of it. But sometimes they don\u2019t, and if they don\u2019t, they go to a sanctuary.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSince last October\u201d, said Cleo, \u201cwe\u2019ve cared for and released 99 squirrels. Some people ask me why I waste my time with squirrels. They call them tree rats. I see them as living creatures that deserve respect.\u201d \u201cA lot of animals come in because of tree trimming, car accidents, the mother dies or is eaten. Ground squirrels are dropped by hawks often at the golf course. Parrots are hit by cars. One squirrel \u2014 a nursing mom \u00ad \u2014 fell out of one of the big trees on Christmas Tree Lane.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat would be Rocky (a raccoon). I got him on Mother\u2019s Day. His family, the mother and three siblings were attacked by a coyote. The finders said Rocky was curled up on patio.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ve always taken in animals, if I saw a bird with a broken wing or a kitten or opossum on the road. If the mother got run over and the babies got scattered, I\u2019d scoop up two of them and take them in. In 2002 I started volunteering for Bottle Baby fostering for kittens. And then people said, \u2018Oh hey, I found this squirrel. It fell out of the tree. It\u2019s a baby. Can you help me? You do kittens. It has to be similar.\u2019 So I took one in.\u201d \u201cThis lady from Squirrelmender reached out to me on Facebook and she said, \u2018Are you licensed?\u2019 and I said \u2018No.\u2019 And she said, \u2018Well I think you do really good work and I really think that you should be licensed.\u2019 That was last year. She said, \u2018This is what you have to do. You have to have in-take forms. You have to have the cages set up like this.\u2019 I have the book Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation. I studied that. Before this I was a dental assistant in La Verne. Then the pandemic came along. The pandemic is when I really started saying yes to all the calls for help.\u201d Cleo quit her dental assistant job and started animal rehab full-time.<\/p>\n \u201cI use vets in various places, depending on their specialty. One vet who specializes in skunks is in Loma Linda. An exotic animal vet is here in Pasadena.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/AnimalHealer.pic2_.jpg” title_text=”AnimalHealer.pic2″ show_in_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” module_alignment=”center” custom_padding=”11px||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.18.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n \u201cI get some donations. $25, $50 sometimes $100. X-rays cost $120. But most of the costs my boyfriend pays. (Laughs) He\u2019s a sweetheart. Also when it gets crazy and I have too many baby animals I\u2019ll go on Next Door and say, \u2018I have this baby that needs this and this baby than needs that.\u2019 I\u2019ll take pictures of what\u2019s needed and I\u2019ll say if anyone would like to donate right now it would definitely be appreciated. I had someone donate an incubator. People bring me fleece blankets that they\u2019ll make. They\u2019ll sew custom blankets weighted with rice so I can keep the babies warm. Sometimes people will think of me when \u2014 unfortunately \u2014 their pet passes away and they have extra-food.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome injured animals have to be euthanized. If they need to be euthanized, I call the Humane Society. But only about 15 animals have had to be euthanized.\u201d \u201cA really exhausting part is baby season in the spring. I have to get up every three hours to feed them. That\u2019s what kicks my butt. But I guess the hardest thing would be an animal that I can\u2019t save. They may have internal bleeding or head trauma. That\u2019s the hardest. So I\u2019ll hold them until they pass. Just comfort them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s most satisfying when you release them into the wild so they can live life like they should. That\u2019s the reward. There\u2019s nothing like it. I had many jobs but I\u2019m naturally nurturing. I get gratification with wild animals.\u201d [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Animal Healer \u2013 An Interview with Cleo WattsBy Val Zavala Behind a modest home on Altadena Drive is another smaller home with some unusual occupants. Two people, 11 squirrels, four parrots, a full-grown raccoon, two baby opossum and a couple very friendly chihuahuas. The human in charge of this menagerie is Cleo Watts. You […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7929,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsletter-2022-fall"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7137"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7931,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7137\/revisions\/7931"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7929"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altadenaheritage.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What animals do you take in the most?<\/h4>\n
Parrots are also familiar to Cleo. She had four parrots when I visited. One had a bad wing break in two places. \u201cIf the parrots are young they can be handled\u201d, she says, \u201cbut if they are older and wilder, it\u2019s best to keep contact to a minimum.\u201d<\/p>\nHow do animals get injured?<\/h4>\n
Do you have a favorite patient right now?<\/h4>\n
Today he\u2019s happy, healthy and very friendly. He eats all kinds of fruits and vegetables, chicken, salmon, dog kibble and scrambled eggs. Like a typical racoon he douses his eggs in water before eating them. \u201cHe can forage and hunt,\u201d says Cleo, \u201cbut he is also friendly and will approach humans. So he\u2019ll have to go to a sanctuary instead of being released to the wild.\u201d<\/p>\nHow did you get your start in animal rehabilitation?<\/h4>\n
\u201cLater people would sometimes say, \u2018Oh you love animals. You want to be a vet.\u2019 I said, \u2018No. I don\u2019t want to be a vet. I want to be like their nurse. I want to be hands-on with animals.\u2019 Then people would say, \u2018Oh you want to be a zookeeper.\u2019 \u2018No. I don\u2019t want to be a zookeeper. I want to work with animals.\u2019<\/p>\nHow did you get your animal rehab license?<\/h4>\n
Where do you take the animals for vet care?<\/h4>\n
How do you pay for all this animal care?<\/h4>\n
What happens if an animal can\u2019t be saved?<\/h4>\n
What\u2019s the biggest challenge?<\/p>\nWhat the most satisfying part of your work?<\/h4>\n
If you would like to help Cleo in any way you can contact her at cleowatts43@gmail.com<\/p>\n