Date: Fri 16-May-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

DeFrancesco-animal-rehab

Full Text:

Susan DeFrancesco's Wide Circle Of Friends

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

When you step out of your car onto the DeFrancesco's property on Osborne Hill

Road Extension, you know you have arrived somewhere.

The raucus sound from a previously silent, fenced area, indicates the Guinea

hens have spotted you; large rheas crane and retract their necks, racing back

and forth between cages to alert the 30 other domestic and exotic animals

housed nearby that a stranger approaches.

Susan DeFrancesco calmly enters the area. She points out and describes the

various species and personalities of her mink, wallabees, fox, rheas, snake,

prairie dogs, Savannah monitor and other animals for which she provides a

home. She removes a five-foot iguana from its heated home in a shed and,

holding it close, carries it into the sunshine. This is how the Beardsley Zoo

began, she explains.

"The nice thing about this setting, even though it's small, is that it's

personable. The animals need human interaction so they don't get bored.

Sometimes in zoos I see them pacing back and forth," says Susan. "I go in,

give them attention, play with the foxes."

The animals she cares for have come from a variety of sources including

breeders. Most of the creatures, however, have been given up by pet owners who

no longer want their exotic pet. One of the messages Susan tries to

communicate through her cable access show, Animal Talk, is that people should

give a lot of consideration to owning a pet before they buy one. Especially

exotics, which often require special diets and equipment. Vet bills will

probably be a good deal more than a typical domestic pet, because doctors must

have specialized knowledge to treat an exotic species.

"A prairie dog with a cold cost us $300 in vet bills," she says. "Dama

wallabees are the new rage, and they eat a lot of fresh vegetables. Each day,

our two will eat Happy Hopper, two heads of lettuce, one pound of carrots,

apples - and they love sweet potatoes." If animals are not fed the correct

type of food they can develop problems, like the obese prairie dog, or the

iguana whose tail fell off because it had a calcium and vitamin deficiency

before it was turned over to Susan.

Specialized Care

Reptiles require an initial investment of about $70 for equipment such as a

tank, heat emitter, and heating pad; a larger tank will be needed as the

reptile grows. Snakes eat live or frozen rats, another expense.

Susan has one California King snake and five iguanas that were once someone

else's pets. Initially, she bought two live rats to feed the snake, but

couldn't bring herself to do it, so her menagerie now includes two pet rats

(she now buys only frozen snake food).

People may decide to abandon a pet because they lose interest in it or find it

costs too much to maintain. But exotic animals can make fine pets if one knows

what to expect. "Think hard about what an animal is going to require. It is a

lifetime commitment," says Susan.

"[Most] exotic pets are now bred in captivity," she explains. "Reptiles can't

hibernate in the winter. People also let rabbits go and that's just not right;

they are not built like wild rabbits."

And many animals, like prairie dogs, are social creatures and are not happy as

pets unless with another member of the species, she says. But a few exotics,

like mink, are solitary animals. Susan has one, which appears content in a

cage that was outfitted with a little hammock for it to sleep in.

Although neighbors bring children to see all the animals cared for by the

DeFrancescos, Susan often takes eight or nine of the more agreeable creatures

on the road to meet school children and families of all settings and economic

backgrounds. She welcomes visitors - as long as they call in advance.

Disappearing Habitats

"There's a lot of habitat destruction - it's everywhere, not just in the rain

forest," she says. With all the construction in this area, animals are

displaced. "If construction workers find animals, bring them to us - or we'll

come get them." This includes eggs in a nest, she says. "We'll take anything."

"It amazes me that people don't know what a chinchilla looks like. I think

it's really important that people do see animals [in person]," she says. "If

you can get near animals and look into their eyes, you can see they kind of

have a soul."

She usually includes the foxes in school programs to show "what's under the

fur." They are very dog-like in behavior, she says, and smart. "When infested

with fleas or other parasites, they will take a stick in their mouth and go

into the water. The fleas will jump on the stick, and the fox lets go of it."

Susan has an expansive dream which incorporates animal education, domestic and

exotic pet rescue, and wildlife rehabilitation. She is associate zoo editor

for the magazine, Animals Exotic and Small . She is licensed by the federal

goverment to exhibit all animals, has a fur breeder's license from the

Department of Agriculture in order to care for fur bearing animals such as

fox, and just received her state wildlife rehabilitator license.

"When you're federally licensed, you have to have a vet who will come on site

- Dr Robb with New Fairfield Veterinary Clinic is our vet," says Susan. "And

federal inspectors just come over [without advanced notice], to make sure

everything is clean, the animals are healthy and fed well."

Susan is now licensed and prepared to accept any injured, ill, or orphaned

wildlife, with the exception of deer, migratory birds (she will get a special

license for these), or raptors. She has gained a great deal of knowledge over

the years from studying and reading about animals, speaking with experts and

breeders in the field, and by taking a few classes on animal behavior at

Cornell.

"It's not easy to do what we did. But once [govenment officials] realize

you're serious about what you're doing, they back you if it's for educational

reasons and if they know you're committed," says Susan. "I think people are

starting to forget about all the animals. They need a place to be, too."

Susan and her husband, Louis, want to expand the fenced area and add

appropriate enclosures in which to rehabilitate wildlife. Unlike the domestic

and exotic pets Susan accepts, wild animals which can be fully rehabilitated

must have as little human contact as possible - and actually be encouraged to

remain afraid of humans because they will eventually be released back into the

wild.

A Source Of Information

People can contact Susan if they have any questions about wild animals or if

they would like her to exhibit her domestic/exotic animals. The more

information people have, the better it will be for all creatures.

"Raccoons are out now. During the day it's not unusual to see a mother

raccoon; most are just foraging for food," says Susan. "Unless they are

behaving really, really strangely, they are probably healthy."

It's also common for snakes to be found in houses this time of year because

they gravitate toward warmth, she says.

Susan loves all types of animals, although she's not too crazy about insects.

(She did, however, "rescue" a large spider which turned out to be a brown

recluse in one of the pens.) All the vet bills, food, equipment and enclosures

are paid for out of her own pocket. So, in order to expand her facility, she

is looking for donations of sheds, incubators, chain-link and stockade fences,

and even land.

"If there was farm property where we could do a land partnership, we could

have more animals in a little more secluded location, and open a zoo," says

Susan. She would like to have more space so she can accept handicapped animals

born at zoos, which are usually destroyed. And when they really spread out,

Susan plans to have a large area for wild mustangs where people can view and

develop an appreciation for them.

Volunteers, including children, are welcome to help Susan care for and exhibit

animals. For instance, newly-hatched birds have to be fed every half hour from

sunrise to sunset.

"All animals have souls, feelings, and emotions," says Susan. "[Domestics and

exotics] do much better with human interaction - they have a loving trust. You

just have to have patience, kind of like with children."

(Anyone knowledgeable about animals is invited to speak on the television show

Susan hosts, Animal Talk, which appears on Channel 21 at 7:30 on Thursdays.

Those who would like to have an animal exhibition at their school, or anyone

who would like to donate materials to Susan can call her at 426-6316.)