BEASTIE-BEAUTIFUL OUTING: Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino Counties are well-known as havens for animals, big and small, wild or living with humans. Thus it's no surprise that the four-footed, wing-sporting, snout-sweet critters of the fire-impacted areas have been making news in recent days. Neighbors have reached out to their wider communities with offers to take in horses and the other large animals hailing from evacuated areas, while fans have checked in with the animal parks, such as Safari West in Santa Rosa, to see if any help or donations might be needed. One place that's also lending a hand? The Lindsay Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital of Walnut Creek, which aided its sister-facility The Bird Rescue Center of Santa Rosa in its time of urgent need. The center was evacuated in the face of the Tubbs Fire, and an adult raven and barn owl have made the temporary move from Santa Rosa to Walnut Creek, where they're receiving plenty of attention and TLC from the on-site staff.
LINDSAY WILDLIFE EXPERIENCE, which includes the hospital, is also reaching out to those people "directly affected" by the fires. If you'd like to stop by the animal-interesting destination, which puts the focus on hawks, raccoon, porcupines, and many other regional denizens of the Great Outdoors, you can, for free, through Sunday, Oct. 15. "Anyone affected can come to Lindsay and spend a day among the animals for free," said Lindsay Wildlife Executive Director Dr. Cheryl McCormick. "If we can offer families and children a respite from the trauma they are going through with evacuations and the loss of their homes, then that is the least we can do. It is the right thing to do." For more information, contact the Lindsay Wildlife Experience.
