Frisky’s Provides Unique Service to Community
Monday, July 20th, 2009 
At the end of a long, pine-lined driveway, just west of The Snowball Stand on Old Frederick Road, lies a facility unique to Howard County – Frisky’s Wildlife & Primate Sanctuary. The Sanctuary offers quiet refuge and healing for displaced and injured animals, yet also aims to educate the community. Consequently, it offers a handful of carefully-monitored public tours each year. I, along with 14 others, recently participated in one of these tours and would like to share my newfound knowledge to help acquaint you with this neighborhood landmark.
The story of Frisky’s originates with founder Colleen Layton, who discovered her calling in Gettysburg, in 1970, when a neighbor asked her advice on caring for some orphaned bunnies. Colleen then began aiding animals she found injured alongside nearby railroad tracks. In 1976 she moved to Laurel, and then shortly thereafter, to Elkridge. Since that time, she has completed hundreds of hours of training and earned her license as a Master Wildlife Rehabilitator through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Colleen is one of two wildlife rehabilitators in the county – the other is Judy Holzman of All Creatures Great and Small Wildlife Center, in Columbia – and one of about two dozen in the state.
Colleen met her soul mate, Scott Robbins, when he began volunteering at Frisky’s in 1988 and proved equally devoted to caring for animals in need. The two wed in 1991, and Colleen jokes that she had to marry Scott to make sure she didn’t lose one of Frisky’s best volunteers. Soon after their marriage, the couple moved Frisky’s to its current location in Woodstock.
Another one of Frisky’s dedicated volunteers, Heather Wandell, has worked at the Sanctuary for six years. As Director of Community Outreach and Education, she coordinates the Sanctuary’s tours. She began, on the day I visited, by describing Frisky’s three-fold mission.
First and foremost, Frisky’s rehabilitates injured, abandoned, orphaned, or displaced wildlife and reintroduces the creatures to their natural habitat when ready. The Sanctuary performs one to two releases each week at several nearby locations and possesses the necessary permits to do so. Since most states, including Maryland, do not allow individuals to keep wild animals in captivity for any length of time without proper training, the Sanctuary must maintain a series of up-to-date permits and licenses.
Heather pointed out that many kind-hearted individuals want to help wildlife in need but must never attempt to do so on their own. Not only could they endanger themselves, their family pets, or even the animals they hope to aid, but their actions would be illegal; they could face a fine if discovered. Additionally, the state may have to euthanize animals that have not been handled following proper safety guidelines.
Those concerned about the welfare of a wild animal should call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator for advice. Frisky’s performs a great deal of telephone education, especially between spring and fall. The phone number is 410-418-8899, and the website, www.friskys.org, also contains tips under the “Rescue Info” tab.
Interestingly, the state regulates the animals that even a licensed organization like Frisky’s can assist. Frisky’s cannot accept adult foxes, skunks, bats, or raccoons because they are considered rabies vectors. In biology, a vector is an organism that carries or transmits a disease that is communicable to humans. The State of Maryland also bans the rescue of adult deer because of overpopulation and the danger that these large, hoofed animals pose to rehabilitators.
Of course, not all of the animals that end up at Frisky’s come from the wild. Many are ex-pets that can no longer live with their owners for various reasons. Some of the more exotic animals, including monkeys and coatimundis, should never have been pets to begin with and cannot go into another home. Consequently, the second part of Frisky’s mission is to provide a lifetime refuge for these creatures.
Colleen took in her first monkey, Gizmo, in 1989, when his mother rejected him at birth. Frisky’s now houses 24 primates, some of which suffer from chronic illnesses such as diabetes or glaucoma. To ensure the security of these animals and the community, Frisky’s double-locks all primate enclosures, surrounds the enclosures with a set-back chain-link fence, uses unbreakable double-pane Lexan windows, maintains surveillance throughout the facility, and keeps several watchdogs. Frisky’s also undergoes several USDA and U.S. Fish and Wildlife inspections each year. The facility has never experienced an escape.
When I asked Heather about the most exotic animals she has seen at Frisky’s, she described three large and aggressive ‘pet’ alligators, one of which police confiscated from a drug dealer’s apartment during a bust. (As an aside, where in the world does one store an alligator in an apartment?) With help from the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Frisky’s transported the gators to a more southern state – all on the Sanctuary’s dime, unfortunately.
Actually, Frisky’s does not rehabilitate reptiles of any kind. When the Sanctuary receives a snake or the like, volunteers call a reptile handler, who takes the creature to a different location. Frisky’s does not accept dogs or cats, either, but it does take in birds, rabbits, hamsters and guinea pigs. The third part of its mission is to act as an adoption center for such domestic animals. The Sanctuary chooses homes carefully and requests that adoptive families already possess species-related experience.
Of course, all three facets of Frisky’s mission require a great deal of time and money. As a non-profit organization, the Sanctuary operates solely on gifts from private parties and volunteer support. All donations go directly towards caring for the animals, yet volunteers still find themselves reaching into their own pockets to pay for food and medicine. Frisky’s welcomes donations of money, supplies, and gift cards and currently seeks funds to help refurbish the animals’ enclosures. To learn more, go to Frisky’s website and select the “You Can Help” link, or send donations directly to Frisky’s Wildlife and Primate Sanctuary, Inc., 10790 Old Frederick Road, Woodstock, MD 21163.
To register for Frisky’s final tour of the year, from 10-11:30 a.m. on September 19, call Heather Wandell at 410-461-5309, or e-mail haw@anotherwaytoseeit.com. You must provide a name, address and phone number for each person in your party, and sign a visitor’s release form and have a photo taken prior to the tour.
