UTOPIA Celebrates 20 Years of Wildlife, Rehabilitation and Education

Twenty years ago Kathy Hershey never thought she would be spearheading a wildlife rehabilitation program on her property just outside of Hope.

Had you tried to convince her otherwise, well, she still would’ve never imagined it.

However, nature and life had another plan.

Hershey partnered with her colleague and friend Dr. Melissa Newcomb and founded UTOPIA Wildlife in 2002 following the emergence of West Nile virus in Indiana that resulted in birds literally falling from the sky.

“The birds of prey were severely affected,” Hershey says. “And so, we kind of got pressed into service by the state and animal control. We got our state and federal licenses and we hit the floor running.”

According to their web site, UTOPIA’s mission is “dedicated to providing expert veterinary care, rehabilitation and release of orphaned, sick and injured native Indiana reptiles, mammals, birds and birds of prey.”

Hershey and Newcomb formally established Up to Our Posteriors in Animals (UTOPIA) as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2004. At that time, the pair acquired the proper state and federal permits and licensing to become a refuge for wild animals in need of assistance and care.

“[The name] was kind of a joke, but was kind of what happened,” Hershey says. “We would literally be passing each other to go out and gather the birds that were sick. It was crazy.”

Added to the rehabilitative efforts at the 10-acre facility, UTOPIA offers a range of educational programming that annually draws more than 10,000 visitors.

Many in the Hope community are familiar with UTOPIA as the home of Hope’s Groundhog Day star, Hope the Groundhog, as well as her predecessor the late Grubby the Groundhog.

Prior to opening the center, which serves 39 counties in Indiana, Hershey worked for the Indianapolis Zoo as a technician and keeper.

“Part of my job would be taking the animals, sorting them out, taking care of their initial needs and passing them on to rehabilitators,” Hershey says. “I didn’t know about rehabilitators before that. I always thought if I had a chance, I would do that.”

Hershey’s educational background is a mixture of the liberal and scientific as Hershey holds degrees and experience in human medicine, as a clinical laboratory scientist, and theatre. Newcomb brought her experience as a veterinarian, as well as extensive work in the arena of wildlife rehabilitation in Florida, Hershey says.

Although scientific study and the theatrical stage are worlds apart in the classroom, they aren’t too different when it comes to her work, Hershey says.

“What is interesting is it all came together,” she says. “It enables me to stand up in front of people and talk.”

Finding someone with wildlife rehabilitation experience is a rarity, Hershey says, as the opportunities for what one would classify as traditional study are few and far between.

“Vets aren’t really taught about wildlife,” Hersey says. “If they choose to go that route, they have to create their own externships and make a conscious effort to do that. Melissa had had some experience at the Clinic for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) in Sanibel Island, Florida.”

Having a facility like UTOPIA, especially so close to home, is a tremendous benefit, Newcomb says.

“We are a society far away from nature and we need to be closer,” Newcomb says. "A lot of kids don’t know the first thing about what is happening outdoors and that isn’t good for lots of reasons. From a standpoint that we are compassionate and when we see animals in trouble or abandoned our inclination, hopefully, is to help. It is very difficult to find reliable, credible information about things like that and having something like UTOPIA is a resource and that is really nice.”

Now, 20 years and thousands upon thousands of animals helped along the way, Hershey says developing a relationship with and understanding of nature is more important than ever; especially given the lessons still being learned with regard to COVID-19.

“A lot of this too is essential to understanding pandemics and the future,” Hershey says. “People are living closer to animals today.”

UTOPIA helps wildlife of all kinds, from owls and vultures to opossums, squirrels and groundhogs, and among the things to remember when dealing with wildlife, it is that just because a creature is small and alone that doesn’t necessarily mean it is in trouble.

Hershey says when people have a question about a wildlife situation, such as an injured animal, it is best to reach out to someone such she and her staff first.

“Lots of times, things people pick up and bring to us don’t need to be picked up,” Hershey says. “Part of it is about understanding how nature works. People see something little and helpless and assume if they see something alone it needs help. What is happening is the mother is avoiding them, so they don’t attract attention to the little one and that is important to know.”

Not every animal that comes to stay at UTOPIA gets to return to the wild, Hershey says. In some cases, animals that are deemed non-releasable – for whatever reason – are used for educational purposes, Hershey adds.

Oftentimes, when she is teaching, Hershey is accompanied by a fox, owl, eagle or vulture that is an integral part of her presentation.

“They can go into the classroom and be used to teach people about the natural history of these animals and accommodating to them in nature because they were here first,” she says.

Of course, making sure that all the resident animals and those who come for rehabilitation are given proper medical care, rehab and accommodations is not cheap by any means. Food protocols are specific to each animal and that means hundreds of frozen mice and rats for the birds of prey, as well as foxes and coyotes, Hershey says.

“It is an expensive proposition, and we just fundraise once a year and we charge for our programs,” Hershey says. “We are not supported in any way by any public source.”

What started as two women coming together to meet a need has grown to a 24/7 operation that has expanded to include a hospital building, a 100-foot-tall flight cage for birds of prey and rehabilitation, and a 20 by 20 by 20 eagle cage, Hershey says.

And neither Hershey nor Newcomb would change a thing, they say.

As 20 years is quickly giving way to 25 and soon 30, Hershey is mindful of the importance of carrying on what she and Newcomb built. Above all, education is the key to human beings cohabitating in a respectful way with nature and that means promoting knowledge as a tool.

“People need to understand this isn’t like other things,” Hershey says. “We don’t take things home. We don’t make contact with the animals. It is stressful for wildlife to be exposed to people. Our biggest thing is you can’t care about something you don’t know and, unfortunately, people and children, particularly, are further and further from nature.”

Newcomb admits she never thought UTOPIA would grow to what it is today.

And she credits Hershey with its growth.

Describing Hershey as a “force of nature” who “makes it happen,” Newcomb says she hopes UTOPIA remains a service for the community that continues to grow and thrive.

In the early days of UTOPIA, Hershey says it wasn’t uncommon for the facility to host 80 or so educational programs with live animals each year. However, as she gets older Hershey says she is hopeful to find individuals to help with the continuity of programming.

The demand is certainly there, she adds.

Each year, UTOPIA opens its doors to high school and college-age students seeking internships, including students from Franklin College and IUPUC, Hershey says. This year, they are again seeking applicants.

“They may not turn into rehabilitators, but they will have a different relationship with nature,” Hershey says. “I think it’s the fact that we have so many students who have gone on to do things that matter and learned things here. We have a number of kids in veterinary school and environmental studies. It is kind of our legacy.”

Hershey says she hopes UTOPIA is able to do more in the educational arena and get more people interested in not only nature and wildlife, but also sharing their knowledge and experience in the same vein as UTOPIA and its staff have for two decades.

“We would like to make this center a hub for wildlife information and education,” Hershey says. “And just basically become a place where teachers and students can come and learn about this stuff. We are a service that is available to everyone. There are about 23 counties or more that don’t have a rehabilitator in it. So, in that regard, we are a unique service.”

** If you would like more information about UTOPIA Wildlife Rehabilitators or volunteering, please visit www.utopiawildlife.org.