Thank you #vOCCRAnteer @frankebat for responding yesterday to help this beautiful corvid with a safe ride up to the @wildlifecarecenter at @birdallianceoforegon .
Frank is one of 16 OCCRA volunteers that also volunteer with the Bird Alliance. The gap in services for capture and transport when community members do not have means of transportation, or do not feel safe handling wildlife, is vast. And so much of our "training" is second nature to those volunteers that work in the wildlife care center, so it makes sense to join human forces when possible.
We are looking forward to serving the 6 counties and community members in 2025, and we can only do so with your support, sharing, liking, or even better, JOINING OUR TEAM!
**A reminder for those new to following. OCCRA does not receive updates on patient status nor care. We often do not know the cause of injury or illness for our "passengers" either. OCCRA's mission is to provide safe capture and transport to wildlife professionals, we are a small, but important part of wildlife rescue. Thank you for believing in that crucial component!
#oregonwildlife #wildlifevolunteer #wildliferescue #oregoncorvid #crowrescue #oregoncrows #occra
⚠️ - ❤️🩹 - PLEASE CAUTION: VIDEO INVOLVES CAT CPR, and crying of cat that suffered smoke inhalation. Please skip if upsetting.
We find it important to share some of the contract side of what OCCRA does, for Multnomah County animal services. OCCRA is on call 15 hours each night for domestic animal emergencies for the entire county. This is separate from our volunteer wildlife response team.
We regularly are called out by partner agencies and first responders. On Christmas morning, a little after midnight we were called out by Portland Police, they were on scene of a fully involved structure fire which was caused by a vehicle driving in to a home and striking a gas line. Most of the residents were out of town for the holidays, and there were several cats in the four units that suffered impacts from the fire.
Portland Fire crews were incredible in evacuating all cats from the home. As OCCRA contractor Darci arrived, a lifeless cat had been brought out and she immediately started CPR, while PF&R gave oxygen to the surviving cat. We have edited out the most traumatic parts of the video out of respect for the animals and the families.
After CPR attempts were called, Darci transported the surviving cat to Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital. Shortly after, Virginia arrived and a PF&R T13 FF Tamara who found the last remaining cat, alive and alert, a true miracle based on the state of the home. We transported him to Dove Lewis as well, and wish them all strong recovery.
We are grateful for the quick efforts of all those involved, Portland Fire & Rescue , Portland Police Bureau, Portland / Multnomah County 911, DoveLewis and personally, an immense thank you to Darci Love , who answered her phone at midnight, and jumped in to action on her night off, and on Christmas, to help with such a traumatic incident.
Our thoughts and condolences are with the families who suffered such a massive loss over the holiday of their homes, and a tragic loss of a beloved
OCCRA GEAR TALK!
💸Here is where most of your donations go.
Each new volunteer “kit” costs about $200.
⛑️Main items: Face shield, raptor gloves, hi-vis vest, uniform items, rigid transport bin, binders, business cards, song bird box.
❤️Monthly donors or one time, every dollar helps us expand our mission. Beyond these kits, your donations also support our website upkeep, once a year conference attendance to present and share about our organization to partner agencies state wide, and more.
Links in bio to support our mission. Thank you so much for being a part of our goals and sharing and liking to help us maintain the volunteer numbers we need to cover the high demand in our watershed district.
#occra #wildliferescue #wildlifetransport #wildlifevolunteer #voccranteers
Injured crow - SW PORTLAND
Wildlife C/T #254
Thank you to security who saw this grounded crow near Southwest fourth and Jefferson in Portland today. They had a severely out of place wing and were flightless. Security called @birdallianceoforegon for advice and safely captured and contained them and placed in a quiet room. Because they were posted on duty they could not transport so the Bird Alliance called OCCRA.
The patient is now at the @wildlifecarecenter where we wish them luck.
#wildlifetransport #occra #wildliferescue #wildlifevolunteer #voccranteers #crowrescue
WILDLIFE TRANSPORT #253
Portland OR
Yesterday, #vOCCRAnteers @lexiangela and @frankebat responded to reports of a RTHA that was grounded in a residents yard, bleeding from their leg. The community member did not feel comfortable approaching or trying to capture the patient, so the dispatch team at @birdallianceoforegon @wildlifecarecenter called OCCRA for help.
The patient is now at the care center with the pros and we wish them luck 🙏❤️.
#occra #redtailedhawk #wildliferescue #wildlifevolunteer #wildlifetransport #oregonwildlife #raptors
Wildlife Transport #251
WILDLIFE TRANSPORT #251
Barred Owl - Window Strike
We received a call from the kind folks Downtown Portland Clean & Safe this morning about 0600. Their team had encountered a grounded barred owl which someone had witnessed window striking a high-rise building.
The patient was then grounded, curled up with a drooped wing, and not responding to human approach. Because of the high foot traffic metro area. Well-meaning passerby’s were “messing” with the patient and causing it extreme stress, the C&S supervisor kindly packaged the patient and placed them in their vehicle for safety until our arrival.
We took temporary custody and transported the patient to Bird Alliance of Oregon care center where we wish them luck. A big thank you to Clean and Safe and Bird Alliance staff and volunteers.
The wild arts festival is this weekend, if you’ve never been, it’s a wonderful place to support local artists and local wildlife!
Also check out our bio link for “Wildlife and Me” a new program for schools (students and adults) teaching basic wildlife safety and 101, lead by our Conservation, Education, and Outreach Coordinator, Fern. You can submit a request through our site to have them out to do about an hour long presentation.
✨Giving Tuesday ✨ My Story and Why OCCRA Needs You 💌
Hi friends, I’m Virg, founder of OCCRA (On-Call Community Rescue for Animals). For Giving Tuesday, I wanted to share a little bit about me and why your support means so much—not just to me, but to the animals we serve.
💸Asking for donations doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m much better at getting my hands dirty—whether it’s transporting injured animals, chores on our rescue farm, picking up trash, or building a future for this grassroots nonprofit. But the truth is, we can’t do this without you.
✈️Here’s a bit about my journey:
I grew up in Camas, WA, where athletics and a close-knit family shaped my childhood. After losing my mom as a baby, I was lucky to be raised by an incredible step-mom who loved us like her own. My love for animals started early, inspired by the ocean and the whales I adored as a child.
Life took me through a whirlwind of experiences—bartending, studying architecture and art, and working as a carpenter (including building cob/straw bale homes on intentional communities).
I spent time traveling with my dog, Maggie.. Teaching permaculture, and volunteering for a street newspaper and a local cooperative farm, where I met amazing individuals shaping our community. It was during this time I met Neil, a vegan farmer and punk band singer who changed how I saw the world and myself. Inspired by his example, I embraced a more ethical lifestyle that eventually led me here. My two biggest mentors: (Neil and René, hands down!)
Why OCCRA?
Working as a 911 dispatcher (...my favorite call? delivering a healthy baby, next question). At 911, I saw firsthand the heartbreaking calls about injured animals with nowhere to turn. I realized there was a huge gap in resources. People needed a safe, reliable way to help wildlife, but there were no systems in place.
🏗️So, we built one.
With a micro-grant and a big dream, OCCRA began. Our mission was simple: to connect existi
The OCCRA phone is blowing up today with calls about “where do I bring my 🎃🎃🎃🎃” !!
FOLLOW Feasts For Beasts who is taking over the drive (and needs volunteers for pumpkin transports!) We’ve pasted drop off details below as well!
COPIED FROM @feastsforbeasts website!This is the 8th year of the Great Pumpkin Drive, and things are shifting to try to create a more sustainable and year-round donation cycle for our beloved sanctuaries and refuges. This will still be a yearly event that is a tent-pole to our organization as we take it over from OCCRA.
We will take your non-rotting pumpkins and squash, or any other non-pitted fruit or veg. (Nothing like avocados or peaches please!) Carved pumpkins and gourds are great, but nothing painted or with glue on it please.
Drop off locations for 2024:
John Collins Office (yellow house across from Fred Meyers): 2907 NE Weidler St. Portland, OR 97232
10000 SE Schacht Rd. Damascus, OR 97089 (Borges is cross street) by the little house
@wildlingsforest @otpsanctuary @wildwoodfarmsanctuary
