Suzanne Pugh joined the Board of Directors in January 2018 having been a member of IWRC for 14 years. In 2004 she attended the Basic Wildlife Rehabilitation program and subsequently completed a number of IWRC educational courses and trained as an Oiled Wildlife Responder. She is currently based on an island off the south coast of the UK where she leads the RSPCA Isle of Wight branch. The 23 acre facility operates a busy rescue and rehoming centre for all domestic animals and also provides a wildlife centre for all injured, orphaned and abandoned wildlife. Just 380km square, much of the island has been declared an area of outstanding natural beauty – for more information regarding the Isle of Wight wildlife, see below.*
Prior to island life, Suzanne resided in British Columbia, Canada. As Veterinary Operations Director with a national veterinary group, VetStrategy, Suzanne led activities for multiple veterinary hospitals across the provinces of BC and Southern Alberta, Canada. Suzanne has extensive experience working within the charitable sector and spent a decade leading animal welfare and human health programs. For 5 years she served as Branch Manager, BC SPCA Kelowna, overseeing the care of almost 8000 animals. Her responsibilities included all shelter operations relating to the health and welfare of domestic, farm and wild animals. She increased programs to support the intake and assessment for rehabilitation of, injured and orphaned wildlife and their transfer to approved rehabilitation centres.
Suzanne volunteered on the regional district bylaw review committee championing improved animal welfare which resulted in the community of Kelowna being the first district in Canada to implement a bylaw making it an offence to leave a dog in a hot vehicle. She was a joint recipient of the BC SPCA Humane Community Award in 2016, recognised for her efforts to establish a canine transfer program to relocate northern breed dogs from the Yukon to BC, for a greater chance of rehabilitation and adoption.
*Why is the wildlife of the Isle of Wight special?
The Isle of Wight is a microcosm of south-east England and is unusually rich in both habitats and species compared to similar areas on the mainland. With chalk grasslands, maritime cliffs and slopes and estuaries, all are important on a national and international scale. As an island located off the south coast there are consequences for the wildlife as well as for the human population. There are fewer introduced species such as grey squirrels, deer or mink; and there are stable populations of native animals which have become rare on the mainland, such as red squirrels, dormice, bats and water voles. The mild climate and maritime situation provide a foothold for a diverse range of species including the Glanville fritillary butterfly, on the northern edge of their European range.
After building a career as a successful professional portrait artist (photography), Brooke Durham suffered a career-ending injury to her spine, with permanent nerve damage. Years of rehabilitation later, Brooke began volunteering large amounts of time with a large local wildlife rescue center, where she was able to forget her own physical pain as long as she was focused on helping these often-forgotten members of the animal community.
Working in a large wildlife rehab organization exposed Brooke to a huge variety of wildlife species (reptile, mammal, and avian) that call Southern California home. The most interesting, and fateful, of these animals were a pair of naturalized nestling wild Amazon parrot chicks. They were the inspiration for the establishment of SoCal Parrot – “A non-profit that exists to bridge the gap of care and consideration that naturalized parrots fall into because they are neither native wildlife nor truly domestic.” In 2017 Hurricane Harvey delivered a near-miss to the habitat of the last 2,500 or so remaining Green-cheeked (aka Red-crowned) Amazon parrots that call the Lower Rio Grande home, reiterating that the naturalized flocks of parrots in Southern California may one day soon serve as the genetic reservoir for this species.
In early 2017 Brooke was awarded the first new wildlife rehabilitation permit in the San Diego area in 25 years. She and her team are working hard to establish SoCal Wildlife to continue bridging gaps in care and consideration the field of wildlife rehabilitation. She considers her personal mission to be fostering better communication and collaboration within the field for the health and wellness of both wildlife rehabilitators and the animals we serve.
species through the family’s bait shop and birding with her grandparents in Minnesota. She holds a Master of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University and a Master of Environmental Health and Safety from University of Minnesota Duluth. Currently residing in Wisconsin, she has been involved with the wildlife rehabilitation community since 2017 by volunteering and then becoming a staff member at a local wildlife rehabilitation center in Tennessee while completing her second masters. Although no longer a full-time staff member at the center, Ashley connects and volunteers with wildlife rehabilitators through aiding in rescues and releases, temporary animal care, and research. Over the last year Ashley has been working with FEMA for Tennessee disasters as an Environmental Specialist, focusing on threatened and endangered species impacts. She is a District Leader Volunteer with the Humane Society of the United States, a chapter member with a local Audubon Society, and a member of the Tennessee Bat Working Group. Her special interests include human-wildlife conflict, wildlife diseases, and wildlife public policy.Lindsay has been a passionate and driven wildlife biologist and wildlife rehabilitator in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for nearly thirteen years. She graduated with a B.S. in Animal Biology from Middle Tennessee State University and moved to the mountains of Jackson Hole, Wyoming to pursue a career in wildlife biology and spend time with family.
In 2013, Lindsay co-founded the Teton Wildlife Rehabilitation Center where she served as Co-Founder, Executive Director, wildlife rehabilitation specialist, and Vice President until April 2020. Lindsay has worked and volunteered on numerous wildlife projects in between odd jobs, non-profit development, and continuing education.
In 2019, Lindsay received a year-long fellowship through Partners for Wildlife and the University of Minnesota, aimed at increasing animal welfare by strengthening partnerships between veterinarians, rehabilitators, and agencies. In 2020, she also co-founded the Idaho Wildlife Rehabilitators Association, which is currently in the nascent stages of development.
Lindsay is committed to saving wildlife not only through rehabilitation and education, but also by strengthening agency and partner relationships to ensure a successful and healthy future for our animals, rehabilitators, and volunteers alike.
In her spare time, you can find her fly-fishing, mountain biking, gardening, skiing, and spending every waking moment with her dog and two cats. She is currently completing her M.S. in Nutrition and Integrative Health and resides in Victor, ID.
Max has been working in the field of wildlife rehabilitation for the past 5 years after becoming addicted to the field, the patients, and especially the people he worked with. He is currently a Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, a Certified Compassion Fatigue Professional by the International Association of Trauma Professionals, a Fear Free Certified Professional, and has his certification in CPR: Basic and Advanced Life Support by the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (RECOVER initiative).When not working to expand his knowledge in wildlife medicine and rehabilitation, form a specialty for veterinary technicians in clinical wildlife medicine, helping care for injured and orphaned sea otters, working in his role as the Director of Wildlife Health for the International Wildlife Response Team, or independently consulting with wildlife hospitals, Max enjoys spending time outdoors observing wildlife from a respectful distance.
