If a student were to walk into room 1203, Ms. Moran’s chemistry class, it would look like every other science classroom at Lambert with rows of black tables with goggles ready to be worn by students eager to learn about the scientific world around them. However, if the student were to walk further into her room to the back closet, they would find something not so common – a file cabinet housing healing baby squirrels lying on a heating pad.
This strange sighting is part of Ms. Moran’s everyday life as a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Certified Wildlife Rehabilator. Moran’s passion for helping animals has been a huge part of her life; her degrees are in science and biology, and she has worked as a veterinary technician, as well as at Zoo Atlanta. While Moran has been working with animals for more than 25 years, she received her DNR certification around eight years ago, which allows her to help rehabilitate hurt wild animals such as deers and squirrels to eventually release back into nature. She earned her certification through a comprehensive multiple-choice assessment and a DNR officer test on the validity of her facility.
“So each [cage] has a different group of animals, and then they shuffle around depending on their needs,” Moran said. “The tiny ones that are still on formula come with me in a little duffle bag, and then they stay in my file cabinet thanks to Ms. Thrower who has been very generous.”…