The wild life: a local teen's volunteer passion

By Cherry Sokoloski
North Forty News

Tallon Nightwalker lives life on the wild side, but in a different way from some of his teenage peers. He doesn't hang out in Old Town and isn't much of a partier, either.

In his free time, Nightwalker is a dedicated volunteer at WildKind, the wildlife rehabilitation program run by the Larimer Humane Society. He's been working there since he was a youngster of 6, and he plans to continue long into the future. In fact, his career goal is to study wildlife biology and become a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Now 13, Nightwalker is a student at Cache La Poudre Junior High. His father, Bob Nightwalker, is the director of WildKind and the reason young Nightwalker got involved in the program. The teen volunteers summers at the shelter and also works every Friday after school for four hours.

WildKind sees a lot of interesting critters going in and out of its doors --like the large, African spurred-thigh turtle that currently wanders at will through the department, showing off its gorgeous shell. But Nightwalker's most interesting animal experience involved a 16-foot reticulated python that arrived at the animal shelter in a most unusual way.

The python and a second snake were shipped by mail from Texas to Loveland. Since the package was damaged en route, a mail worker opened it up to assess the damage. He was surprised, to say the least, to find two live snakes inside.

A Loveland ordinance prohibits the possession of snakes longer than 6 feet. One of the snakes qualified, but the super-sized python was turned over to the humane society, and Nightwalker helped to care for it.

The young man has come a long way since he began volunteering with WildKind. He started by cleaning cages and eventually learned how to feed animals and provide medical treatment. His animal handling skills have improved, and he can now handle most jobs that the adult rehabbers do. He also helps to socialize the adoptable exotic animals, such as cockatiels and some reptiles. Socialization makes these animals more adoptable for local families.

Most of the WildKind animals, however, are returned to the wild once they're healthy and able to fend for themselves. In fact, that's the best part of the job for Nightwalker. "It's a rewarding feeling to release an animal, knowing that I gave this animal a second chance," he said.

The WildKind program gives thousands of these second chances each year. In 2007, more than 3,000 wild animals, mostly birds, were brought to the shelter for rehabilitation.

Nightwalker also enjoys learning about different species of animals. As an extension of that interest, he and his father have developed a unique hobby. His dad takes photos of Nightwalker with different mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians in natural surroundings. So far, they have collected photos of 458 different species. "It's a lifelong project," Nightwalker said with a grin.

Nightwalker has now extended his interest in animals beyond WildKind. He is the youngest member of the Colorado Council of Wildlife Rehabilitators, and he has taken several of the council's workshops in wildlife care. He is also a regular volunteer at Elder Pet Care, a nonprofit organization that provides low-cost services to senior citizens so they can keep their companion animals.

In addition, Nightwalker recently competed in a video contest sponsored by Australia Zoo, owned by Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin's widow, Terri. He created a video about his volunteer work at WildKind and took third place - not enough for a free trip to Australia, but a worthy effort nonetheless.

At home, Nightwalker has cats and geckos for pets. He doesn't have a favorite animal since, he said, "all are unique in their own way."

WildKind, as part of the Larimer Humane Society, is nonprofit and welcomes donations. Tax-deductible gifts may be sent to WildKind, 5137 S. College Ave., Fort Collins CO 80525.