NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — You could call her the “Dr. Dolittle of the Eastern Shore.”
11 years ago, Gay Frazee, who lives in Jamesville on the Eastern Shore in Northampton County, saw an eagle in a crate at a vet’s office. She asked the person with the eagle how to become an animal rehabilitator, also known as a “rehabber,” and that began Gay’s journey.
She says Frazee rhymes with crazy, and that’s what she says she is for taking in up to 200 rehab animals in a year.
“I am an insane person and I do an awful lot of work,” she told us as she was being mobbed by her domestic goats and sheep as she was feeding them.
Wildlife rehabilitation requires state and federal permits and she works closely with veterinarians.
“I got involved in the wildlife, and it kind of took over. I have a real job. I was an antique dealer and I still am on occasion to help support my wildlife habit.”
It takes a lot of food to feed all her companions.
The name of her non-profit is Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation, Wildlife ER for short, and in 2020 she took in 200 rehab animals.
“I am a wildlife rehabber. I take injured and sick animals, make them well, and return them to the wild.”
You know you are at Wildlife ER when you arrive to circling black vultures.
“They have decided they like it here,” she says laughing.
Then there’s the African sulcata tortoise that loves to munch on watermelon.
“My cousin knew someone who worked for Animal Control, and I ended up with it.”
Batty Ospreys are flying around a cage flapping wings.
“They are crazy, and they are young, and we call it ‘young and dumb,’” she said with a big grin.
The cage opens and there’s a great horned owl who came to her with some head trauma. The owl couldn’t see well, but Gay did what Gay does.
Along with a veterinarian, she rehabbed the owl with an anti-inflammatory, and as she enters the cage, the owl can be seen tracking her every movement.
In another cage are two red foxes. One remained hidden, the other kept popping his head up to see what was going on.
“Somebody called me and said there’s a terrible mange plagued fox in my yard, and they trapped him and brought him to me.”
Back in July, 10 On Your Side reported on a tick-infested deer and it was Frazee that nursed the deer back to health,
It was Frazee who nursed the fawn back to health removing one by one at least 500 ticks.
Virginia Beach-based animal ophthalmologist Dr. Brad Nadelstein luckily came across the deer after dropping his child off at Camp Silver Beach.
He sent a video of his examining the deer.
“Her cornea thankfully is fine in some ways the swelling has protected her eyes.”
“It’s so swollen, so the ticks didn’t get to the eye because the eyelids were so swollen.”
In side-by-side pictures you can see the improvements, and when we saw what is believed to be the deer there are absolutely no telling signs of the tick attack from July.
Frazee does such a great job and if you are so inclined, she really needs contributions to continue what is a ministry in support of rehabbed animals.
You can donate on her Facebook page, Wildlife ER Education & Rehabilitation, or via PayPal at WildlifeER@gmail.com.
You can also send contributions to her address at Wildlife ER PO, Box 145 Jamesville, VA 23398.
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