Sonya Kaloyanides leads a double life, a little like Bruce Wayne. She isn’t a masked superhero, but she does have a bat cave, of sorts, tucked away in her Maplewood home. Kaloyanides is a licensed wildlife rehabilitator and part of’ her home is the headquarters of the South Mountain Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (SMWRC), of which she is the founder and director.

When she isn’t at her job in Manhattan, Kaloyanides cares for orphaned and injured animals (including a bat with a broken wing currently in residence) so that they may be safely returned to their habitat.

Most of the care takes place inside Kaloyanides’ charming house on a quiet street where she lives with her husband and four cats. SMWRC’s indoor facility consists of an average-sized room in the converted garage with a separate outside entrance; it is inaccessible from the rest of the house.

“It’s important that the cats can’t smell or hear the wild animals,” Kaloyanides said. SMWRC is a busy facility and while the indoor space is small, it can accommodate a number of animals in carriers. Wooden outdoor cages are integrated into the back garden, providing a sort of halfway house for animals almost ready for release. Kaloyanides had some of the cages custom-built; she repurposed a gazebo as a raccoon habitat.

Kaloyanides put a lot of work into SMWRC, a licensed non-profit and an official wildlife rehabilitation facility under the auspices of the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. Her training started in 2003, when she served a year-long apprenticeship under two licensed wildlife rehabilitators as required by the state. Kaloyanides constructed a facility that satisfied state requirements and passed inspections by the Division of Fish and Wildlife for the animal species the SMWRC is licensed for. There are about 30 licensed wildlife rehabilitation centers throughout New Jersey; SMWRC is the only one in Essex County.

SMWRC is licensed to handle small mammals exclusively (bats, chipmunks, opossums, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels and woodchucks). Kaloyanides also helps skunks, but out of regard for the neighbors she limits them to “only about one a year, and only babies” (skunks develop scent glands as they mature). Bird cases are referred to the Raptor Trust near Basking Ridge and calls about larger mammals such as deer are referred to other rehabilitators.
 
Wildlife rehabilitation is labor-intensive, especially when animals are young or sick. Kaloyanides has a team of 12 volunteers to help.

“I couldn’t do this without them,” she said.

The volunteers foster animals in their own homes and help care for the animals at SMWRC headquarters. Tiny bunnies and baby opossums need five-six feedings a day and sick or wounded animals need round-the-clock care. Feeding these animals is also incredibly complex, requiring expensive species-specific baby formula and even live food in some cases. All of this helps make it clear why it’s illegal for ordinary New Jerseyians to harbor a wild animal; it’s best for all concerned if an at-risk animal is turned over to a licensed rehabilitator.

SMWRC is equipped for first aid and simple surgery and works closely with Dr. David Croman, a local veterinarian. For seriously injured animals that require extensive care and medical support, Kaloyanides refers animals to Franklin Lakes Animal Hospital, one of the few veterinary hospitals in New Jersey that take on wildlife cases. The hospital will return the animals to Kaloyanides for convalescence and release once the creatures are out of the critical-care stage. Other sources of “clients” for SMWRC are local animal control officers and concerned members of the public, who bring animals from all over North Jersey.

SMWRC operates on a very modest budget and relies on donations of cash and supplies. Most of its cash outlay is for animal feed. The species-specific baby formulas are scientifically developed and are not cheap; just a few gallons of formula can cost $200. Adult animals such as raccoons and opossums enjoy meat, so SMWRC welcomes occasional donations from hunters; moose steaks were on the menu this past winter.

The Raptor Trust donates the “pinkie” mice and rats that are not suitable food for its raptors to SMWRC and other wildlife rehabilitation centers. Schools that raise crayfish and frogs as science projects often donate the animals to SMWRC as live prey for the wildlife in rehabilitation. These prey animals are non-native species that can’t be released yet can be a valuable educational tool for native animals in rehabilitation. It may make the layperson squeamish, but it’s crucial for SMWRC to get its animals used to their natural sources of food.

SMWRC also accepts cash donations and towels, chewy toys, straw bedding and other equipment for the care of baby and adult animals.