Hi, I’m Mike Eib.

I ‘m a certified animal rehabilitator at
Wild Ones Animal Rehabilitators.

My wife, Barbara, and I used to sit out on the back porch and listen to the baby birds in our neighbor’s gourd birdhouse.  We would watch the parents coming and going as they fed and cared for the babies. One day Barbara noticed that the birdhouse was eerily silent and did not see either parent coming or going.

I went to look, and I found mass carnage inside the gourd, including the parents and babies.  I took the gourd in to clean it out and found two baby birds down under all the nest material, still alive. I spent hours trying to find a rehabber that could take them, and after many calls to many rehabbers, finally found a place 160 miles away.

When you are an animal lover and you find injured or orphaned animals, you feel so helpless.  I never want to feel that way again, and I don’t want anyone else to feel it either. I saw that Portland, Tennessee needed a close rehab facility, so I started the process of becoming a licensed rehabber.

The days are long and sometimes hard, especially when you lose an animal despite hours, days, even weeks of caring for it.  But I keep doing it for the animals and for Portland residents who care enough to rescue critters.

I’ve had many paid jobs in my lifetime.  I’ve worked in a restaurant, installed dairy equipment, sold real estate, decorated cakes, and joined the military. I’ve been a cashier, a long-distance trucker, and worked for the Dept of corrections, but none of my those jobs gave me anything close to the satisfaction I get from volunteering as a licensed rehabber.

Every animal I help is a reminder of why I started this journey, and the gratitude I get from the community strengthens my resolve. Despite the challenges, the rewards of seeing an animal heal and return to the wild make it all worthwhile. I am grateful for the opportunity to make a difference. Please consider donating to the cause. Together, we can continue to protect and nurture the precious creatures that enrich our lives.