Wildlife Rehab: 'Animals Enrich Our Lives'

Linda Peck has two raccoons in the bathroom, five more in a pen outside, a robin on the back porch. In the basement, she's raising mice to feed the raptors.  A wildlife rehabilitator for 30-plus years, Peck, 74, fields calls — and takes in animals — from throughout Minnesota.  The animals arrive injured, diseased, shot, poisoned — as many as 250 of them in a single year.  "I believe (animals) enrich our lives. They enrich mine, and I think if we don't maintain a connection to the natural world we are losing some joy. We're going to lose our own existence if we don't learn how to live gently," Peck said, explaining why she continues an effort that can be as heartbreaking as it is rewarding.

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