by Kathleen M. Cahill
To step into Trudi Burney’s home is to be surrounded by
life in all its variety. Her house and yard are filled with
the barking, meowing and squawking of rescued domestic and
exotic animals. The trees and shrubbery are vibrant with
squirrels and birds. A nearby creek fills the air with the
cooling sounds of water trickling over stones. In the midst
of it all is Trudi, who spends her days working at her
home-based business, volunteering countless hours for WCSV,
and caring for animals she has rescued through the Humane
Society and other organizations. First in her heart is
Sadie, a chow-lab mix complete with blue tongue. She also
fosters and socializes feral kittens and has two cats of
her own as well. To round off her inside menagerie are a
White-fronted African parrot and an African Grey parrot. In
the aviaries outside are eight zebra finches and three
budgies.
Six years ago Trudi bid farewell to the world of hi-tech
and never looked back. She and her husband started their
own business and at that point, after ending a very
demanding career, Trudi wanted to achieve some balance
between working and giving back to the community. An ad in
the Saratoga News seeking volunteers for WCSV was the
incentive to get going. Trudi quickly found herself
completely absorbed in the work. She started working one
day a week feeding baby birds and with the help of her
mentor, Debbie Scott, soon found herself in the exam room
evaluating incoming animals and providing basic medical
care. Within six months she was promoted to animal care
supervisor, directing a shift of fellow volunteers, and
continued with this job during a second baby season.
It didn’t take long for Trudi’s dedication to animals to
follow her home. In her first season she had plunged into
the world of squirrel home care, becoming squirrel team co-leader with her friend Dina Hawkins. How did this happen? A
baby squirrel was brought in to the Center, just beginning
to show her first fuzzy five o’clock shadow. She had a deep
laceration on her belly and looked like she would not
survive. Trudi said, “Don’t give up. Let me try and nurse
her back to health.” She took the little squirrel home,
bottle-fed her, and she eventually made a complete
recovery. Once she had matured enough to be able to take
care of herself, Trudi released her into her backyard (she
had originally been found in Trudi’s neighborhood). That
was in 1998 and Trudi still sees the squirrel every day,
recognizing her by her markings (black with a brown
underside). She is now thriving and has given birth to two
sets of black offspring, who also make their way through
Trudi’s yard on their daily rounds.
In 1999, Trudi left her Center shift for a new challenge – beginning a much-needed education program. In the course of her work with animals, she saw that a majority had been brought in because of circumstances that could have been avoided: birds and squirrels injured by domestic animals, over-rescues of healthy babies, and animal cruelty. In general a lack of understanding by people of how to co-exist with animals. Trudi vowed to change that.
The final straw came when Trudi had to euthanize a squirrel
that had been kicked in the head by someone. Witnesses said
the person felt the squirrel (who was merely ambling by)
would jump into their baby’s stroller and bite the baby.
Some concerned passers-by picked up the squirrel and
brought him in to the Center, but his injuries were too
severe. Trudi wanted to teach people that animals who live
beside us are only a threat in extremely rare
circumstances. They have a right to exist, just like we do.
She joined the Board of Directors and started an education
committee, often being the sole member. After one year on
the board, Trudi was elected as Vice President, and the
following year, began a two-year term as President. Trudi’s
term as President was full of success. Under her
leadership, WCSV for the first time succeeded in obtaining
funds from all of the cities it serves.
Trudi has recently been given much deserved recognition
from the wider community. This year, the San Jose Junior
League selected her and eighteen other nominees from a list
of 121 as winners of the Crystal Bowl Award to be
acknowledged at its Annual Volunteer Recognition Luncheon.
Trudi won in the area of Board Leadership. The goal of the
event is to promote volunteerism and celebrate the spirit
demonstrated in individuals who give their time and skills
to the community.
What is on the horizon for Trudi in 2004? Since she is no longer spending vast amounts of time with presidential duties, Trudi wants to re-focus her attention on improving and expanding the education program. Trudi also hopes that at some future date, a new challenge for her at WCSV will be providing home-care rehabilitation for bats. These wonderful, misunderstood flying mammals are one of her favorites in the animal world. Trudi says bats stand out in her mind as they have an important lesson for us. With the seed dispersing activity of the fruit-eating bats and the vast amounts of mosquitoes and crop-eating insects eaten by insectivorous bats, they reflect the epitome of how wild animals are assets in the environment.