Today we’d like to introduce you to Miranda Pewitt.
Hi Miranda, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was surrounded by animals my whole childhood. I grew up on a farm outside of Nashville, had a dog in my crib, an African grey parrot as my “sister”, and various other exotic pets. When I was 15, I started bottle feeding orphaned animals. I’m extremely lucky that I found my passion so young. I always knew I wanted to work with animals. I watched Free Willy over and over again as a toddler, and I idolized Steve Irwin. When I was a senior in high school, I got my first job at a children’s museum. I worked under the biologist that ran the animal program. I had the opportunity to care for owls, reptiles, and exotic mammals. One day, I was asked last minute to present “Critter Encounter”. I was so nervous and was petrified of public speaking. I’ll never forget the moment it all clicked for me. The children were so excited to meet the king snake, and I forgot how nervous I was supposed to be. I found my calling. I got my degree in animal science, and I started and ran an educational animal program for a parks and recreation department while I was in school. I facilitated critter encounters, homeschool, preschool, community events, school field trips, summer camps, and even assisted living home visits. I also studied under several biologists and state park rangers. When I moved to Austin a couple years ago, I started my own organization, Wayward Wildlife. I’ve seen behind the scenes of organizations that exploit animals for money, and my top priority for my organization is the welfare of my animals. Animals are excellent teachers. They require an immense amount of responsibility and care, and respecting their boundaries teaches children empathy.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Living in a zoo is my dream, but it still definitely comes with its challenges. Caring for this many animals requires hours of work every day. There are no weekends or holidays off. The early days were long, as I was still working a day job to support all the mouths I feed. When I got home each day, it felt like I was clocking into a second shift. The opossum poop doesn’t clean itself! I wouldn’t take any of it back. One of my favorite quotes kept me pushing forward: “Do what you love, and the necessary resources will follow”.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wayward Wildlife?
Wayward Wildlife is an animal sanctuary that offers educational programs for the community. All classroom visits include material from state science standards. Our goal is to become a nonprofit organization that serves public schools full time.
Our organization is ran with a model that prioritizes animal welfare over profit. Our founder has a degree in animal science and over 10 years of experience facilitating interactions between wildlife and children. Our animals are rescued, and many of them won’t be ready for public programs until after years of conditioning. For example, we offer “FaceTime with Blossom the Opossum” rather than in person opossum programs. Our three opossums will never leave our sanctuary, because of the stress a public program would cause them. The extra work is worth it to ensure we are operating ethically. Exploiting animals is not the way to increase awareness for wildlife conservation!
Our “client to classroom” program definitely sets us apart from other organizations. When a program is booked, our client sends us to a classroom of their choice! Teachers can request a lesson that aligns with what they are currently learning in class. A topic linked with a hands-on activity & a positive experience with an animal will perform better on tests as compared to the previous year. These test scores will be an asset in acquiring government educational grants that will allow us to serve public schools as a nonprofit.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
When it comes to animals, experience is the best teacher. Volunteer and intern under as many biologists, park rangers, vets, and rescue owners as you can! A degree in animal science, zoology, or biology is also a must.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Waywardwildlife.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waywardwildlife?igsh=c3ZuNjgxcDdkampi&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@waywardwildlife?_t=ZP-8vL3V9S1kpr&_r=1
