Like most people, Melissa Villareal has earned herself plenty of nicknames over the years. ‘Animal Lady’ may take the cake, though.
The moniker was certainly never meant to be derogatory, by the way. Rather, it’s a simple name a few neighborhood girls in Double Oak started calling Melissa a few years back when she stepped in to help care for and re-release an abandoned baby squirrel. The girls, who couldn’t have been older than 10, were mesmerized by her sweet nature and knowledge of what to do in that situation. Then they found out she had a home rehab facility full of other cute mammals. In an instant, the name “animal lady” felt oddly perfect.
“They don’t know my name. They just know me as the animal lady,” Melissa said. “I generally don’t open my rehab facility to the public, but you can’t really help it sometimes when you have a few adorable and curious girls looking in with big eyes and a love for animals.”
She added, “I like to inspire them to think of animals in a different way, as well as the layer of responsibility that goes with it.”
It’s not every day that you stumble upon an at-home wildlife rehabilitation specialist in your own backyard. Melissa quickly points out she is far from the only one; in fact, she is affiliated with Texas Metro Wildlife Rehabilitators, a growing network of licensed rehabilitators and volunteers dedicated to caring for orphaned and injured North Texas wildlife—think squirrels, opossums, raccoons, and cottontail rabbits. But she also admits the public isn’t always aware that people like her exist.
She isn’t paid for her work. She also uses the term “rehab facility” rather loosely—it’s actually a room in her house that she converted into a mammal sanctuary roughly eight years ago. That said, it’s a calling she wouldn’t dream of turning her back on.
And slowly but surely, everyone in her neighborhood is starting to take notice.
“Many of my neighbors might come across animals in their yard and are unsure if it’s injured, abandoned, or something else. The next thing you know, they call me—either because they know me or were referred to me,” Melissa said. She joked that she would love to take care of injured, sick, or abandoned skunks, but her husband, Ron, quickly put the kibosh on that idea. “I get animals from all over, and it really is a calling. I help secure them, take care of them, and then re-release them where they belong and can thrive.”
Melissa said the idea to become a wildlife rehabber happened purely by chance. As the story goes, she was driving her daughter and a friend to the local pumpkin patch in 2018 when they noticed a defenseless baby squirrel in the road.
It was emaciated and covered in fleas, but Melissa didn’t care. She scooped it up, raised it, and eventually re-released it.
Soon after, someone heard about her heroics and brought her another squirrel. This one was in far worse condition and didn’t survive despite Melissa’s efforts. Clearly devastated, she knew there had to be a better way to find resources that could offer guidance.
She found Texas Metro Wildlife Rehabilitators, took a few classes, and dove back into her newfound passion.
“I got lucky with the first one because I was sort of learning as I went. Each mammal has different needs, and you don’t always know what will work,” she said. “As a result, I was devastated when I couldn’t help the second one, and so I sought out other people who had the same calling as me. My training is through experience and asking lots of questions. You learn from each other.”
Looking ahead, Melissa said she will continue to wear her animal lady nickname with pride. She also hopes to expand beyond her home and into a separate facility. After all, mammals of all shapes and sizes deserve the best care possible.
To learn more about Texas Metro Wildlife Rehabilitators, connect with them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TXMWR. You can also reach out to Melissa directly at [email protected].
