By Jesse Klein
All things bright and
beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God made them all.
Cecil Frances Alexander, 1818-1895
If this sonnet rings a bell it is because it provided
the titles for four of the first bestselling books by Yorkshire
veterinarian James Herriot.
Unbeknownst to many, for nearly 15 years this area
was fortunate enough to have our own version of James Herriot embodied in
the Castano family from Woolwich Township. The Castano family has
dedicated themselves to help care for a vast array of domestic animals and
when necessary assisted in the rescue and rehabilitation of animals
injured in the wild.
For more than a decade, Geri Castano worked alongside
lifetime resident Agatha “Aggie” Abruzzo and together they provided the
services and most importantly the heart and soul of the Gloucester County
Society for Protection and Care of Animals (GSPCA). Together they rescued
and provided shelter for animals, both large and small, domestic and wild,
combining their love for and experience with all things winged and four
legged to provide the county with unfailing dedication to the protection
of animals.
Over the years Geri and Aggie were there as Woolwich
underwent a rapid transformation from sleepy farming hamlet into
burgeoning community, as large tracts of land were sold to developers and
cut up into tracks. They were there as the humans rushed in, pushing out
native wildlife including deer, raccoons, rabbits and opossum.
These and other wild animals indigenous to our area,
as well as birds of prey, have increasingly become the victims of urban
sprawl. They are not only in danger of being rundown by speeding vehicles,
but are at risk of becoming stranded due to loss of habitat, as safe
havens they frequented for generations rapidly disappear.
Sadly, in 2002 Aggie passed after a lifetime of
service to animals, and with her passing she willed her SPCA charter to
Geri Castano. But in 2005 the state chose to revoke the original charter.
At that time the state took responsibility for any
case involving cruelty to animals and transferred the remaining authority
for Gloucester County SPCA to the facility that had been built in Clayton.
The problem is that the Clayton facility is far away
and it is often difficult to get a live person to answer the phone to
offer any information, let alone advise in the case of an emergency.
 |
| ODD
COUPLE. John, an orphaned fawn, cuddles up with his somewhat
reluctant canine buddy Quest. The Castano’s nursed the injured deer
back to health before the deer jumped over their fence back in the
woods.
--
Photo courtesy of the Castano Family |
So nearly two years since the original SPCA charter
was revoked, the phone at the Castano’s home continues to ring both day
and night with people sometimes as far away as Pennsylvania and Delaware
seeking help on how they can find a lost animal, asking questions about
strays, or what they should do when they come across an injured animal.
Geri is not even sure how most callers get put in
touch with her, but she patiently listens, lends advice and sends the
callers in the appropriate direction. A recent caller expressed their
gratitude to Geri thanking her because they had finally found someone who
could help.
Like a good triage nurse in an emergency room, Geri
gives out the appropriate phone numbers and contact information for anyone
seeking help, and in certain situations will offer to assist a local
resident who comes across stranded wildlife. Whatever the case, Geri is
there still offering her experience and direction.
It is no accident that she is good at this, and over
the years it has become a family affair. Husband Al is a medical doctor
involved in a busy international practice as well as working several
nights a week as an emergency room physician. Born in Argentina, he speaks
several languages including Italian and Portuguese.
Geri said that her husband’s dedication and passion
for his work, as well as his appreciation for her deep love of animals,
has allowed her the chance to provide rescue and shelter to a vast array
of needy domestic and wild animals since their move to Woolwich 15 years
ago.
At the time of her move, Geri was the mother of four
small children, and it comes as no surprise that the Castano children
inherited the family passion for animals. The eldest children, twins
Lyndsy and Kelly, are finishing up their senior year at Rowan and both
have been accepted into prestigious veterinary medicine programs for the
coming fall.
With only 28 programs in the United States and
Canada, this is not only a testimony to their abilities and background but
to their scholastic achievement.
Lyndsy recalled a time four or five years ago when
her mother got a call about an injured baby deer in a ditch on the side of
a local road. When Geri arrived she saw the fawn had a large wound that
needed attention and she rescued it.
The family named the baby deer John (not after the
tractor but the kind of letter). John soon became attached to one of the
family dogs named Quest, following the dog around the house until he
finally gave up and allowed the deer to sleep next to him. Geri said that
one day months later when she was out feeding the horses, John simply
leapt back into the woods, healthy once again and ready to rejoin the
wild.
Kelly remembers one Christmas Eve her mother, as a
surprise, adopted a special breed called Pony of America. Mom chose to
ride the large burly animal bareback to the house, but the pony was not
cooperative and bucked her off.
Geri ended up needing a few stitches on her brow.
Luckily Dad was home and could handle the job, while Geri remembers
pleading with him to please hurry saying, “I need to finish wrapping the
presents.”
The pony named Appy ended up being the first of many
spirited farm animals to join the Castanos and now shares the stable with
miniature ponies and several horses including a Mustang. Throughout high
school the girls competed on the state level in 4H and won multiple awards
for horse knowledge.
Younger sister Whitny, a sophomore at Rowan who is
interested in pursuing a career in law, taught one of the larger horses
named Amstel how to jump. Unfortunately he became so adept at it that he
now does it all on his own, and the Castanos have had “to raise the bar”
in their large fenced in horse pastures.
Son Ian who is in high school has also inherited the
gift for handling animals. Geri remembers several years back when she was
still responsible for the Gloucester County SPCA and she asked him to
accompany her to rescue some baby raccoons. The babies had cornered
themselves in the crawlspace of a new structure in a housing development.
Geri recounted that Ian handled the babies like a
professional, and was able to safely reach and grab them out of harms way.
She laughed as she recalled being so proud of him
that she got tears in her eyes, to which Ian responded by scolding, “Mom,
I bring home straight A’s and you have no reaction, but I rescue a couple
of baby raccoons and I bring you to tears.”
Geri’s years of animal rescue have taught her how to
handle these situations and she advises that only someone with experience
try to capture an animal that needs rescuing. She adds that you need to be
knowledgeable about the type of animal and whether or not it is sick or
injured.
In other words don’t try this at home or on the
yearly family camping trip. Call for help from someone who knows what they
are doing.
She explained that nocturnal animals such as opossum
and raccoons should not be seen wandering around during the day. If they
are it is highly likely that they have been injured, become sick or
possibly contracted rabies. In fact, raccoons are the second only to bats
as the most common carriers of rabies.
Geri remembers rescuing a raccoon years ago with
another trained professional from the SPCA. This person was convinced that
the raccoon was healthy but Geri was not so sure. She explained that there
is often an early stage of the disease called dumb rabies. And after
bringing the animal to the shelter she noticed that it became increasingly
agitated and aggressive.
Due to its symptoms it was necessary to euthanize the
raccoon, and frighteningly the animal turned out to have one of the most
severe cases of rabies reported at that time. Rabies is highly contagious,
and can be fatal if contracted by humans, causing death within just days
of exposure.
Because Geri had handled the animal she needed to get
a rabies shot and to be on the safe side she had everyone in the family
get one. Getting vaccinated for rabies was probably not the most fun
family activity the Castanos have ever engaged in, but a good safety
precaution for a family as active with animals as this one.
Geri is a wealth of knowledge and good advice. While
she recommends keeping your distance and respecting the space of most
animals in the wild, she advocates for people to return small birds to
their nests. She said that the idea that mothers reject fallen young is
more myth than fact, and that placing them gently back in the nest can
save a young birds life.
Years ago Geri learned from a local farmer that it is
common for a mother deer to reject one of her offspring when she has had
twins. The tendency of the mother to leave one baby to fend for itself
makes it virtually impossible for it to survive. Geri believes that this
is how John came to be alone. But again she cautions that fawns in need of
rescuing should be reported to the authorities.
Today the Castano’s still have an active farm with
horses and ponies of assorted breeds and sizes, and a goat that can hold
its own with all of them, as well as two emus.
I asked daughter Kelly how the family came by the
emus. She said that one Christmas her dad asked her mom if she wanted a
pair of emus or a diamond bracelet, and not surprisingly Geri chose the
emus.
Whether talking with Geri by phone or in person, it
is obvious that the love for her children and passion for animals far
outweighs any that she would have for material possessions.
It’s pretty certain that Dr. Castano already knew his
wife would prefer the emus. The couple met when he was a student teacher
and she an undergraduate at the University of Scranton. At the time Geri
had plans to pursue a career as a veterinarian, but love marriage and
children took precedence.
While Geri may not have become a licensed vet, she
has certainly logged the hours to earn honorary status for dedicating her
life to rescuing, finding shelter and caring for animals.
And Geri’s passion is strong in her twin daughters
who will certainly carry on her dream and her legacy as they pursue their
doctorates in veterinary medicine.
Fifteen years ago when the Castanos moved to their
farm in Woolwich they set the stage to raise a family filled with
laughter, love, fond memories based on a deep respect and admiration for
all creatures great and small, precious gifts that cannot be bought only
learned by providing that special environment and leading by example.
Anyone in need of advice regarding lost or injured
animals may call Geri at (856) 467-0730 and she will connect them with the
appropriate services.
Gerry also encourages that dog and cat owners spay
and neuter their pets. A low cost program is available for spaying and
neutering as well as administering commonly recommended vaccines by
contacting Pam Young for Save the Animals Foundation at (856) 467-4001.
