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Article Archive > To the rescue To the rescue Rachel Stulberger recalls saving a rodent on one of her birthdays. "(In May 2007), I went to Petco, and I was looking at all the feeder rats. I picked up this one, and he was so friendly," Stulberger said, about the now 2-year-old Albino. A guy at the store wanted to buy him for a snake, said Stulberger, 20, of Manalapan, a staunch animal advocate. "I said, "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm buying this guy, he's too sweet to be snake food.' " "The guy was really angry that I took his snake food, but I saved Murlin's life. And, Murlin is a real sweetheart," Stulberger said. Murlin is only one example of the many animals Stulberger has saved throughout the years. She currently has 16 animals under her care at her parents' home, including a house sparrow, reptiles, rodents and two cats. Given her vast menagerie of pets, it's no surprise that Stulberger's affinity for animals began at an early age. "Ever since I was a kid, I always found that I wanted to be with these animals," she said. "I always wanted to take care of them, and make sure they're all nice and healthy and happy." Understanding animals and their needs and kindness to animals is a cornerstone in the development of empathy in children, according to the Associated Humane Society and Popcorn Park Zoo, a sanctuary in the Forked River section of Lacey for abandoned and injured animals. A study by the Humane Society of the United States concludes that 20 percent of all intentional animal abuse crimes are committed by teens, and 95 percent of those teens are boys. While prevention and intervention of animal cruelty is critical at all levels of society, reaching youth may be the best way to break a potentially escalating cycle of violence. Animals are "voiceless victims," said Buddy Amato, chief of police at Monmouth County Society For The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Amato said he sees about 100 animal cruelty cases a month. "A majority of the perpetrators are in fact male, but most of them are adult males and females," he said. "Now, that's not to say that they haven't been abusing animals since they were kids. The fact of the matter is, there is a lot of animal abuse that goes on, and the studies may be true. But, most of the people caught doing this are above the age of 18 years old." Amato recommends the public to report all suspicious cases to the police department, and he highly discourages any kind of confrontation with a possible animal abuser. "People who rescue animals are like the best people in the world," Stulberger said. "They realize that animals are creatures that have both feelings and emotions." Stulberger takes an equal-opportunity approach toward rescue. She doesn't limit herself to helping only domesticated animals. She found Little Bird - a 7-month-old house sparrow - while working in the garden area of the Marlboro Home Depot store. The sparrow fell out of a nest with four other siblings. Little Bird was the only survivor, she said. The people who originally found the sparrow wanted someone to take care of it, Stulberger said, adding the house sparrow is one of the nuisance species of birds in New Jersey. Stulberger brought the sparrow home since she has an incubator for breeding Leopard geckos. She said taking care of Little Bird was not an easy task. She had to feed the bird every two hours until it started growing feathers and could eat on its own. "Now she's able to fly, but, I can't really release her because she has a shattered wing," Stulberger said. "Otherwise, that would have been the main goal." People who find birds or other exotic animals should contact the SPCA, Amato said. Authorities can help people locate a rehabilitator, he said. "When a bird is rehabbed, it has to be let go in the proper area if it can be let go at all," Amato said. "There are some sanctuaries that we can refer them to, for animals that can't be released back into the wild for whatever reason. For some birds, wings don't heal properly or wings have to be amputated." People should call the SPCA at (732) 542-0040. The SPCA can put them in contact with a rehabilitee or give them the proper information on what to do next, he said. Stulberger said she found one of her cats (Colby) while on a school bus in 2004. Some kids in the back of the bus kicked him to the front. "I asked the bus driver if it was his cat. He said, "No the cat just ran on there.' " So, "I said, "OK fine, I'm taking this cat home so no one else hurts him.' He was small then, but now he's about 38 pounds. Besides the fat, he's healthy," she said. Amato encourages people to report found cats/dogs to the proper authorities. That way the owner can reclaim his or her animal whenever possible. "They can't redeem an animal if a local citizen has gotten a hold of it, and they don't know the proper thing to do with it," Amato said. "Sometimes people want to do the right thing and they end up doing the wrong thing." Some people are afraid to bring an animal to the shelter because they believe it will be put to sleep, he said. "The fact of the matter is - the animal is not going to just be put to sleep if it's an adoptable healthy animal," Amato explained. And by law, it has to be held on to for at least seven days, he added. Stulberger's mother supports her decision to take care of animals. "She really has a passion for animals," Sophie Stulberger said. "She really loves taking care of them - helping them - having anything to do animals, all kinds of animals." She always reads up on animal care, she watches shows about it, and she always talks about it, her mother said. If she doesn't do something with animals in the future it would be a surprised. Right now, she is taking zoology at Brookdale Community College in the Lincroft section of Middletown, she added. "I don't mind her taking care of them in the house - because she does take care of them," Sophie Stulberger said. "Anybody who knows Rachael knows that she loves animals, because that's really all she talks about. We all love animals here, too - but she takes it one step further."
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