It’s one thing to find a place to take injured puppies or kittens.

It’s another thing to find a place that takes a turtle with a broken shell or a great-horned owl with a broken wing.

That’s one of the reasons Skye’s Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center in Venango County came into being.

"We take in injured, orphaned and displaced wildlife," said Maryjane Angelo, co-founder of the Irwin Township organization with her husband Robert. "We provide the care it needs, then we release it back to the wild."

Some of the wildlife the center has helped include owls, hawks, waterfowl, squirrels and rabbits. "We do not take domesticated animals," said Mrs. Angelo, who is licensed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service.

The organization, which started in February 2000, has helped more than 7,500 animals, 75 percent of them were returned to the wild.

A few -- such as a great-horned owl that was found with a broken wing that healed incorrectly, and is unable to fly -- have been kept for educating the public.

Though the nonprofit organization is off state Route 208 east between Barkeyville and Clintonville, it also has helped many people in Mercer and Butler counties.

"We got a call once for baby screech owls that got knocked out of their nests in downtown Sharon by some lineman repairing lines," Mrs. Angelo said. "And we just finished cleaning up some baby geese who were covered in grease. They were found under a bridge on Main Sreet in Butler and their mother was dead."

Some of the other animals they’ve cared for include a turtle with a broken shell.

"It was run over by a car. Part of his shell was broken and hanging off, so we fiberglassed his shell together like the body work on a car," explained the former Maryland wildlife rehabilitator.

She added that it is illegal to take in wildlife and keep them as pets without a license. "You have to have these licenses in Pennsylvania," Mrs. Angelo said.

Because it is a nonprofit organization, it relies on donations to help provide care. A fund-raiser yard sale at the site is set for Friday, Saturday and Sunday..

"People can also sponsor animals by adopting the care of an animal or bird," Mrs. Angelo said.

Plans include moving two donated mobile homes from New Castle to set up an education center.

"We need someone to help us move them here. We do a lot of educational programs for schools, Scout groups, and 4-H groups among others," she said. "Having a bigger place on-site would be helpful."

The couple, who are both of Native American heritage, named the organization after a child they lost in October 1999, Skye.

"I’m from the Lakota tribe, and my husband is from the Mohawk tribe, and after our child died, my husband was up pruning a tree, and an eagle flew around the top of that tree for over an hour," she said. "Because of our Native American beliefs, we believe it was our son’s spirit. This organization is dedicated to the son we lost."

On the Skye’s Spirit Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center’s list of needed supplies, which are tax-deductible, are:

Money

Building supplies

Animal carriers, aquariums, chain-link fence, small animal and bird cages

Pet food, bird seed, poultry food

Baby food

Heating pads, blankets, towels, heat lamps

Trees, feed quality hay

Food and water dishes, water troughs

Garbage cans, storage bins

Pea gravel

Cleaning supplies

Office equipment and supplies

Medical/veterinary supplies

E-bay, flea market, yard sale items

Farm tractor with implements