Colorado Animal Welfare Conference Session
Common Wildlife Encounters, Myths, & Handling for Shelters
1:15-2:30pm • August 18, 2026
City LIghts 2 & 3
Shelter Operations
The goal of this talk is to leave you feeling more confident when dealing with calls, capture, transport, handling, and basic care of wildlife. You will learn about normal behaviors for commonly encountered species, particularly babies, as well as ID of those species and their age stages. We will also discuss when to rescue, safe methods of capture for humans and animals, and temporary care of wildlife until they can be transferred to a rehabilitator, including storage, medical care, and feeding and fluids.
Erin Romero, RVT
Erin Romero is an RVT and licensed wildlife rehabilitator with the Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation in Silt, Colorado. She has a BS in Animal Science from MSU Bozeman and an AAS in Veterinary Technology from Colorado Mountain College. She also teaches the Exotic Pet Management and Wildlife Management courses for CMC’s Veterinary Technology program. Erin spends most of her free time taking care of all her personal rescue animals with fur, feathers, and scales and hanging out with her family.
Common Wildlife Encounters, Myths, & Handling for Field Officers
3-4:30pm • August 18, 2026
City LIghts 2 & 3
Field Services
Common wildlife encounters, myths, and handling for field officers. The goal of this talk is to leave you feeling more confident when dealing with calls, capture, transport, handling, and basic care of wildlife. You will learn about normal behaviors for commonly encountered species, particularly babies, as well as ID of those species and their age stages. We will also discuss when to rescue, safe methods of capture for humans and animals, temporary care of wildlife until they can be transferred to a rehabilitator, key information to communicate to rehabilitators, and tips for partnering with local rehabs.
Erin Romero, RVT
Erin Romero is an RVT and licensed wildlife rehabilitator with the Pauline S. Schneegas Wildlife Foundation in Silt, Colorado. She has a BS in Animal Science from MSU Bozeman and an AAS in Veterinary Technology from Colorado Mountain College. She also teaches the Exotic Pet Management and Wildlife Management courses for CMC’s Veterinary Technology program. Erin spends most of her free time taking care of all her personal rescue animals with fur, feathers, and scales and hanging out with her family.