Mascara Wands to the Rescue for Appalachian Wildlife

A donation program, Wands for Wildlife, has gone viral along with images of small animals being combed with mascara wands.

The “Wandraiser” collects mascara wands, which Appalachian Wildlife Refuge uses to clean fly eggs and larvae from the fur of rescued animals. The volunteer, nonprofit refuge coordinates wildlife rehabilitation efforts in Western North Carolina.

The Wands for Wildlife program has garnered more than 20 articles in state, national and international media outlets, and millions of views on videos created for Facebook by media outlets like The Dodo and Yahoo.

Appalachian Wildlife Refuge has started a crowdfunding campaign to raise $15,000 needed to open a triage facility for injured animals.

The organization encourages people to host their own local “Wandraisers” to benefit the project, and provides a printable “Wandraiser” poster and forms for mailing the wands. — Carl Blankenship