The Lahaina Medical Center was on lockdown this morning, and sections remained closed for several hours, as DLNR officials and wildlife experts worked to capture numerous escaped animals. Those familiar with the case say a patient accidentally released the wild animals, including an adult wolf, from their carriers letting them run free throughout the facility. Hospital officials say patients were never in any danger, and all the animals have been recovered without major incident.
Brandon Kama, a part-time DLNR ranger, says that when he started “Creature Comfort” he was inspired by two things: “The great wolf rehabilitation work done by the Hahai Ranch, and Mr. Sprinkles, Lahaina’s most famous therapy pig.” Kama says, “Patients of all ages love visits from the sparkly little pig. Like many animals, Mr. Sprinkles seems to know who needs to have their spirits lifted, and who needs some extra comfort and reassurance. I looked at that kind of unorthodox therapy animal, and thought about how the people at the Hahai Ranch were rehabbing wolves and giving them a second chance, even letting some of them work with people on hunts. I just knew that I needed to combine the two. I thought that if I could use rehabbed wildlife to encourage sick and injured people, both would benefit. That was the idea behind Creature Comfort.”
Brandon says his organization has rescued hundreds of animals over the past three years, including many non-native species including: large birds, rabbits, foxes, squirrels, opossums, and raccoons. “Basically anything that can get hit by a car on the mainland. Veil transport has really opened up the possibilities for wildlife rehab. You can have a facility almost anywhere now.” Kama says. Creature Comfort rehabilitates the injured and returns them to the wild if possible. If an animal is deemed incapable of release, the organization works on socializing it for use in its hospital therapy program. “Patients like seeing and learning about wildlife that they might not normally encounter. It’s an amazing program, with a great track record,” he says. However, things didn’t go quite as planned this morning.
According to an anonymous employee, the trouble started when Kama and his employees left a lounge used as a holding area for the animals unattended for a safety briefing with staff. The employee says, “From what we’ve been able to piece together, a heavily medicated patient walked past the lounge with his grandchildren and noticed the animals. We’re still not sure why, but he decided that the animals needed to be freed. Dozens of rabbits and squirrels, a handful of raccoons, and an older wolf on loan from the Hahai Hunting Ranch, were released in the hospital. It wasn’t long before things got out of control.”
According to reports the wolf found her way to the maternity ward and took up residence just outside the birthing rooms, growling at anyone who tried to enter the area. “I don’t think Loba [the wolf] would have hurt anyone, she was just trying to protect the babies,” says the employee, “She was actually the easiest to deal with. They shot her with a tranq gun and put her away. The raccoons and squirrels were a different story. The racoons got in the ductwork and spread out. A couple found their way to the kitchen and wrecked the place. They chewed up trays, spilled stuff all over, and you wouldn’t believe how much they could eat. It took hours to find the last one, but by far the worst were the squirrels. Somehow, many ended up in a room with a patient who has a history of animal hoarding. We took three squirrels out of the room right away, but it turned out she was hiding them. A few hours later we found a few more in her room. After we captured all the other animals, we found her playing with yet another. We’re still a few short, so we’re not sure if we’ve found all the places she has squirreled away the squirrels.”
Medical Center spokesperson Dr. Dalia Forsythe confirmed that, “a few squirrels remain unaccounted for” but says all other animals have been captured without harm to patients or wildlife. “Today was a bit more exciting than normal,” she says. “We routinely work with a number of therapy and wellness organizations to improve the morale of our patients. We believe that the positive interactions groups like these have with patients improve spirits and medical outcomes. Even though today didn’t go quite as planned, we have worked with Brandon and Creature Comfort many times in the past. With some changes as to how the animals are stored when not interacting with patients, we plan on working with them again in the future. Although, we would probably request leaving Loba behind next time. Delivering a baby is hard enough, without having a growling wolf outside your door.”
