PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Woodford Cedar Run Wildlife Refuge in Medford Township sits on about 170 acres on the edge of the New Jersey Pinelands. The Medford wildfire, which broke out in Burlington County on May 30, came dangerously close to its property line.
"It was right on Jackson Road, right across the street from our exit," said Tracey Bloodworth, director of development and communications at Cedar Run.
Fire crews got the blaze fully contained on June 3, but Bloodworth said wildlife in the area ran for their lives and are now expected to make their way home.
"They will try to return home after they fled, whether they left any little ones there, for the home they built. They will try to come back when they feel it's safe," she said.
As such, drivers must be cautious and look out for a higher-than-normal volume of wildlife out and about.
Anyone who finds an injured or orphaned animal is asked to call a wildlife refuge or rehab center first for instructions. Officials advise not to take an animal home to nurse it back to health yourself.
"Never keep a wild animal," Bloodworth added. "One, it's illegal. Two, it's not really great for the animal in the end."
