Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood?

By Valerie White

So many of us who live in these beautiful mountains are animal lovers. We’ve learned to love all the creatures around us, even Bobcats and Mountain Lions. Often, we come across animals who have been injured or abandoned and our hearts ache for them. We don’t always know what to do for them. One beautiful lady decided she was going to educate herself.

Claudia Rohor Steingart

Claudia is a real-life version of Snow White. She knows all the animals in her forest, and they know her…especially the squirrels. That’s because she took care of many of them when they were motherless and helpless. She was their Mom when they needed to be fed in the middle of the night, then when they were healthy and able, she released them back into the wild. Claudia also has a relationship with the raccoons in her area. She raised 5 of them this year.

Claudia started working with Native Animal Rescue in Santa Cruz about a year and a half ago. She took a basic training course that was about four hours long on how to work with wounded and abandoned birds. After that, she started volunteering there. As she was feeding the birds, she started gravitating towards the room where the baby animals were. She saw a tiny raccoon in a cage all by herself, and it was love at first sight.

She named the baby Bella, and Bella was fortunate enough to go home with her. Claudia nurtured the little one like the ultimate Mom that she is. Raccoons are very social, so Bella needed a companion. Claudia found a little older baby named Blue. Blue and Bella bonded, and became like sisters. The girls loved Claudia, and she not only fed them, but she even taught them how to fish for themselves. When the bittersweet day came that Claudia had to do what they call a “soft release” she was happily surprised when the furthest they wanted to go was up on the balcony where she could still hear them talking to each other. They hung around for a few more months before they went out into the big world of raccoons.

Claudia has been an animal lover all her life. At four years old she found a giant cockroach who didn’t have all its legs. She put it in a box, named it Margarita, and gave it water and food. When she lived in Florida, she would bring lettuce and tomatoes to the Manatees. When her ex-husband dragged her to the golf course, she would bring a bag of food to feed all the animals that she came across.

Claudia is living her dream in a cabin in the woods with her family and all their animals. She has a veritable zoo of rescued animals; among them are four dogs. One dog has epilepsy, one is a Great Dane she adopted from a neighbor who couldn’t keep him, another is a Husky from a family in San Jose who didn’t have enough space, and last but not least, a Yorkie who rules the house! She also has three rescued older cats. Claudia likes rescuing older animals because their personalities are already discernable. There’s also a rescued gecko and a chinchilla in the mix. There’s always room for one more. Three years ago she nursed a baby finch back to life. The breeder was sure he was going to die. The finch who she named Pepito now blesses Claudia with song every morning, and whenever she talks to him.

Claudia has also worked with Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Rescue in San Francisco for years, and over time has helped many King Pigeons. People use doves and pigeons for sport and for release at weddings and parties. Often the birds are taken far from their homes and get lost or injured. These beautiful birds’ mate for life. If one dies, often the mate will die of grief. Claudia has five couples who have found a permanent home with her. Among her other birds are a flock of chickens whose eggs Claudia generously shares with her neighbors.

When Claudia isn’t driving her children to their various activities, she is taking care of her animals and talking to them, whether they live inside or out in the woods. She truly is a magical lady and takes the word “Mother” to a new dimension.

If you feel inspired to help animals, both Native Animal Rescue in Santa Cruz and Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Rescue in San Francisco are always in need of volunteers. Of course, there are many other wonderful animal rescues that can always use help. No amount of time or help is too little, so don’t worry if you can’t take on what Claudia has! Sometimes stopping for an animal that is lost or has been hit by a vehicle can make all the difference in the world to that animal.

Nativeanimalrescue.org 831-462-0726 Pigeonrescue.org