The Nantucket Animal Rescue keeps beaches free of debris to keep creatures like birds and turtles safe. Rain Harbison and Blair Perkins founded the nonprofit in late 2023 to prevent animal entanglements and deaths. The organization considers itself an extension of the efforts of the established Marine Mammal Alliance Nantucket, which currently responds to marine mammal strandings on the island — but does not help with the birds or turtles that are often in harm’s way when garbage and debris litter area beaches.
“Rather than just putting up signs and saying we’re this animal rescue group, we’re boots on the ground,” Perkins told The Inquirer and Mirror. “We get it done. We’re out here every day patrolling.”
Photo Courtesy Nantucket Wildlife
According to Nantucket Animal Rescue, they have already removed thousands of pounds of harmful debris from Nantucket, Massachusetts, beaches. Volunteers help with trash removal but are also trained in how to actively search for injured animals and act in an emergency to save those trapped or injured.
The group has partnered with various wildlife rehabilitation centers, veterinary clinics, and federal organizations to help provide care to animals in need.
“We want to build an army of people who know what to look for if an animal needs help,” Harbison said to the Nantucket Current.
Volunteers are also taught how to handle a marine mammal emergency, which requires calling in the Marine Mammal Alliance, the only group permitted to protect and rescue marine mammals, such as dolphins and whales. That group was formed in direct cooperation with the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries to assist marine mammals around Nantucket, Muskeget, and Tuckernuck islands.
Photo Courtesy Nantucket Animal Rescue
“The Marine Mammal Alliance doesn’t have enough people on their team to cover every animal that needs help, and they don’t work with birds or turtles,” Harbison told the Nantucket Current. “We decided it was time for us to start our own organization and get help from the community.”
Both the Marine Mammal Alliance and the Nantucket Animal Rescue have established a hotline to report animals that are in distress. Concerned citizens should call 508-322-1270 to report any injured or trapped creatures. The group also accepts donations on its website.
Photo Courtesy Nantucket Animal Rescue
The founders spend most of their days on the beach, cleaning everything from paper trash to wire to discarded aluminum cans. Every ounce of trash removed makes the beach a safer place for all of the creatures who call it home. Nantucket Animal Rescue also hopes to educate the public about the damage litter and debris can do not only to the land itself but also to the numerous wildlife that calls it home.
“Every single animal we come across is in trouble because of humans,” Harbison told the Nantucket Current. “We’re just trying to mitigate a small portion of that.”
