Tamara
Schmitt, founder of Lakota Wildlife Center, has always worked with
animal rescue. Born in NC, her family relocated to San Jose, CA when
she was 3. She was constantly bringing home kittens or strays she had
found, placing them in appropiate homes with the help of her Mother.Her interest in wildlife grew as she spent her spare time in the woods, learing about local snakes and animals. At the age of 10, her family again moved back to the Carolinas. Deciding at an early age to work with animals as a life’s goal, she persued an education at the University of South Carolina, majoring in, what else…Biology.
While volunteering at a local vet’s office, she created a business, “Shades of Grey Aviary” raising African Gray Parrots and Umbrella Cockatoos. She wrote a booklet on the care of these birds and designed and built large acrylic cages in an attempt to inprove education and care of captive birds. Many well meaning owners bought from her aviary, but the business of selling birds for captive housing soon compelled her to close her aviary and refocus on the betterment of wildlife in it’s native surroundings. Wildlife rescue became a primary focus, and opportunities to rescue big cats, bear and raccoons soon took precidence.
Hobbies include horseback riding, pottery and painting, but have always centered around a great appreciation for and an enjoyment of working with animals. Leaving the sells force and banking industry as a mortgage loan officer, she has now come full circle and is focused on buildling Lakota Wildlife Center into a resource for giving aid and sanctuary to wildlife in need. (See Staff Bios for more.)