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Board of Directors > Lynn Cuny, Founder & CEO
 Lynn
Cuny, Founder & CEO
Even as a child in San Antonio in the early
1950's, Lynn Cuny recognized that she had an unusual affinity
for nature and animals, along with a particular concern for
the suffering that often resulted from their encounters with
humans. As a young adult she began work as an animal caretaker
at the San Antonio Zoo, but she found herself at odds with
the philosophy that saw wildlife as suitable objects for captivity
and exhibition. She soon left to find better ways of helping
animals.
In 1977, she began rescuing urban wildlife
— animals who had fallen from trees as nestlings, been
hit by cars, trapped in attics, or orphaned when their parents
were killed. Lynn then founded Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation
(WRR) in her home and began circulating her business card
in the hope that she would be called when a wild animal was
in need of assistance. At that time, wild animals found in
cities were most often shot by police.
When a friend rescued a bobcat kitten from
a glass aquarium in a pet shop, she called Lynn seeking assistance.
The kitten had been declawed with a pair of pliers and was
in serious need of care. Lynn took the kitten into her home,
and gave her two rooms in which to live. Shortly thereafter,
San Antonio Animal Control asked her to take in another bobcat,
and WRR was soon taking in animals of all kinds.
From the very start of the organization, Lynn
dreamed of having a 200-acre facility with plenty of natural
space in which to house animals in need of rehabilitation
or permanent sanctuary. After over 20 years, a large donation
from a generous supporter helped make that dream come true.
The current 187-acre WRR facility in Kendalia, northwest of
San Antonio, is the perfect place in which to care for sick
and injured animals. The Sanctuary also provides permanent
homes for non-indigenous victims of the wildlife pet trade,
animals housed in roadside zoos, animals rescued from laboratory
research, and native animals whose injuries preclude independent
survival.
Aside from her duties as Founder and Director
of WRR, Lynn has served in various executive capacities for
a number of organizations. These include:
Lynn is the recipient of several awards, including
the Today's Woman Award from the San Antonio Light,
the Headliners Award from the Association of Women in Communication,
and the Outstanding Woman of the Year Award from the San
Antonio Express-News.
Ms. Cuny is the author of Through
Animal's Eyes; True Stories from a Wildlife Sanctuary,
published by the University of North Texas Press in 1999,
and the sequel, Through
Animals' Eyes, Again: Stories of Wildlife Rescue,
published in 2006. In her spare time, Lynn is an avid organic
gardener and is studying to be an herbalist.
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