No matter the time of day or night, Fran Kitchen is prepared to answer her ringing telephone. A separate phone line beeps red at almost all hours to alert Kitchen of an incoming rescue. The doorstep at the Kitchen household is rarely empty, and the mailbox is home to many a mysterious package.

For 43 years, Kitchen has worked as a wildlife rehabilitator in Ohio. Currently, she is the sole licensed wildlife rescue agent and caretaker in Summit, Portage and Wayne counties.

"It's difficult at times, but I really think I'm doing what I was intended to do," Kitchen said. "People from all over [the state] call us constantly for help."

As Kitchen and her husband Ronald sit down with me over coffee and homemade cherry pie, they describe endless tales of rescued birds, rabbits, beavers and even, a bobcat. The cages that fill the Kitchen's Akron home give shelter to over 900 animals a year.

"I've never shed a tear for an animal I've released into the wild," Kitchen boasts as she cradles her cup of coffee. "I only cry when they can't be set home again."

Kitchen founded a non-profit organization 18 years ago called Operation Orphan. The group works to intervene on behalf of orphaned wildlife that would otherwise face death. Fran prepares the animals to be returned back into their natural environments.

"Our goal is to get the wildlife back into the wild, where they rightfully belong. Cats and dogs are pets; wild animals are not," Kitchen said. "Trusting humans too much will get them killed."

Kitchen's fight for Ohio wildlife began many years ago when she was just a child. "I wanted to be a veterinarian," she said. "But in those days women were at home, not off at college."

Kitchen's first rescue was a baby robin that she found at a neighbor's house. She tenderly cared for and released the young bird. As an adult, Kitchen steadily built a relationship with the Ohio Department of Natural resources. It was not long before they knew her by name.

"I told the ODNR my mind set and what I wanted to do for these animals. They knew I was about intervention for the sake of getting these animals back where they belonged," Kitchen said.

Kitchen and her husband agree that education is the key to making Ohio a safe and natural home for wild animals. The Kitchen's live their mission by educating the public through workshops in schools, churches and campgrounds.

"People get so frustrated with wild animals being near their new homes," Ronald said. "Well guess what? They are not in your back yard; you are in their front yard. At least 85 percent of baby animals people find in their yards and snatch up are not orphans at all and have a mother nearby."

Kitchen's devotion to wildlife was recognized in 2001 when she was inducted into the ODNR Hall of Fame. Success, however, comes in a much different form for the Kitchens.

"It is most rewarding to take an animal in need of care, and to release it back into the wild," Kitchen said. She chuckles and adds, "Besides, it keep that phone ringing all day and keeps me busy."