Castalia , Ohio ( CNN ) -- Mona Rutger got the call in October : A bald eagle was flopping around on an airport runway after it had been clipped by a private jet . Unfortunately , it 's something she sees all too often , with all types of wild animals . `` Everyone says , 'Let nature take its course , ' `` said Rutger , a certified wildlife rehabilitator . `` But 90 % of these animals ' injuries are human-related . That 's not nature . It 's us . '' Rutger sent a team to collect the injured bird and bring it to her rehabilitation center in Castalia , Ohio , where it was stabilized and then taken to a veterinarian . The eagle had three pins placed in its wing and is now building up its strength and agility with the help of Rutger and her nonprofit , Back to the Wild . Since 1990 , Rutger says , she has rescued more than 42,000 injured , orphaned and displaced animals . About 60 % of them have recovered sufficiently to be released back into their natural habitats . `` Each animal that we help can somehow make a difference . ... Each animal has a role to play in the food chain , '' Rutger said . `` If just one link breaks , the whole chain falls apart . '' Rutger became a licensed wildlife rehabilitator more than 20 years ago when she realized that no one in her area was legally able to care for injured wildlife . She took it on in addition to her full-time secretarial job , envisioning that it would be a hobby of sorts that she 'd run from her backyard . `` I thought , well , I 'd do it on the side and get 20 to 30 animals a year , '' she said . `` But once people found out there was somebody in the area licensed , the phone never stopped ringing . '' Her backyard sanctuary now runs 24 hours a day , seven days a week , and her group rescues more than 2,500 animals a year . The group has seen all sorts of wounded wildlife , including birds injured by power lines , turtles hit by trucks and bobcats declawed by people wanting to make them pets . Pelican , gull freed from beer can collars are recovering . The sanctuary has an impressive maze of state-of-the-art enclosures and aviaries , and it also includes an indoor education center where tens of thousands of people a year -- most of them schoolchildren -- learn about living in harmony with the natural world . Since Rutger started doing this work , more than 1 million people have visited her facility . `` We 're counting on the children , our future adults , to do a better job taking care of the planet than we have in the past , '' Rutger said . `` I desperately want them to feel the excitement and the thrill that I find every single day in nature . And I know that they do n't ( often ) get that chance . '' Many of the animals at Rutger 's sanctuary have physical limitations that are too great for them to live out in the wild , so they live permanently at the sanctuary and participate in its daily education programs . `` These powerful ambassadors can do more for wildlife than I can do without them , '' Rutger said . `` So even though this is sad that we are unable to release them , we feel that they have a new job , a new role . `` But we explain to ( visitors ) we are a hospital for wildlife , not a petting zoo . ... And we do n't give ( the animals ) names , because they do n't belong to us . They belong to the wild . '' When possible , Rutger tries to save more permanently disabled animals by finding them `` educational jobs '' at other local zoos , reserves and nature centers . If this ca n't be done , then the animals must be humanely euthanized under Ohio 's wildlife regulations . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open for 2013 CNN Heroes . Rutger 's organization depends entirely on private donations . She and her husband have poured their life savings into the endeavor , even refinancing their home to continue the work . `` We have animals come in all hours of the night , '' Rutger said . `` It can be draining . It can be exhausting . ... But I do n't feel that it 's really work , you know ? I 'm doing something I love . '' While the rehabilitation center is full of reminders about humanity 's carelessness , Rutger 's overarching message is lined with optimism . During the summer months , the sanctuary hosts free camps for underprivileged children who are unlikely to be exposed to nature where they live . The center also voluntarily participates in expensive research protocols when local animal populations are threatened by disease . `` The children and adults that leave here do n't feel like it 's too late . We want them to have hope for the future , '' she said . `` There 's many species improving and coming back , and it 's because humans have gotten involved and done positive things . '' Survival of injured baby golden eagle called 'amazing ' The bird injured on the runway last year is one of eight bald eagles at Rutger 's center . She hopes it will be able to fly by the end of the year . `` We feel pretty confident that she 's doing very well , '' Rutger said . `` We want to keep her exercising and hope every day she gets a little stronger , until she has enough stamina and ability to survive in the wild . '' Rutger said that when the time comes , she plans to share the thrilling moment with the community . `` Goosebumps just go from your head to toe when that eagle or hawk or owl flies from your hand and you know that it does n't have to live in a cage tonight , '' she said . `` I 've done it thousands upon thousands of times , and it never gets old . It is still the most exciting , exhilarating experience I can share . Gets me every time . '' Want to get involved ? Check out the Back to the Wild website at www.backtothewild.com and see how to help .
Mona ##rch and her group are rehabilitating injured animals so they can get back into the wild . She says she has helped more than 42,000 injured , orphaned and abandoned animals . War - related causes are most commonly to blame , Rutger says . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open for the CNN website .