JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Cindy Mosling is tired.
After years of giving birds a second life, she's ready to resume her first.
"My wedding gifts are in my condo (in San Marco) they're unopened and looked at to this day. I've not used them, they're sitting in a box in my condo waiting for me to come get them. It's just not what we thought," Mosling said.
Mosling's plan was to be an interior designer. About 40 years ago, Mosling and her husband bought a house to live and work out of.
Shortly after they moved, an emergency vet clinic opened up next door.
"One day they (the clinic) got a seagull in with a broken wing and they had no where to take it because it's not a dog or cat they said 'Cindy you have a fenced in backyard, you have a dog, just put it in your backyard and let it go in a few weeks.' That was 40 years ago," Mosling said.
One bird turned into about a dozen by Christmas that year.
Little did Mosling know the Bird Emergency Aid & Kare Sanctuary (B.E.A.K.S) would be hatched in her backyard.
Four decades later it's matured into a sanctuary tucked away on Big Talbot Island that is now ready to retire.
"The only time we went out of town together we went to Callahan for the hurricane, but all 350 birds went with us in a couple trucks," Mosling said with a smile.
Mosling doesn't know what to do. She's brought in about eight injured pelicans this week alone and is seemingly the only hope these birds have.
"We need to figure out how to get them funding and help. She's up all night because of the weather and stuff like that and they don't have help right now. All these birds would die without them," B.E.A.K.S volunteer, Terri Oliver, said.
Mosling plans to slowly wind down with the hopes of retiring soon. She is looking for more volunteers and people to help.