501c3 non-profit

Wildlife Rehabilitation

What is it?

Wildlife rehabilitation is the treatment and care of sick, injured or orphaned wild animals with the goal of returning these animals to the wild.  To be released, animals must be able to function in their natural habitats as normal members of their species.

Effective rehabilitation meets the unique physical and psychological needs of each species.  It combines aspects of veterinary medicine, animal husbandry, animal behavior, and biology.  Though this work can be demanding, witnessing an animal’s recovery and return to freedom makes it all worthwhile!

Keeping the wild in wildlife

Wildlife rehabilitators do not attempt to turn wild animals into pets.  We keep human contact with our wild patients to a minimum and keep animals only until they are able to survive again in the wild.

Releasing our wild patients

A successfully rehabilitated animal is able to survive on their own and be an integral part of their species' population, i.e., recognize and obtain appropriate foods, select mates of their own species to reproduce, and respond appropriately to potential dangers (flee or fight). These dangers include people, cars, dogs and natural predators.

Education

As part of our mission, we offer community education programs about how to live alongside our wild neighbors, and about the dangers wild animals face in an increasingly human-dominated landscape.  This part of our work helps wildlife on a much larger scale than wildlife rehabilitation could alone.

Who can rehabilitate wildlife?

In Minnesota, it is illegal to rehabilitate wildlife without a permit.  Our wildlife rehabilitators hold both state (MN DNR) and federal (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) permits.

Interested in getting licensed?  Learn more about what it takes to become a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.