WildCare Foundation

WildCare Foundation’s mission is to provide people a place to bring native wildlife struggling to survive with the goal of releasing healthy individuals back into the wild. WildCare is the oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation center in Oklahoma and the sixth largest rehabilitation center in the U.S. Since its beginning, WildCare has admitted and provided care for over 112,000 sick, injured, and orphaned native wild animals. During that time, the number of animals coming into the facility has grown from just a few animals a year to over 7,600 animals annually.

WildCare’s mission is twofold, emphasizing service to both wildlife and people. The primary focus is to provide people a place to take injured, orphaned, or ill wildlife so they can be cared for, rehabilitated, and released into their natural habitats. Most of the facility and operating costs of WildCare relate to this primary goal, which includes providing medical evaluation, surgery and ongoing medical care if needed, species-specific nutrition, enrichment, and shelter.

Every year, WildCare provides medical evaluation, ongoing medical care if needed, species-specific nutrition, and shelter for thousands of baby animals like this bobcat whose mother was killed by a human.

Education is the secondary goal. WildCare Foundation provides service to all Oklahomans who are concerned about the welfare of native wildlife. WildCare is the first (and in many cases the only) place Oklahomans can get help for sick, injured, or orphaned wild animals that they encounter. Members of the public rescuing wildlife know that the animals they rescue are in the best possible hands when they bring them to WildCare. This gives them the feeling of having done something good and relieves them of the stress associated with finding an animal in distress. With each phone call, animal brought into the facility, presentation made, or member of the public visiting the facility during one of the two public events during the year, WildCare Foundation is focused on the education of the public. WildCare helps people understand the wildlife they encounter and promotes harmonious coexistence whenever possible. WildCare also helps people determine whether an animal in fact needs to be rescued by explaining natural animal behaviors. For example, people often want to rescue fawns without knowing that mother deer leave their babies safely camouflaged in overgrowth while they graze during the day, returning periodically to nurse their fawns.

In addition to providing services and support to wild animals and members of the public that encounter struggling wild animals, WildCare provides fellowships and internships to ensure young people are introduced to the highest standards of practice and care in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of wildlife. WildCare also collaborates with two Oklahoma veterinary technology programs, OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, school groups, scout troops, and youth organizations to ensure young people have opportunities to learn about and provide support for wildlife in the state.

WildCare also provides services to the game wardens of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Oklahoma City Zoo, a wide range of businesses, and many veterinarian offices who receive phone calls from clients who have encountered wildlife. Without WildCare, these and other organizations would have no solution for their clients.