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| National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association |
| Formation | 1971 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Millbrook, New York |
| Region served | United States |
| Leader title | President |
National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association The National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the rescue, care, and rehabilitation of injured, orphaned, and displaced native wildlife. Founded amid growing environmental awareness in the early 1970s, the Association provides standards, training, and networking for professional and volunteer rehabilitators while engaging with regulatory agencies, conservation groups, and academic institutions. It serves as a clearinghouse for best practices in wildlife medicine, husbandry, and release, and participates in policy discussions affecting wildlife health and welfare.
The Association traces its origins to a cohort of wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians who organized after the publication of landmark environmental milestones such as Endangered Species Act of 1973, the rise of Sierra Club activism, and increased public interest following works like Silent Spring. Early meetings included representatives from regional groups such as Wildlife Center of Virginia, Wildlife Rescue Center (San Diego County), and state agencies from California, New York (state), and Florida. During the 1980s and 1990s the Association collaborated with institutions including Smithsonian Institution, Cornell University, and veterinary programs at University of California, Davis to codify standards influenced by outbreaks investigated by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and wildlife disease research at National Wildlife Health Center. Key milestones included development of standardized intake protocols, partnerships with American Veterinary Medical Association, and responses to large-scale events such as oil spills like the Exxon Valdez oil spill and hurricane responses following Hurricane Katrina.
The Association’s mission emphasizes humane treatment and scientific rehabilitation aligned with conservation priorities set by entities such as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state wildlife agencies like New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Programs span emergency response training with partners such as Federal Emergency Management Agency, species-specific care guidelines informed by collaborations with The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund (U.S.), and outreach modeled on community engagement examples from National Audubon Society. The Association administers continuing education, publishes protocols adopted by clinics and sanctuaries like Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota, and supports programs addressing human-wildlife conflict in locales ranging from Yellowstone National Park to urban centers such as Chicago.
Governance typically includes a board of directors, advisory committees with representatives from academic centers like Johns Hopkins University and veterinary schools at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, and regional coordinators mirroring models used by American Red Cross. Membership comprises licensed rehabilitators, veterinarians, wildlife biologists from agencies such as U.S. Geological Survey, sanctuary directors from places like Shambala Preserve, and volunteers affiliated with state organizations including Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. The Association maintains codes of ethics and procedural standards influenced by guidelines from Association of Zoos and Aquariums and legal frameworks discussed with law firms experienced in wildlife law cases like those argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Certificate programs and workshops are delivered in partnership with veterinary teaching hospitals at Iowa State University, Texas A&M University, and rehabilitation clinics modeled after Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of the North Shore. Curriculum covers wildlife medicine topics taught by faculty from University of Florida and Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, emergency triage techniques used in mass casualty events such as the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and species husbandry informed by field research from National Park Service biologists. The Association offers continuing education credits, mentorship programs connecting novices with seasoned rehabilitators from regional groups like Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, and publishes manuals paralleling resources from U.S. Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center.
Rehabilitators operate clinics, sanctuaries, and mobile units modeled after facilities such as Wildlife Rescue Center (San Diego County), Wildcare Australia affiliates, and hospital programs at Wildlife Conservation Society centers. Services include intake, triage, surgical interventions often performed with equipment similar to that used at Johns Hopkins Hospital veterinary units, long-term care for species like raptors commonly treated at centers patterned on The Raptor Center (University of Minnesota), and release planning coordinating with state agencies such as California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Facilities must navigate permitting regimes administered by bodies like U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and comply with standards recognized by organizations including American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians.
The Association advocates for policy and legislation affecting native fauna, engaging with lawmakers in state capitols such as Albany, New York and federal policymakers in Washington, D.C.. It partners with conservation NGOs like Defenders of Wildlife and Natural Resources Defense Council on habitat protection campaigns, contributes expert testimony in proceedings before bodies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rulemaking panels, and collaborates on research addressing threats exemplified by white-nose syndrome studied by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Science Foundation-funded projects. Public education initiatives mirror outreach strategies of National Geographic Society and school programs associated with institutions like Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Funding sources include membership dues, donations coordinated with philanthropic organizations such as The Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation, grants from federal programs administered by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and partnerships with corporate sponsors modeled on collaborations between Patagonia, Inc. and conservation projects. The Association cultivates research partnerships with universities including Pennsylvania State University and University of California, Berkeley, and cooperative agreements with state wildlife agencies and NGOs like The Humane Society of the United States to support emergency response, rehabilitation research, and public education campaigns.
Category:Wildlife rehabilitation organizations Category:Environmental organizations based in the United States