What do you know about this oft-overlooked type of conservation Work: Wildlife Centers

When you think about conservation, odds are, you aren't thinking about wildlife centers. Most exist in our minds as glorified zoos or pounds... but they are far from that.

We're going to share two types of wildlife centers as examples of work that is not only vital but in need of your support: Wildlife Rehab Centers and Wildlife Breeding Centers

Wildlife Rehabilitation Centers

Wildlife rehabilitation ("rehab") centers fill a really unique niche of the conservation world. They take many forms to fulfill many roles for wildlife that have come in conflict with humans. Because of that, odds are, you have one within an hour or two from you right now!

We recently connected with Lindsay Jones. She is a board member of the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. Here is what she had to say about the work wildlife rehab centers do:

"The field of wildlife rehabilitation is incredibly humbling, challenging, and rewarding all at once. I have only been a part of it for about 7 years, but I can say firsthand that everyone involved are some of the most selfless and hard-working people I’ve ever met.

Rehabilitators not only provide care to sick, orphaned, and injured wildlife, but also provide education to the public to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. As a generalization, most centers aim to release animals back into the wild so long as they show the ability thrive, and there are many criteria that need to be met. We abide by the highest standards of care put forth by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council and the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association.

Rehabilitators prioritize the animal’s best interest by assessing what their quality of life will be if treated, while also weighing other ecological, ethical, and financial factors. Wildlife rehabilitation can range from an individual operating out of their home, to large-scale centers.

Some specialize in certain species, some are open to the public, and some even offer captive breeding programs. There are several levels of permits involved ranging from city to federal to tribal and can involve numerous agencies.

Reasons for admission of wildlife can include orphaned animals, lead poisoning, windshield strikes, vehicle collisions, or disease, to name a few.

One of the most common reasons that an animal would be deemed un-releasable is if it became habituated to humans, so we try to have minimal contact with them.

“Baby season” is also a dreaded term in this field, which is starting now. It is common for centers to become overwhelmed during baby season for several reasons, including moms dying or abandoning their young, or due to humans picking them up thinking they are orphaned when they aren’t.

This happens frequently and can have devastating consequences, which is one of many reasons why education is so important!

One of our core concepts is that populations are groups made up of individuals. Without individuals, populations cannot excel, and therefore the health and welfare of an individual animal may impact entire ecosystems and species overall.

Additionally, wildlife does not recognize boundaries, which leads to challenges on a global scale. By providing care to wildlife, education to the public, and mitigating human-wildlife conflicts, we are contributing to healthier wildlife populations which will ensure their success for generations to come.”

You can learn more about Lindsay and IWRC’s work at: theiwrc.org

Local Examples

Presently, in our home state of Montana, our Fish Wildlife & Parks is working on building two new Wildlife Rehab Facilities. One is a grizzly bear center, just outside of Yellowstone National Park, and the other is a raptor center in the state capital of Helena. Chase Rose, of the charitable consulting agency The Bannack Group, turned us on to the work that Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks are seeking to accomplish with the help of the Montana Outdoor Legacy Foundation.

This is the FIRST time MT FWP has directly partnered with a nonprofit group to work for grizzlies.

Why? At present, the state has the capacity to house a total of (wait for it)… FOUR grizzlies.

Not forty. Not fourteen. Four.

So what happens when MT has more than four orphaned cubs at a time (as is regularly the case)? Unless they get lucky and have somewhere to go, like a zoo, they are euthanized. The same goes for bears that wander towards population centers and ranches. We’re simply out of remote places to move them, without rehabilitation… even if Montana and neighboring states have regions well below objective population numbers.

The new center will house up to 20 individual grizzlies, essentially quintupling the state’s capacity to rehabilitate grizzly bear cubs for relocation across the Northern Rockies.

The Raptor Center in Helena, MT will serve a similar but more public-educating purpose. At present, all of the region’s raptor centers are near, at, or over capacity. Some are able to rehabilitate injured eagles, hawks, falcons, and owls to be returned to the wild. However, the need for permanent housing for raptors that cannot go home is far out-pacing the facilities the state presently has. Dozens of eagles are turned away every year, due to a lack of facility capacity. Meaning, they die.

The new raptor rehab center will include a flight barn, a rewilding enclosure, and several education enclosures for the public.

In addition, it will also include black bear enclosures for up to 10 black bears at a time!

These are just two examples of wildlife rehab centers from our home state that are in need of support to help with wildlife conservation efforts for a few species in need. If you are interested in supporting either project, contact Chase Rose at the Bannack Group and tell him that 2% sent you!

Finding a wildlife rehab center near you is actually pretty simple. Get in touch with your local government wildlife agency - they have the most current info on wildlife rehabilitation efforts in your area, as well as those doing the work!

Now, what if a species’ struggle has gone beyond the need for rehabilitation?
What if they need to be brought back from the brink?

Wildlife Breeding Centers

First off, they’re way more than what you might think.

These aren’t game farms, raising wildlife for the meat market, or for freakishly/unnaturally huge antlers. Nor are they facilities where wildlife are caged up and forced to breed to stock zoos and private collections.

What they are, are places to rebuild wildlife populations that have endured such habitat loss as to be unable to rebuild their population in the wild.

These facilities endeavor to supplement (or in some cases, rebuild from scratch) wild native populations without risking loss to predation and human impact on the landscape. This means that the best ones often have large tracts of land set aside for rewilding efforts for members of the species served to live out a close-to-natural life.

A prime example: Caribou Conservation Breeding Foundation

If you have followed the news around caribou over the last decade, you’ve likely heard of their plight. Extirpated from the Lower 48 in 2019 (meaning, locally extinct from their native habitat), and with rampant loss of habitat in British Columbia and Alberta, the species is on the brink. While efforts like those of the Arrow Lakes Caribou Society maternity pens* have had regional success, the species is declining at such a rate that more aggressive repopulation tactics must be deployed for the species to survive.

*The ALCS maternity pen project was financially supported by several 2% Business and Individual Members in 2019-20. It has provided a safe place for caribou to give birth in the wild, free from predator and human impedance. It has helped the southernmost herd of woodland caribou continue to survive, and even grow. More info, here: arrowlakescaribousociety.com/2020/12/16/maternity-pen-construction-update/

The Caribou Conservation Breeding Foundation was established to develop, build, and run a caribou breeding center in natural caribou habitat. Here is how Amélie Mathieu, an advisor to their board of directors, explains CCBF’s mission and work:

“Southern mountain caribou, the world’s southernmost caribou population and one of Canada’s most iconic species, are spiraling towards extinction. Once found from central British Columbia to northern Idaho and Washington, many herds have disappeared and the few remaining ones are declining and fragmented into groups of as few as 3 animals. Southern mountain caribou became extinct in the contiguous USA in 2019 and their range continues to shrink northward at an alarming rate.

Traditional caribou recovery measures (predator management, alternate prey management, habitat protection and restoration efforts, recreation restrictions) while key to the long-term recovery of caribou, are not effective enough to prevent the extinction of the most vulnerable populations. Conservation breeding, the breeding of endangered species under controlled conditions in a conservation centre, has supported the recovery of several species in Canada and globally (e.g. takhi, scimitar-horned oryx, Eastern loggerhead shrike, black-footed ferret, Vancouver Island marmot).

This tool is most often used for the conservation of small isolated populations of endangered species with a high probability of extinction. It is not a substitute for habitat protection and restoration efforts, but a compliment.

Conservation centres are facilities dedicated to the recovery of one or several endangered species. The proposed BC caribou conservation centre would be a permanent facility where caribou would be bred for the preservation of genetic diversity and, ultimately, for the restoration of wild populations. Specialized teams of veterinary and husbandry professionals would care for the animals and ensure their health and welfare are optimized. Conservation centres differ from wildlife sanctuaries or rehabilitation centres as they do not focus their efforts on orphaned or injured wildlife. They also differ from zoos as they rarely display animals for public viewing.

Conservation breeding, through rescue, breeding, and eventual release of animals, can boost the productivity and survival of southern mountain caribou by:

1. Preserving individuals from non-viable herds and unique genetic variants;

2. Developing an insurance population and a sustainable source of juveniles of known health status for herd reinforcement or reintroduction;

3. Enabling demographic/genetic reinforcement of unstable herds;

4. Supporting unstable herds while other recovery measures (e.g. habitat protection and restoration) are applied, and;

5. Generating additional research, training, outreach and education opportunities.

Together we can save southern mountain caribou from extinction.

Through conservation breeding, we are investing in the long-term recovery of an irreplaceable and iconic Canadian species. Approval of the proposed BC caribou conservation breeding program is pending, but we can take action today and create a brighter future for caribou. Donations received today will pave the way to program approval by supporting CCBF’s current initiatives (social media and content creation; community and curriculum-based education material; networking and outreach activities; and fundraising events).”

Here is what CCBF is building:

You can learn more about the Caribou Conservation Breeding Foundation on their website: ccbf.ca

Often when financially supporting conservation work, it can be a challenge to understand where your dollars go. As you can see, that’s not the case with facilities like wildlife rehabilitation centers and wildlife breeding centers. The proof is sitting in front of you, and the eyes of the world, as wildlife are cared for and brought back to the wild.