Project Wildlife

I had a hummingbird make a nest on my skinny little clothesline on my patio, I soon found 2 eggs that hatched and mom was constantly there keeping them warm and getting food. I noticed 2 days ago she wasn’t there as much and then last night, not at all these guys were freezing, I had initially decided to bring them in my place and try to care for them, but i’m so allergic to animals I just didn’t think I would be able to care for them like they needed. project wildlife was really close to where I live so I decided to take them there and see if they could help. Right from the start they were excited to see what I had, when I told them hummingbirds you could see how excited the staff got, (just gave me a sense that they would be cared for especially since the staff are all volunteers). I should have asked for updates before I left, would be cool to see the progress they have with the little guys, but at least I know these guys have a really good chance of making it now.

I am certainly biased, as I am a volunteer here. However, that said, I am immensely proud to be associated with this fine organization. Their success rate of rehabbing birds and small mammals is higher that the national average, which speaks highly of their practices. As a volunteer, we get training, can be paired with a seasoned volunteer if it’s been a while. They have a quiet, covered patio with heated cages for animals to be left after hours. The paid staff members are kind, helpful and are obviously the quiet support to the volunteers. Everyone works well together, the dedication to the cause by both volunteers and paid staff is obvious.
EVERY time I have volunteered (sometimes I can only come for an hour or so), I am thanked, and my service is genuinely appreciated. They make a point to value volunteers, which means the birds and animals benefit, since everyone likes to be appreciated.
Their intake is seamless, an easy process that can be learned in minutes.
I found one interesting caveat. If I’ve had a bad day, or am tired, frustrated, whatever… I come here. An hour or so later, feeding baby birds and cleaning their cages, my mood is lifted and energy restored. What more can a human ask for?
Thank you to everyone who brings animals in. I remember one man brought in 22 swallows, as their nests were destroyed by maintenance staff (they thought the nests were bad for the building. WHAT?!?) He was part of the staff, and did the right thing by bringing them in.
Yah for PW, and YAH for saving animals. Isn’t that what life is about?

I know I’m a carnivore and eat a lot of animals, but I do love animals too.
(I know, I’m a total hypocrite… kind of like Hillary and The Donald?)
This non-​profit runs an army of volunteers to rehabilitate injured wildlife throughout San Diego. So if you come across an injured animal, bring them here! If you ever run into injured animal and can safely get, take it here! There’s even a drop off area after hours… you can bring also sorts of injured critters, such as:
Rabbits and Bunnies
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Birds of all types
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And…many other wild animals too! Here’s the whole list and tips on what to do!

What a great place! They are open 24hrs a day in order to rescue wildlife, and the staff are all incredible!
I’ve had two occasions to bring in birds this month.
Today’s however, was the most exciting. I had found a little parrot half dead in the street today. So I wrapped him in my sweat shirt and drove him to Project Wildlife. He wasn’t looking good, but I could see he was still breathing.
I was about a block away from Project Wildlife when I decided to uncover the parrots head and see if he was still alive. As soon as I did, he sprang to life and flew onto the dash! I had visions of getting bit on the cheek and crashing into a wall. Instead, the little guy flew down beneath my feet. (Switching to visions of him biting down on my toe and crashing). He the proceeded up UNDER the dash board. Damn!
I pulled up to Project Wildlife and told them I needed help. They sent Emily who maybe shoulda been at comic con because she is a super hero!
Without hesitation she got on the ground and stuck her arm blindly up under the dash looking for the bird. She had to ditch the heavy protective gloves she was wearing in order to facilitate the capture. I thought for sure that either the parrot was going to end up living in the dash or Emily was going to be bitten, or both. But Emily was able to catch that little rascal and they both made it out mostly unscathed (minus a few tail feathers).
Please, if you find and injured wild animal, take them to Project Wildlife. They do great things every day! And if you can swing it, donate to support the great work they do and the exceptional people that work there.

My mother’s cat caught two baby Mockingbirds. They were newly hatched, no older than 5 or so days. I wasn’t sure what to do with them so I went to my Vet’s office. They suggested Project Wildlife and since it was already 5pm they called to see what time they were closing. Lucky for me they were closing a 5:30pm so I had enough time to take them there. A nice man named Adam helped me out. I told him what had happened and that my Vet had directed me to them. He had me fill out some paperwork and then prepared a little bed for them using a plastic berry basket and some type of tissue. I was so impressed with Project Wildlife and how caring Adam was that I decided to make a cash donation right then and there and gave them all the cash I had. My husband and I donate money to the San Diego Humane Society every year since we adopted our first dog 16 years ago. After yesterday’s visit I am going to add Project Wildlife to our list of donations to organizations. Thank you Project Wildlife!

Really appreciate the service you provide! We dropped off a bird that the cat had gotten, without your efforts there would have been nothing we could do, thanks! I filled out a request for an update and I am still waiting to hear

Our cat got ahold of a bird and the bird ended up with a broken wing. We dropped by and after filling out a little paperwork they took her right in. Also gave my mother in law a form so she can get updates on the recovery. There were tons of animals being taken care of and drop off kennels for animals if they are closed. We made a small donation because you can see they are really taking care of those animals.

The folks here are amazing, dedicated & kind-​hearted people. An animal ambassador, Buttercup the opossum, and two volunteers, Carly & Laura visited my daughter’s 2^nd grade class this morning. Their 45 minute presentation was educational and fun. The students & teacher loved it. Thank you for teaching our youngest community members how to be caring environmentalist.

I volunteered here last weekend and I learned so much about Project Wildlife and what they do. Any organization that saves and protects animals of any kind gets an A+ in my book. Some animals they save can be rehabilitated to be released back into the wild… and others cannot, so they become ambassadors.
I am very happy to support this organization.

I found an injured dove while I was out walking our pug, so I texted my girlfriend who was back in the house knowing that together we’d figure something g out. I knew I’d not be able to rest easy if I just left him there. So we started calling around and just as it seemed that every place we called would point us somewhere else: we found Project Wildlife. We had put him in a shoebox and got some dove food from Pet smart along the way and finally got to the PW Headquarters. They have an awesome little porch with cages for each kind of animal each having its own heating pad to keep the little guys warm until the volunteers get there. My gf and I agree this is the coolest thing for animals we’ve seen in a while. If you find injured wildlife then this place is ready and waiting with the right tools to complete your hopes for what we know the injured little guys need: TLC…

I’ve been a volunteer here for about 5 years so speaking from an «insider view» I have to say this nonprofit is unlike any other! San Diego is the most ecologically diverse area in the U.S. — how can 1 single nonprofit keep up with providing care for hundreds of different species?!
Well, Project Wildlife (PW) does it well! They have been around for more than 40 years and this longevity goes to show that they are doing something right. I love being a volunteer and really believe I’m helping my organizations mission each day — even when I’m exhausted and continue to care for sick/​injured birds of prey nonstop during the «baby season.»
Project Wildlife is awesome!

So sorry to know about the problems at Project Wildlife this last year. They seem to have lost site of their mission — caring for animals — and have been adversely affected by in-​fighting, organization politics, and just plain bad decision making (including the firing of their best & most skilled staff); all this has been at the expense of the animals who so desperately need our help and financial support. The public needs to know that not only have valued staff been let go, but many volunteers and donors have left as well. As long time donors, we have redirected our philanthropic dollars to Fund for Animals and Mostly Monkeys (Ramona, CA). What a shame. The PW Board needs to step up and rescue this vital organization. That said, sincerest thanks to the many dedicated volunteers who have stayed the course and continued to support the animals so critically in need of our support. We hope that the Board «gets» the message and does what needs to be done.

5÷18÷2014
Came in again :] A family member caught a bird from the backyard that acted strange. This bird just doesn’t fly off when you approach. We weren’t sure if it was sick or not. When I brought the bird in to Project Wildlife I got a surprise. Low and behold, it wasn’t a wild bird at all. Someone must have lost a pet bird. No wonder it looked like one of those fancy birds from PetSmart! The volunteer gave me really clear directions to take the bird to the Humane Society, which was just a few blocks away. The Project Wildlife volunteer was very helpful even though he said they couldn’t take the bird. The bird is now safe at the Humane Society. ^_​^
4÷20÷2014
I brought in a baby skunk today. I found the poor kit alone and on the side of the road with no momma nearby. I have no doubt it is in very good hands because I’ve been a volunteer for them before at the main care center. :] They have a high patient survival and release rate.
I was greeted at the door by two female volunteers who were very smiley. :D One of the female volunteers was talking to me about the form I needed to fill out to drop the skunk off when a male volunteer swoops by and takes my bag (with skunk inside) away. I try to say something to him as he’s walking away, but he only turns back once to glance at me and continues walking quickly away. I understand skunks are a rabies vector, but rabies is not airborne and it doesn’t matter how fast you walk away! It was just plain rude! Tell me what you are doing before you run off like that. I was in disbelief. I ask him questions when he gets back and he answers my questions with an expression of what looked like annoyance. I had more questions, but the look he gave me made me leave. :(
They are the people to take injured, orphaned, and sick wildlife to. The dedicated volunteers do amazing things! :D I just wish I didn’t run into a volunteer that was so rude to me! Treat the animals, but please don’t be discourteous to the people who bring the animals to you.

Thank you to Project Wildlife for taking on the tiny baby possum that my husband found in the mud being stalked by a hungry crow. I had no idea how to care for it. It was one lucky possum as I found out that they have a very specific diet and are even lactose intolerant. Thank you again Project Wildlife.

This organization is amazing. I’ve been taking wildlife to them for years, mostly birds. I urge everyone to step up when they see a sick or injured animal, with care of course or by calling PW in hopes that they have the staff or volunteers to come to the scene or can advise you on what to do. I also urge everyone to give them a donation with each animal. $ 25 at the very least. They do this out of love, not profit and they could use a lot of help. They are also in need of supplies which you can find on their website
under «Animal Care Wishlist».
No, I don’t work for them but I believe this strongly about their mission, what they do, and what they stand for.

My cat caught a baby gopher and since the little guy was still alive and not injured. I decides to rescue it. My daughter and I found this place and they were willing to take in the baby

At Christmas time in 2012 I found an injured Hawk behind my house and brought it to them and I was so grateful that someone — anyone — could something — anything — for this poor magnificent creature. I wrapped it in a blanket and drove it to Project Wildlife where they took it in. In the wild I think it would have been eaten over night but on the road it was bound to suffer. Thank you Project Wildlife. You deserve as much attention as any non-​profit.

We found a injured bird being attacked by crows outside of my office and wanted to help but did not know what to do. After entering a google search for «what do to when you find an injured bird», the Project Wildlife website came up and we are sooooo glad it did!
First we got the very helpful hotline, and then we were able to get ahold of a volunteer. Keep in mind this was at 7:30pm. These volunteers are extremely helpful, knowledgeable and dedicated to helping the unfortunate wildlife that find themselves in dire straits.
I’m so amazed that a place like this exists and very thankful for the hard work the volunteers do.
THANK YOU!
— Tamara Cross

I recently had a situation where I found an injured hummingbird while out on my morning walk in Crown Point by the bay… I didn’t know what to do with such a tiny, seemingly fragile little bird. But, clearly he was not going to make it through the day as this was an area that was heavily trafficked by dogs, joggers, and everyone is tuned into their cellphones & mp3 players.
I thought a dog would just slurp up that little, helpless bird. So, I went back home and found Project Wildlife, called them up and they were so good about getting me all the instructions on how to handle the bird and connected me with some volunteers who transported the bird to their facility…
I was super impressed with the level of knowledge, network of volunteers, and professionalism. I wrote a good blog post on it so if you go to my website in my profile you can read the story there — and check out the video… it is under the «Inspiration» category (right side navigation)
There is a very happy ending to this one!
I say, support Project Wildlife!

Project Wildlife is an amazing non-​profit organization that rehabilitates sick, orphaned or injured animals. It’s run mostly by volunteers (& some staff), and they work very hard to help & care for wildlife, making it possible for them to be put back into the wild. They promote wildlife conservation by doing education programs for kids and providing an up close encounter with California wildlife; they do this with their «animal ambassadors».
It’s a wonderful organization, and they work very hard to give those sick, orphaned or injured animals a second chance at life. They have been around since 1972, and take in over 10,000 animals a year.
They do NOT do domestic animals. If you see any orphaned, sick, or injured wildlife call (619) 225-​WILD & check out their website.