Crowded wildlife rehab center in Plano seeks community help

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At the North Texas Wildlife Center, every life is worth saving.

Dozens of volunteers work out of an East Plano house, nursing sick, injured and orphaned Texas wildlife.

“A lot of these animals come to us completely disregarded by people,” said the organization’s president Rebecca Hamlin. “We've had animals lay on the side of the road for hours or days and then finally someone comes, and they bring them to us and we can give them a chance.”

Anyone who finds an animal in need can contact the group about potentially admitting it for care.

The North Texas Wildlife Center also works with area animal shelters, other non-profits, and animal sanctuaries.

The non-profit does not share its address with the public in order to protect animals in their care, according to Hamlin.

They are contacted from across Dallas- Fort Worth year-round.

It's not just baby season that's keeping the team especially busy this year, they’ve been flooded with animals since the spring storms, taking in 80 animals in a single day in May.

“We were exhausted, and we went home with no power,” said Hamlin with a smile. “But we have to move forward the best we can.”

The rehabilitation center is currently caring for dozens of opossums, raccoons, baby skunks and songbirds.

There are also federally protected Eastern Screech Owls in their care.

Hamlin says they took in several anhingas, which are also protected birds after trees toppled at UT-Southwestern’s Rookery.

“We've had some people say ‘Hey, I found these in the storm, and I've been feeding them for three weeks and now they're declining,’” said Hamlin.

The nonprofit is calling on the community to help manage the increase in animals through financial help and donations including newspapers and puppy pads.

“We are in constant need of kennels, specifically top opening kennels,” she said. “The formula that we use for these guys, about a 20-pound bucket of formula will last a couple of weeks. That's about $300. We have a wish list that we post on Facebook that has all the things that we need, and we update it weekly.”

While the team’s number one goal is to rehab and release wild animals, they aren’t always able to save lives.

The group not only pays for vet bills but also pays cremation services for animals that die or are euthanized.

Hamlin says she knows some people do not share her passion for helping these kinds of animals, but she stresses they are important for maintaining the balance of the ecosystem.

She’s also noticed a change in people’s views once they walk through their doors.

“Something happens called a compassion dump where someone sees an animal that they've never cared about before and all of a sudden, they're like ‘oh my god but he needs me, he needs to eat, he needs warmth,’” she said. “And that's why people will drive from all across the metroplex to our organization.”

If you would like more information on how to help, click on the North Texas Wildlife Center’s Facebook page.

You can also reach out to the group via email at, [email protected].