Dane County Humane Society’s (DCHS’s) Wildlife Center opened its doors in 2002, admitting only 107 animals for treatment. What began as a small program has grown into a vital community resource that now helps more than 3,000 wild animals each year. Staff also guide over 7,000 callers, host hands-on learning experiences for all ages, and mentor the next generation of conservation and animal care professionals. More than 100 volunteers and interns contribute over 22,000 hours annually, working alongside staff to rehabilitate the thousands of sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals that come through our doors. After nearly 25 years of service in southern Wisconsin, DCHS’s Wildlife Center reached a remarkable milestone last year: over 50,000 wild animals have been admitted for rehabilitation since the program began.

Wildlife rehabilitation is more than just medical care—it’s a promise to protect the health, resilience, and diversity of the natural world around us. It requires licensed rehabilitators to have specialized knowledge, experience, and state and federal permits, expertise that DCHS’s Wildlife Center brings to our community every single day. When a wild animal is found hurt or struggling, our trained rehabilitators offer advice over the phone, and in many cases, admit them for evaluation, giving these animals a second chance by providing skilled treatment and a safe place to recover. Our hope is that they eventually return to their natural homes as healthy members of their species.

For many wild animals, that second chance simply wouldn’t exist without people who care about their well-being. Injured, sick, or orphaned wildlife rarely survive on their own, and without intervention they face prolonged suffering or death. Thanks to attentive neighbors who call DCHS’s Wildlife Center, and especially to supporters who fund these rehabilitation services, our team provides triage, pain management, support, and treatment in a safe, quiet environment. The program gives community members a trusted place to turn when they encounter a wild animal in need, and helps people learn to live responsibly alongside wildlife who share our backyards, parks, and neighborhoods.

Animals of all ages arrive at the Wildlife Center in every imaginable condition, often in crisis and suffering from dehydration, starvation, disease, or traumatic injuries. Many of these problems are caused by everyday human activities and human-made environments, like being trapped in a building, vehicle collisions, window strikes, getting tangled in garbage, exposure to toxins, or habitat loss and destruction. By rehabilitating these animals, DCHS’s Wildlife Center acts as a counterbalance for the impacts our busy world has on local wildlife. 

Behind the scenes, the Wildlife Center team provides advanced diagnostics and medical care with the support of sponsoring wildlife veterinarians. Bloodwork, x-rays, vision exams, parasite checks, and disease testing help to understand each patient’s health concerns and needs. When young animals are orphaned, rehabilitators may carefully re‑nest them when their parents are still present or place them with wild-foster parents if they are not. Or they provide specialized care onsite until the youngsters grow big, strong, and independent. Most animals recover within a few days or weeks, while others require a longer recovery of months of healthy diet, medicine, monitoring, and continued enrichment to prepare them for release. Each success story supports a more robust Wisconsin.

The goal is always to return patients to the wild. Animals are expertly cared for with as little human interaction as possible to preserve their natural behaviors and healthy fear of people as much as we can. Our team follows a strict code of ethics that prioritizes welfare and respects the wildness of each animal. 

As a nonprofit organization, DCHS receives no local, state, or federal funding for this work. Every moment of care, from food and medicine to facilities, equipment, and staffing, is made possible by donors. There is never a fee to bring in a wild animal, making community support essential for sustaining and expanding services. Each gift directly strengthens the Wildlife Center’s ability to care for more patients and offers the best possible outcomes for the 150+ species we treat every year. 

The Wildlife Center operates with a small team of dedicated rehabilitators, apprentices, a part-time wildlife educator, seasonal staff, interns, and volunteers. The team also collaborates with community partners like the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Care’s Zoological Medicine & Special Species Health Services. Volunteers and interns are an essential part of the work—preparing diets, feeding animals, cleaning habitats, providing enrichment, organizing supplies, and supporting public outreach. Their compassion and commitment uphold DCHS’s larger mission: helping people help animals.

For many, being part of this work is a joyful way to connect with nature, learn about the wild animals who live among us, and offer them a second chance when they need it most. As the Wildlife Center celebrates 25 years of rehabilitation, its impact is clear: thousands of animals given new beginnings and a community better equipped to care for the wildlife that makes Wisconsin such a special place to live.