Protecting Our Wild Neighbors

Nonprofit focus sponsored by the Potts Family Foundation

Based in Noble, WildCare Oklahoma operates on a scale that rivals the largest wildlife rehabilitation centers in the country. The nonprofit’s mission is broad but deeply interconnected: wildlife conservation, public education, a help desk, and the hands-on rehabilitation and release of injured, ill, and orphaned wildlife. Together, those pillars support a single goal—keeping Oklahoma’s wild animals wild, healthy, and where they belong.

Although based in Cleveland County, WildCare Oklahoma serves the entire state. In recent years, the organization has admitted animals from 75 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. This year alone, the center expects to admit more than 9,500 wildlife patients, placing it among the ten largest wildlife rehabilitation facilities in the United States by annual admissions.

That figure, however, only tells part of the story. Last year, WildCare’s help desk handled more than 42,000 calls, often preventing unnecessary admissions before animals ever reach the facility.

Inger Giuffrida, executive director of WildCare Oklahoma, explains that the most common way the facility receives patients is “when an Oklahoman finds an animal that needs help and brings it to our doors. We’ve had people drive from the Panhandle with an injured barn owl, or drive all the way from Miami, Oklahoma to bring us a turtle that was hit by a car. We’re so grateful for the care and compassion that people show to these animals they could so easily ignore.”

Giuffrida stresses the importance of calling the WildCare hotline: “The help desk, staffed by live humans every day of the year—including holidays—exists to guide Oklahomans through wildlife encounters before they escalate. Calls address everything from baby animals picked up by well-meaning residents to conflicts involving raccoons, squirrels, or beavers.” By calling the hotline, staff and trained volunteers can either help prevent callers from capturing and transporting animals that are not in danger, or provide guidance for safely getting animals to WildCare.

Once an animal arrives, care begins immediately. Since 2019, WildCare has operated a full veterinary unit, which includes a veterinarian, two veterinary technicians, and a veterinary assistant, with an additional technician position currently being added. Based on condition and species, patients are routed to emergency medical care, a nursery, or other specialized housing, following species-specific protocols.

The work is relentless, particularly during peak summer months, when intakes can reach 100 animals per day. Orphaned baby mammals are fed up to five times daily, while baby birds may require feeding every 15 to 60 minutes, depending on their stage of development. The rehabilitation process is intentionally progressive, moving animals from incubators to bassinets, indoor habitats, and eventually outdoor release enclosures. Release decisions are guided by natural behavior benchmarks, appropriate weight, and relevant survival skills.

Yet WildCare Oklahoma’s leaders emphasize that rehabilitation is not the endgame—it is the last resort. Preventing wildlife crises is where the organization sees its greatest potential impact.

Many of the most common causes of admission—dog and cat attacks, unnecessary trapping, and habitat disruption—are preventable. There is also a wide range of proactive measures people can take to avoid many of these situations.

The center provides coexistence-based education, such as repairing broken soffits before baby season, avoiding outdoor pet food, and scheduling tree removal in November or December to prevent nest destruction. Free-roaming cats, identified as one of the most significant invasive threats to wildlife, are a major focus of the center’s public education.

Education and outreach form the backbone of WildCare Oklahoma’s long-term vision. After the help desk, education is considered the organization’s most critical program area. Last year alone, WildCare reached more than 8,000 people through in-person education, engaging an estimated 80 percent of participants directly. Social media extends that reach, focusing on factual, actionable advice and real-world guidance.

A robust volunteer program supports nearly every aspect of the organization, from animal care to rescue response. Training sessions regularly fill to capacity, though the center faces retention challenges due to its rural location. To address this, WildCare uses creative engagement strategies, including dispatching volunteers to assist elderly or disabled community members with wildlife situations they cannot manage alone.

Despite its scale and impact, WildCare Oklahoma operates with striking financial efficiency. Approximately 95 percent of all revenue goes directly to programs and services. Funding comes primarily from individual donors, supplemented by small grants and limited corporate support. The organization receives no federal, state, county, city, or United Way funding and operates without dedicated development or marketing staff. Fundraising responsibilities fall largely to the executive director, with any budget growth directed toward animal care and veterinary capacity rather than administrative expansion.

Beyond rehabilitation, WildCare Oklahoma also responds to confiscations and hoarding cases, including a recent rescue of 20 axolotls from an animal-hoarding situation. The species is functionally extinct in the wild, and many of the confiscated animals were severely malnourished or injured. Through careful rehabilitation and partnerships, every surviving axolotl was ultimately placed in an accredited aquarium.

In a state defined by its ecological richness and rapid development, WildCare Oklahoma serves as both a safety net and educator—bridging the gap between people and wildlife. By pairing intensive hands-on care with prevention, coexistence strategies, and statewide education, the organization works not just to save individual animals, but to reshape how Oklahomans live alongside the wild neighbors in their midst.

WildCare staff are available seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. to provide assistance in wildlife emergencies. Add their number to your contacts, so you’ll have it when you need it: (405) 872-9338. To learn more about WildCare Oklahoma, or to donate or volunteer, visit wildcareoklahoma.org.

How You Can Help Prevent Wildlife Emergencies

• Repair broken soffits from Nov. – Feb. to keep animals from nesting indoors during baby season.
• Feed pets indoors to prevent attracting wildlife to your property.
• Schedule tree removal for Nov. or Dec. to prevent nest destruction.
• Keep cats indoors, as free-roaming cats are one of the most significant invasive threats to wildlife. Nationally, cats kill more than one billion birds each year.

For more information on coexistence-based education, visit wildcareoklahoma.org.

This article appears in Let the Games Begin.