Wildlife Response Inc

A nonprofit organization

$24,719 raised by 293 donors

25% complete

$100,000 Goal

For rehabbers, Spring is not called Spring, but “Baby Season”. At this time of the year one wildlife rehabber may be caring for over 60 babies that need to be fed every few hours around the clock.

Every winter, when the weather gets colder and the days get shorter. Cold weather means less food resources and leads to the animals becoming thin and unable to care for themselves. Every year the number of animals increases, and so does the cost of their care.

Medication, good nutrition, and care are the things wildlife need the most. But this comes at a cost.

It varies greatly but the average cost to rehabilitate one orphaned animal to be released back into the wild exceeds $550, and will take anywhere between 4 weeks and 6+ months.

Wildlife Response, Inc. (WRI) is a non-profit (501(c)(3) organization that was founded in 1992 to care for orphaned and injured wildlife in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia.

Wildlife Response, Inc. is a network of licensed wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians, and other volunteers dedicated to giving Mother Nature a helping hand. Licensed volunteers provide professional care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife so they can be returned to the wild and be indistinguishable from those raised by wild parents.

Since 1992 we have cared for over 38,000 wild creatures.

Our hotline receives ~12,500 calls per year.

Wildlife Response, Inc. is dedicated to the preservation of wildlife through rehabilitation and education. On a local level, the steady arrival of new residents to the Hampton Roads area is having an overwhelming impact on our wildlife and natural environment. As we accommodate this progression, it is essential that people who now call the greater Hampton Roads area home understand the sensitive balance of human and non-human populations, the effect we have on the natural environment, and the best ways in which we can coexist.

The Wildlife Response & Rehabilitation Center (WRRC)

The Wildlife Response and Rehabilitation Center will be a central location where local citizens, animal control officials and other agencies can drop off wildlife; as well as provide a redistribution center for animals where they can be triaged, then sent to permitted home-based wildlife rehabilitators. This facility will provide state of the art veterinary care, and a safe recuperation site for wildlife brought there. WRI will also provide security for the Center by having a caretaker onsite, thus maintaining the property’s integrity and minimizing the risk of vandalism and trespassing. Most recuperated wildlife will be released offsite in appropriate habitat. Release criteria depend on variables such as weather, time of year, species of animal, age of animal or number of animals.

When the Center opens, it will launch an expanded educational platform for WRI that will be used to cultivate an understanding of our immediate environment and the wildlife that we cohabitate with. This portion of WRI’s mission will be fulfilled with onsite and offsite programs which may include "wild ambassadors" (animals unable to be returned to the wild but can help spread the message of wildlife conservation). The facility will also be available to other appropriately credentialed area rehabbers.

The Center is currently under construction and not open to the public.

WRI Hotline 757-543-7000

If you have found injured wildlife, please don't email us! Call our Hotline for assistance.

If someone has not responded to your message within an hour, please call back and leave a message in the main mailbox. Messages are checked regularly by volunteers so please be patient. We will contact you as soon as possible.