We have a handful of animals unable to be released for various reasons. These animals often serve as surrogate parents to newborn orphans brought to us by the community. Read some of our residents’ stories and sponsor one to help wildlife that can be released.
Bisbee
Found on a farm in Bisbee. A family raised Bisbee in a bathroom for 10 months before the daughter went to college and didn’t want to care for the kitten anymore. Bisbee was given to a rehab center who then transferred her to TWC in 2015 after the other rehab center closed. Bisbee is about 14-15 years old. Cannot be released but fosters kittens.
Nono and Valentine
Barn owls have been with the Center since 2009 and 2010. Wing injuries cause them to no longer fly silently. Silent flying is critical for hunting in the wild. They are now foster parents for the center to help rehabilitate young barn owls. Nono and Valentine teach their adoptive young how to behave like a barn owl providing important life lessons needed to survive in the wild.
Bubba
Bubba was admitted to TWC as a fledgling great horned owl with a broken wing. His fracture healed very well and he was released to the wild. Sometime later, Bubba returned to TWC on his own He was extremely emaciated and came back looking for food. When he was healthy again and put in the flight cage, it was discovered that although Bubba was able to fly and maneuver through the air flawlessly, his wings were no longer silent. Because of scarring, a critical serrated feather would never regrow on his wing. Silent flying is necessary for great horned owls to hunt successfully – but Bubba sounds like a freight train! Bubba now lives in the sanctuary at TWC with his buddy Otto, another great horned owl.
Ruby
Ruby was illegally taken from the wild when she was a baby bobcat and kept as a pet. When she became weak and sick, the people who had taken her called our Center for help and we took her in. Shortly thereafter, the Center received a mother bobcat with two kittens of her own. The mother accepted Ruby and acted as a surrogate mother to her, providing her with the love and care she needed. The Center eventually released the mother and all three babies back into the wild. But Ruby, who had become so habituated to humans, kept approaching people near the land where she was released. The Center took Ruby back. She now lives in the sanctuary at TWC and has become a wonderful surrogate mother.
Bunnies
Tucson Wildlife Center is currently raising more than two dozen bunnies, many of them orphaned or attacked by pets, and we invite you to be a part of their rehabilitation journey.
This Summer, YOU can sponsor the rescue, rehabilitation and release of a wild bunny, for as little as $30 – the cost to feed and rehab one baby bunny. We hope you consider being a part of a wild bunny’s journey to freedom.
Big or small, every animal has purpose. At Tucson Wildlife Center, we are proud to rescue, provide emergency medical care, and rehabilitate Southern Arizona’s sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife before their return to the wild.
