Thank you to everyone who helped make this years golf tournament the best one yet! This was made possible because of the support of sponsors, golfers and the many great volunteers who all team up together and help Texas wildlife get a second chance at life.
The Wildlife Center of Texas has teamed up with Amazon.com to help our wildlife friends! Now when you make a purchase on Amazon.com, the Wildlife Center of Texas will receive up to 10% back on the purchase price. You must use the special links for the Wildlife Center of Texas to receive the donation. Click on the picture of the items you are interested in buying below and start shopping to save lives. Please bookmark the link and share with your friends to help us, help them!
The Wildlife Center of Texas continues to ready all of its baby nurseries for the upcoming baby season. the Center has already cared for hundreds of baby squirrels, opossums and rabbits this year. The first babies back in late January are already in release cages or have already been released. It seems that the day a group goes out another group comes in so the nurseries stay full. We received our first fawn of the season so we are reminding everyone to make sure that a fawn you might find is truly orphaned or injured before picking it up. A call the Wildlife Center can help make that determination. Baby birds are also finding their way to the Center. If a baby bird is found on the ground and seems to be in good shape try putting it back in the nest. If you can’t reach the nest try using a hanging basket to put the baby in. After observing for several hours, if the parents do not come back then bring it to the Wildlife Center. The Wildlife Center has several baby owlets, doves and songbirds. While our mammal babies are quiet, the baby birds certainly are not, and let us know they are ready to eat all the time. Dedicated staff and volunteers are on hand to keep everyone healthy and happy with food preparation, feeding and cage cleaning. If you would like to volunteer please visit our Get Involved Volunteering page.
We need your help! The Wildlife Center of Texas has been swamped with an influx of baby squirrels. Over 100 were admitted over the past weekend, and they expect many more to arrive in the next couple of weeks. Please visit The Wildlife Center of Texas Wish List on Amazon.com and donate an Aquarium Brooder Top which helps keep them warm and safe between feedings.
Join us for the 9th Annual Wildlife Center of Texas Golf Tournament at the Wildcat Golf Club on March 20, 2013. This year's event is bigger and better than ever with lots of great prizes, including a chance to win a trip to historic Pebble Beach! You can help save the lives of injured, ill or orphaned native wildlife, all while playing golf on a course named one of the Top 10 Luxury Courses by Avid Golfer Magazine! Plus, if your team makes a donation of more than $1,200 in the Pebble Beach challenge, EACH player will receive a brand new Adams Speedline or Krank Rage custom driver valued at $400! There will be food, live music and much, much more. Space is filling up fast, so don't delay, sign up today! The tournament has an 8:00 am shotgun start with registration beginning at 7:00 am. The Wildlife Center of Texas is Houston’s only wildlife trauma and rehabilitation center that accepts all injured, sick or orphaned native wildlife species. We provide short and long-term care and rehabilitation to the animals brought to the center, and increase public awareness and education on responsible environmental stewardship. Last year, we provided treatment and care to nearly 9,000 wild animals comprising 286 different species. The Wildlife Center of Texas is also the “go to” organization when natural or man-made catastrophes impact the environment and the animals. Our teams are on call 24-7 and respond to oil spills year in and year out (more than 60 total to date). We also conduct Oiled Wildlife Response workshops for volunteers (training over 600 to respond to the Deepwater Horizon disaster), corporations and the Texas General Land Office, allowing us to educate industries [...]
Photo Courtesy of Jim Smith A gentleman was out walking his dog and noticed this injured great blue heron tangled in fishing line with a damaged wing in one of the ponds in Meyers Park. Calls were made and the Wildlife Center of Texas was contacted. Photo Courtesy of Jim Smith WCT volunteer, Karen Smith, was asked to coordinate the rescue. Thanks to the fabulous efforts of Harris County precinct four Meyers Park crew and Karen this injured great blue heron was captured and taken to the Wildlife Center of Texas. The bird was examined and an imbedded hook was removed. The wing wounds were cleaned and the bird was put on antibiotics and pain medications. Wildlife Center staff and volunteers are amazed at how feisty this bird is and expect him to make a full recovery. Photo Courtesy of Jim Smith Thanks to Jim who found the bird; Karen who went to rescue and retrieve the bird, the park crew who helped with the rescue, skilled veterinarians and dedicated WCT staff and volunteers, this heron should be back out in the wild in a couple of weeks. Thank you to all who were involved.
The adult male bobcat that was rescued from the Friendswood area back on December 12, 2012 was transported to the Houston Zoo to undergo a root canal on February 20, 2013 (click here to see a video of his prior treatment). Several of his teeth were in poor condition and a root canal was performed to prevent infection. The 2-hour long procedure was performed by Dr. Maryanne Tocidlowski of the Houston Zoo and Dr. Frank Shuman of the Houston SPCA. To prepare the bobcat for surgery, he was sedated, blood was drawn and x-rays were taken. The dental work involved 6 root canals which comprised 4 canines and 2 premolars. The procedure involved drilling a hole in the top of the tooth, filing down the area around the hole, cleaning out the canal and disinfecting and drying the entire area. The hole was filled with an inert latex-like compound and the hole was capped with a resin based dental restorative compound. After the surgery, the bobcat was safely transported back to the Houston SPCA where he is being monitored by our veterinary staff. While in the care of The Wildlife Center of Texas and the Houston SPCA, the bobcat has been treated for and recovered from flea infestation, a bacterial infection and sarcoptic mange. The bobcat was also severely emaciated and over the course of six weeks, he has gained 15% of his initial body weight. We will continue to monitor his progress until he is ready to return to his native habitat. The bobcat was found in poor condition in a rural area and initially brought to The Wildlife Center of Texas, a subsidiary of the Houston SPCA. Last year, nearly 9,000 wild animals, [...]
On Sunday afternoon, the Wildlife Center of Texas received a call about a heron that was hanging by an old kite string in a pine tree. The heron had been perched on a limb earlier that morning, but evidently had fallen off and wrapped the line around the first few flight feathers of one wing. The heron was hanging about 50-60 feet up in the air by just those feathers. The Wedgewood Forest neighborhood and other residents out enjoying their Sunday strolls became immediately involved in trying to help the heron. Extension ladders, law enforcement, and a variety of other avenues were explored or attempted with no success. Karen Smith, volunteer with The Wildlife Center of Texas, drove out to the site prior to dusk to survey the situation and plan accordingly. The only solution was to find a tree service that would volunteer their time to assist. On Monday morning. Shain Mann, owner of Mann’s Tree Service, volunteered to meet Karen at the residence, along with his employee, James. Click the photo to enlarge James had to climb a nearby pine tree and was able to pull the heron toward him to cut it free from the kite string. Residents and Karen were ready on the ground with a blanket to catch the heron in a free-fall situation. James was able to carefully secure a rope to the heron and slowly lower it down. The heron was cold and in shock. Karen immediately drove it to the Wildlife Center of Texas where it was warmed, stabilized and given pain medications. A huge “thank you” goes out to Shain Mann and James for their assistance. As we have mentioned before, it takes a community [...]
In the last two months, The Wildlife Center of Texas has seen an increase in the number of gunshot victims arriving for rescue and rehabilitation. In fact, approximately 1/3 of the hawks who are coming into the center are suffering from trauma related to gunshot wounds. The animals are being found in both suburban and rural areas of our region. All native Texas wildlife are protected by law and harming them is a crime. Currently, The Wildlife Center of Texas is caring for five Red-tailed Hawks suffering from gunshot wounds. The most recent victim was shot in both his leg and wing. Presently, he is receiving veterinary and rehabilitative care to heal his painful and life-threatening injuries. The Center also has a Peregrine Falcon who suffered gunshots to both wings. The road to rehabilitation and ultimately release back into the wild can be long and involves radiographs, surgery, pain management, and antibiotic and hydration therapy. If the animals cannot be released because of the severity of their injuries, The Wildlife Center of Texas works with reputable sanctuaries and zoos for placement where they can live out their lives in a protected environment. In the case of the Peregrine Falcon, she became an Education Ambassador for The Wildlife Center of Texas because her injuries were so severe she would not survive in the wild. The Wildlife Center of Texas says that it is critical to get help as soon as possible if you find a wild animal that has been injured or orphaned. They are open 7 days a week, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and are located at 7007 Katy Road, Houston, TX 77024. After hours, they ask that you place the animal in [...]
The Wildlife Center of Texas was called out to help rescue a great egret in Dickinson, Texas. A person reported that a great egret was caught in a tree hanging over a bayou. The WCT rehabilitator enlisted the help of her husband and another volunteer and in the cold rain canoed across the bayou to the island where the bird was hanging. The bird was freed and a quick exam showed the bird to be very weak, in shock and had fishing line hanging from its mouth (swallowed a fish hook). The bird was rushed to the Wildlife Center where staff and volunteers administered warm fluids and put the bird in a heating unit. The bird was stabilized and radio graphs were taken. The egret has bruised wings and feet, and will need surgery to remove the fishing hook. The Wildlife Center of Texas thanks these volunteers who went above and beyond to come to the rescue of this splendid water birds.
