North Texas Wildlife Center given 60 days to find new home or close
The North Texas Wildlife Center, a non-profit animal rescue, must find a new location in 60 days or face closure due to city zoning violations.
The center has seen a 50% increase in rescued animals this year, outgrowing its current Plano residential spot.
They need a centrally located new facility with outdoor space to continue helping injured and orphaned wildlife.
PLANO, Texas - When someone finds an injured or orphaned wild animal like a bird, duck, or bunny, the non-profit rescue center is the go-to place to save a life, but now they are the ones in need of a helping hand.
The North Texas Wildlife Center has grown so much in recent years that it's outgrown its home in the Plano neighborhood. The city now gives them 60 days to find a new location, or they will be forced to close their doors.
What they're saying
While the organization's expansion is a good thing for wild animals such as opossums, raccoons, cotton tails, squirrels, skunks, water fowl, egrets, herons, blue jays, owls, hawks and more.
Rebecca Hamlin is President of the rescue center, and one of about 50 volunteers.
"We rescue, rehabilitate, and release them into the wild. They are not friendly. They are not our pets. We want them to recover and go back into the wild to serve their ecological value," said Hamlin.
"We've had over 2,548 animals since January 1, which is a 50% increase."
All the increased traffic and street parking that comes along with the growth is not good for the neighborhood and, while the center has a permit, the City of Plano says they can no longer operate in residential zoning.
"They said, typically, we will give 13 days to vacate, but we will see what you are doing, and we appreciate you. We will give you 60 days, so Plano is being really generous to find a new place to call our home, which is scary, but I'm confident with community support we can make it happen."
Local perspective
Hamlin says the wildlife center serves a key role in society for both wildlife and humans.
"People don't know about wildlife rehab until they need it," she said. "We've had people bring us skunks, and they will say I hated skunks until I found this baby and I needed to save it, and they will have this emotional response."
The wildlife center provides a way for people to know they helped someone helpless, such as these tiny opossums, whose mom had ingested rat poison.
"A resident saw her, pulled the babies out of the pouch, saved by a good Samaritan," said Hamlin. "Had no chance until someone picked him up and said, 'I see you and want to help.'"
Hamlin tells FOX 4's Lori Brown that the people who bring in these animals are evidence for everyday residents who want to help.
"There are wildlife heroes every day, and we can't stop here. This is not where it ends for us, this is where it starts."
Dig deeper
Saving an opossum is what changed everything for Hamlin.
"I suffered from depression started rehabbing to save them and they saved me."
You may wonder how all of these little ones raised on a bottle here can learn how to be wild. In the hit movie Wild Robot, Bright Bill had to be taught how to fly. Well it turns out for these wild animals, it is all instinctual.
Mela Singleton is the founder of North Texas Wildlife Center and showed us one of their newest rescues.
"This guy is being tube-fed formula," she said. "He is doing great and expecting a full recovery," said Singleton.
"Wildlife are hard-wired for these things, as long as they have an environment conducive to recovery. They will do really well."
What's next
The City of Plano told us in a statement that the facility appears to be well managed, and the only issue is that it violates their zoning ordinance.
Hamlin says it is important that they stay in a central location so they can remain easily accessible to people who find injured or orphaned wildlife.
They also need outdoor space, so something similar to a former daycare or church would be ideal.
FOX 4 has a link HERE for those who are looking to get involved.
The Source
Information in this article was provided through interviews conducted by FOX 4's Lori Brown and the North Texas Wildlife Center.
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