Our Mission
To ensure respect for all wildlife through education and conservation, while providing orphaned, injured and displaced animals with a second chance at life.
What We Do
Our organization would not exist without the dedicated volunteer network we rely on every day.
These volunteers live and work throughout northeast Florida, from Fernandina Beach to Palm Coast to Hastings to Palatka, allowing us to rescue and rehabilitate impacted wildlife within a significant portion of NE Florida.
Why We Do
What We Do
The pace of development in Florida results in a continuous displacement of wildlife from their natural habitats, and it is our mission to rescue, rehab, and release these animals back into the wild so as many of them as possible may thrive.
Last year, our organization took approximately 3000 animals into care, including raccoons, squirrels, opossums, gopher tortoises, armadillos, foxes, bats, and deer. These animals are frequently victims of vehicular traffic, construction, predators, storms resulting in wind damage and downed trees, poison, or animal mistreatment.
Our History
The Wildlife Rescue Coalition began in 1997 in the backyard of our founder,
Barbara Tidwell, and since then has grown to one of the largest wildlife rescue organizations in the region.
Our center originated in Jacksonville and is currently located on 26 acres of private property in
St. Augustine, under the directorship of Lisa Rowell.
Hotline
Our hotline (904-779-5569) accepts calls from the public 24/7 and messages are monitored by a dedicated phone team from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The phone team is the first and often most important point of contact with the public, and they are responsible for getting crucial assessment information from a caller, offering advice and best practices, and coordinating with nearby fosters who can take the animal into care as quickly as possible.
Off-Site Support
Our experienced off-site volunteers dedicate their time and house space around the clock to care of injured and orphaned animals, and while each animal’s time with a foster is brief, it is a crucial step in preparation for release. Fosters feed, tube-feed, heal injuries, clean, and meticulously monitor growth – through their efforts we are able to release animals who otherwise would not stand a chance in the wild.
Transport Team
Our transport team helps WRC respond to animals in distress regionally, often driving (sometimes flying!) long distances on short notice. While we are not trappers or a wildlife removal service, our WRC transporters are truly mission-critical in getting animals the immediate care they need, whether it’s to a foster, an emergency vet, or to our center.
eCenter Volunteers
The center’s daily operations are run by our Director Lisa Rowel with the help of Debbie who trains and supervises volunteers.
Center volunteers are signing up for some of the dirtiest jobs our organization requires, center volunteers work through all weather conditions to feed, water, clean cages, evaluate wildlife, organize supplies, and helping to prepare all animals for wilding to endure a successful release.
Education
There are very few options for members of the public when they encounter wildlife in need, so we are always looking for ways to raise awareness of our hotline, as well as educate the community about the wildlife species they encounter.
When someone encounters an animal in need, we typically advise that they:
- Call us immediately: 904-779-5569. The phone line is staffed throughout the day, and we check messages hourly.
- Keep the animal warm and safe from predators, using supplies on hand such as boxes, towels, heating pad on low, or warmed rice sock.
- Don’t feed or water the animal.
- In the case of orphaned babies such as squirrels, give the mother a chance to retrieve the babies by placing them in a sturdy box near where they were found.
- Continue with any care we recommend once our phone team is in contact.
We also spend time dispelling common myths/misunderstandings about local wildlife, such as:
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Raccoons out during the day are probably rabid. (Not true! There are many reasons why raccoons may be seen during the day.)
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Bring orphaned babies inside immediately. (Not unless it is injured! Mom’s care is best, and we always urge the public to try to reunite with her. For squirrels, try until dusk; for raccoons, try to reunite overnight; fawns should generally be left alone; opossum mothers never return)
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Animals we take into care can never be released. (Happy to say that’s false! It is our mission to release rehabbed animals as soon as they are ready for the wild.)
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Wild animals near my property are a threat and need to be removed. (Most of the time, that’s not true. We occasionally receive calls from people asking that we trap or remove healthy wild animals, so we take the opportunity to explain why we do not.)
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Why are you taking so long to pick up the animal I found? (The WRC is a 100 percent volunteer organization and we work as quickly as we can to meet with finders and place animals with fosters. Our phone team will have some good advice for you in the meantime!)
Coordinating with Other Organizations
We work closely with other animal rescue organizations and agencies to offer the most expedient and humane options for injured or displaced wildlife.
These organizations include:
- Florida Fish and Wildlife Regional Office: 386-758-0525
- FWC Law Enforcement (Hotline): 888-404-3922
- Animal Help Now – AHNOW.ORG – Searchable Database For Entirety of Florida
- The Ark - St. Augustine (birds) 904-669-5276 (Karen Lynch)
- Bebettes Bunny Rescue (for domestic bunnies) – Hilliard 904-874-6734
- First Coast Rabbit Rescue 904-389-2062
- Trapping and Removal: Coastal Wildlife and Pest Control: Office – 904-855-9490