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.

Our ultimate goal

is to open an educational center that will allow kids of all ages to come and learn about and appreciate wildlife. This center would enable us to reach out and educate the Jacksonville community by participating with local schools and organizations.

The information that we could share through this facility would create awareness about the need to live in harmony with nature to children and adults who may not have had the opportunity to experience wildlife in their everyday lives. We hope that with the addition of an educational center, we can inspire new people, like you, to become volunteers, members, rehabilitators, and sponsors of our organization.


Objectives

  • Set up and maintain a system to provide assistance to those who find orphaned, injured and displaced wildlife.
  • Facilitate establishment and maintenance of physical facilities to treat and rehabilitate wildlife.
  • Identify areas for release of rehabilitated wildlife.
  • Recruit and train volunteers and rehabilitators to care for wildlife.
  • Educate the community about Northeast Florida wildlife issues.

Our History

The Wildlife Rescue Coalition of Northeast Florida began in 1997 in Barbara Y. Tidwell’s backyard. It was evolved out of the express need to find a safe haven for orphaned, injured, and displace native wildlife, who through no fault of their own, were pushed from their homes or injured due to development in the Northeast Florida area.

Over a seven-year period, Barbara worked to establish a designated place to take these native wildlife animals in distress and rehabilitate and release them back into a safe habitat, Barbara met with mayors, city officials, and established domestic animal shelters in the area to no avail. While her idea was considered noble, there seemed to be no funding or real interest in developing such an organization at a city level.

In 2003, as development continued, and more animals were brought to Barbara’s backyard by concerned citizens, she approached the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council for help since city planning was their mission and development was at the root cause of this animal crisis. They listened and did see the connection. While they had no ability to fund the organization, they did provide a planning team to assist with the development of a 501(c) 3 and support staff to establish this professional organization. Then Barbara applied for and obtained a wildlife rehabilitation permit from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

At this point, Barbara went into the community to solicit donations of land, buildings, cages, and equipment to construct an official wildlife site where animals in distress could be housed and treated. She then found appropriate release sites where the rehabilitated animals could be released back into their natural habitat in order to continue the circle of life. She then began to solicit board members to support the bylaws of the organization. Next, animal volunteers and veterinarians were found from all over the city to assist Barbara with the triage, care and treatment of these orphaned, injured, and displaced animals. All these services have been provided through caring citizen donations, fundraisers, volunteer staff, and veterinarian personnel. Now it is time for the next step after over 20 years…

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