A Sea of Murres in Trouble
Pacific Wildlife Care is responding to an unprecedented influx of Common Murres washing ashore along the Central Coast. Learn more about what may be behind this event, how we’re caring for these seabirds, and how you can help in our latest blog post.
We Won the 2026 Defender Service Awards!
We’re beyond excited to share that Pacific Wildlife Care has been named a 2026 Defender Service Award winner! The award includes a customized Defender 130 and $30,000 to support our work. We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who voted, shared our story, and helped bring this recognition home to the Central Coast.
Help Us Build a Forever Home for Wildlife!
Construction is officially underway on Pacific Wildlife Care’s new home, the Kim and Derrel Ridenour Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in San Luis Obispo! Located on a beautiful 10-acre property, this purpose-built facility will allow us to provide the highest standard of care for wildlife and expand our capacity to better serve the entire community.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our supporters, we’ve raised more than $11.5 million in gifts and pledges to bring this vision to life. But we’re not done yet and we still need your help to finish construction and open our doors to wildlife and the community.
Behind the Scenes at PWC
Pacific Wildlife Care (PWC) has been an advocate for wildlife in San Luis Obispo County since 1984.
From that time we have grown from a small group of dedicated home rehabilitators into a successful non-profit organization with a well-equipped rehabilitation center, a full-time wildlife veterinarian, a small paid staff, and nearly 200 volunteers. In addition to the Rehabilitation Center, which is open every day of the year, we maintain a Wildlife Hotline that the public can call to report distressed wildlife (injured, sick, orphaned) and to receive information about our local wildlife.
The Latest from PWC
Pacific Wildlife Care News
A Sea of Murres in Trouble
Since early September, Pacific Wildlife Care has been responding to an unprecedented influx of Common Murres washing ashore along California’s […]
Pacific Wildlife Care Wins the 2026 Defender Service Award
A three-minute video, a community-wide voting effort, and a lot of Central Coast pride brought the Defender Service Award home […]
So Small, So Uncommon
It would have been easy to miss the bird. Silent in flight, utterly still when perched, usually camouflaged in dense […]
You Just Can’t Make This Stuff Up
A juvenile gray fox had managed to get herself trapped in the skylight of a SLO home. When homeowners Rick […]
Coyote 658, From Lethargy to Energy
The coyote was in terrible shape. Brought to PWC from Nipomo, where he had been found by the side of […]
Long Journey to New Home
Three young American badgers were on the loose. Their mother had been struck by a car and killed on Highway […]
Facebook Posts
October is bat appreciation month and WE APPRECIATE OUR BATS! Did you know California’s Central Coast is home to 19 species of bats, including 7 species of special concern?
All bats on the Central Coast are insectivorous, eating mosquitoes, moths, beetles, crickets, spiders, and more! Bats can consume their body weight in insects every night. As nature’s pest controllers, bats help protect our crops from pests and prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. Bats in other places eat fruit, pollen, fish, and birds (and blood, but we don’t have any vampire bat species in the U.S.). Bats are well-known for their echolocation skills to navigate and forage in the dark, emitting high-frequency sounds and listening to the echoes that bounce back. Bats are not blind! They have sensitive eyesight tuned to low-light conditions.
Bats are the only truly flying mammals – and some can fly really fast! A 2016 study found Mexican free-tailed bats (which we see here in SLO County) flew over 100 mph, making them the fastest mammals on earth! When it gets cold in the winter, some bat species hibernate and other bat species migrate to warmer areas. Bats usually give birth to one or two pups and, like other mammals, the pups are nursed by mom. Like cats, bats spend a lot of time grooming. Bats can have surprisingly long lives, some species have been documented to live more than 30 years in the wild!
You can look for bats from dusk to dawn, especially where insects are abundant. If you’re lucky, you may spot the western mastiff bat, North America’s largest bat with a wingspan of 22 inches! If you find an injured or orphaned bat, or need advice with a bat-related issue, do not handle the bat and give our hotline a call (805) 543-WILD!
Here’s what you can do to help your local bats:
✅ Do not disturb bats
✅ Keep cats indoors
✅ Skip the pesticides
✅ Learn about the wonders of bats
✅ Promote the conservation of natural bat habitats
#Bats #Wildlife #WildlifeFacts ...
✨ RT Appreciation Week: A Special Spotlight on Marie! ✨
Some wildlife emergencies call for extra hands, and we’re incredibly grateful to have had Marie back at Pacific Wildlife Care helping with this year’s Common Murre influx!
Marie has been supporting PWC during major seabird response efforts since 2015, including that year’s Common Murre influx. With more than 25 years of wildlife rehabilitation experience, she specializes in aquatic bird care and oiled wildlife response, bringing valuable expertise from wildlife emergencies in the U.S. and abroad.
She’s also a co-founder of Bird Ally X and co-author of An Introduction to Aquatic Bird Rehabilitation. Since 2018, she has co-managed the Bird Ally X Avian Botulism Project at the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge, where thousands of birds have received care.
Marie is a longtime advocate for science-based, compassionate rehabilitation, with a special focus on understanding and reducing stress in wildlife patients. Her knowledge and experience are a tremendous resource for our team as we care for the many murres arriving at our clinic.
Thank you, Marie, for supporting these seabirds and for sharing your expertise with our team when it matters so much! 💛🌊
#PacificWildlifeCare #CommonMurres #WildlifeRehabilitation #SeabirdRescue ...
✨ RT Appreciation Week: meet our part-time staff! ✨
Wildlife rehabilitation takes a team, and especially during this year’s very busy summer months and recent murre influx, we’ve been especially grateful for the additional hands stepping in to help care for the many animals arriving at PWC.
Virginia has been part of PWC since 2003, back before we had our Morro Bay facility, when her home bathtub doubled as a seabird rehab space for injured loons, grebes, and pelicans! Today, Virginia helps fill in as a part-time Rehab Tech and is part of our Education Team. Outside of PWC, Virginia co-owns Central Coast Outdoors and you can find her guiding kayak trips in Morro Bay.
Melinda began rehabilitating wildlife with PWC in the late 1980s, after a gray fox kit sparked a lifelong passion. Back then, wildlife patients came home with her, and her whole family got involved, whether they planned to or not! After nearly four decades (and two retirements!), Melinda is still finding joy in wildlife rehabilitation. She’s our resident bat expert, a member of our Education Team, and excited to help PWC transition to our new facility. Outside of PWC, she co-owns the food truck Plant Ivy with her daughter, Ivy.
Alex first joined PWC as a volunteer before gaining additional wildlife and animal care experience at the Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley, LA Zoo, and Disneyland. After serving as our Baby Bird Program Technician last season, she returned as a Seasonal Rehab Tech this summer and has stayed on to help during the murre influx.
Lydia joined PWC as a volunteer in late 2025 and interned with our team this summer before continuing as a Rehab Tech. She graduated from Cal Poly with a degree in environmental management and discovered her passion for animal care while working at an animal sanctuary. Now taking prerequisites for veterinary school, Lydia is excited to keep building her skills in wildlife medicine and helping local wildlife return to the wild!
Thank you Virginia, Melinda, Alex, and Lydia – your time, expertise, and dedication make a difference for the animals in our care! 💛
#PacificWildlifeCare #VetTechApprectiationWeek #ThankYouRTs ...
✨ RT Appreciation Week: Meet Kathy! ✨
Kathy has been part of Pacific Wildlife Care since 1999! From the early days of home-based rehabilitation to serving on our Board of Directors and leading our education programs, Kathy has worn many PWC hats, each one reflecting her deep commitment to wildlife!
As a Rehab Tech since our Morro Bay facility opened in 2007, Kathy brings decades of knowledge and care to every patient. “I have learned so much throughout the years, and continue to learn and grow due to the skills of our veterinarian, Dr. Shannon Riggs.” Kathy specializes in caring for small mammals like western gray squirrels, woodrats, and her favorite, the Virginia opossum.
As our longtime Education Coordinator, she also inspires people to live in harmony with the wild world around them. She loves seeing those “aha!” moments that spark a lasting connection between people and wildlife.
“Being a part of PWC is a way that I feel I can do my small part to help mitigate the damage to our wild neighbors that is often caused by humans. It has also given me the opportunity to make valuable friendships with others that share a common bond.”
Thank you, Kathy, for 25+ years of compassion and dedication to wildlife and people alike!
🩺 It’s Rehabilitation Technician Appreciation Week, and we’re celebrating our incredible RTs! From medical exams and treatment plans to volunteer supervision and food prep, they do it all to keep our clinic running smoothly 💛
#PacificWildlifeCare #VetTechApprectiationWeek #ThankYouRTs ...