Help Us Build a Forever Home for Wildlife!
Pacific Wildlife Care is thrilled to announce our plans for a new, permanent home in San Luis Obispo. Located on a beautiful 10-acre property, the Kim and Derrel Ridenour Wildlife Rehabilitation Center will enable us to better serve our community’s wildlife. Our comprehensive goal of $11.5 million will secure funding needed for the construction of this transformational project and create a sustainable future for PWC. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we’ve raised $5.7 million towards the $7 million needed for initial planning and construction needs. Additionally we have raised $3.8 million in legacy gifts to help create a sustainable future for PWC.
With construction starting in early 2025, your support is vital. Donate today to help us create a brighter future for wildlife in San Luis Obispo County.
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
What Happened with Those Baby Bats?
A small cadre of PWC staff and volunteers gained a new level of appreciation for bats this summer, when they […]
Red-tailed Hawk 24-1516: The Final Chapter
The multi-episode saga of RTHA 24-1516 had all the dangers and plot twists of a summer blockbuster. The nestling hawk […]
Golden Eagle 24-1834: The Mystery and Challenges of a Very Large Bird
The story of Golden Eagle 24-1834 was a medical mystery full of clues, detective work, challenges, and one red herring. […]
A Very Good Badger
“Charming” is not a word used in wildlife rehabilitation, but everyone was secretly charmed by American Badger 24-936. More precisely, […]
The Summer of Baby Bats
In the sweltering July heat, baby Mexican Free-tailed Bats dropped to the ground like unripe fruit. These tiny mammals need […]
A First for PWC!
On Friday, July 26th a California Department of Fish and Wildlife Services biologist brought an endangered California Condor into PWC’s […]
Facebook Posts
🐰 We’ve already had several baby bunnies brought to our center…yikes! Our mild winter may mean we start seeing more babies early in the season. Here are a few reminders:
➡️ Check before you mow! Bunnies build shallow nests in grassy areas that can be well camouflaged. Check for nests before mowing or disturbing—look for areas that may look like dead patches in your lawn.
➡️ If you come across a nest of baby bunnies, have no fear...they are not abandoned! Their mom only comes to the nest a couple times per day to quickly feed them so she doesn’t attract predators. If they are not injured, let them be.
➡️ Keep pets away from nests to let the babies grow. Good news is the babies grow quickly and are usually out of their nest after just 2 weeks!
If you find a bunny that is injured, cold, wet, has been in a cat or dog’s mouth, or is otherwise obviously unwell, please contact your local wildlife rehab ASAP! Keep the bunny in a warm, dark, quiet box while transporting, and do not feed. Bunnies are particularly sensitive to stress. Give us a call if you have questions!
#Cottontails #BrushRabbits #NotAbandoned #NotAPet #CheckBeforeMowing #Bunny #Rabbit #BabySeason #KeepWildlifeWild #Wildlife #WildlifeRehab ... See MoreSee Less
Check out these Common Murres bathing and preening vigorously in our seabird pool! 🔊 Volume on to hear them calling!
Preening – rearranging feather barbs – is an essential routine for all birds, and especially important for birds who live on water. The feather density and feather structure keep aquatic birds like these murres totally waterproof.
Did you learn Common Murres are the DEEPEST DIVERS in our area from our post yesterday? They have been recorded diving to 590 ft underwater!! Although we can’t provide 600 ft deep pools, we do have two large seabird pools, made possible by generous donations from the Hind Foundation.
These murres came to our center for a variety of reasons (one was oiled) and after about 45 days in care, all three were healthy enough to be released back into the wild 🌊
#CommonMurre #Seabird ... See MoreSee Less
Ever wonder how deep seabirds dive? Check out our infographic with the diving depths of common species on the California Coast!
The solid line shows the depth commonly reached and the dashed line shows maximum depths recorded, numbers are in feet.
🏆 Common Murres take the trophy for deepest divers in our region—they regularly dive to 230ft but have been recorded at almost 600ft! 🏆
#birdfacts #seabirds #commonmurre ... See MoreSee Less
❗ Did you clean your owl boxes? It’s important to clean owl boxes annually! Every year, we treat nestling barn owls with dirty feathers and burned feet caused by dirty nest boxes with years of accumulated feces and pellets.
‼️ Clean your owl boxes during the non-breeding season by sweeping out the old debris while wearing gloves and a mask (no soap required). October through December is usually a good time to do this, but it may not be too late NOW, just don’t disturb if owls are actively using your box.
Natural tree cavities have become scarce, so installing nest boxes can attract families of owls to your property. Barn owls, common cavity-nesters in San Luis Obispo County, are great to have around – a family of barn owls can eat 4,000 rodents in a year!
Installing owl boxes is a great way to observe wildlife and control rodents on your property. Don’t have one? Consider installing a box on your property or share this message with a friend! It is important these boxes be properly built and positioned; learn more about owl boxes at ojairaptorcenter.org/barn-owl-box-guide
❌ Do not use rat poisons – poison kills owls (and is also a danger to pets and children!). If you have a rodent problem, learn safer methods of control at raptorsarethesolution.org
Thank you for providing a safe, clean box for these helpful inhabitants to start their next family!
📸 1: Barn Owl fledgling with crusty foot sores due to a dirty nest box.
📸 2: Sores are treated with many warm soaks, creams, and bandages. It can be a long road to recovery—this Barn Owl’s feet took about 2 months to heal.
#Wildlife #Owl #BarnOwl #OwlBox #NoRodenticides #RaptorsAreTheSolution #CaliforniaWildlife #BirdFacts ... See MoreSee Less