Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center

Heartbreaking Experience – Please Read Before Bringing Any Animal Here - THEY EUTHANIZE and provide the public with incorrect/inaccurate information! I recommend filtering the reviews to the one stars reviews to read exactly what they do here. They only care for donations not the welfare of the animal! It’s taken me nearly two months to find the strength to write this. I want the public to know: yes, this facility DOES EUTHANIZE animals. While they may attempt to rehabilitate some, not all animals are given that chance. It seems to depend on their clinical condition and perceived ability to survive in the wild — but that decision is made quickly, and often without transparency. A colleague and I rescued what we believed to be an injured duck from a nearby pond. She was weak, dehydrated, and had visible wing deformities. After some research, we discovered she had angel wing syndrome, likely caused by a poor diet from people feeding bread — something all too common at public parks. We rehabilitated her for a couple days: Despite her condition, she was alert, active, eating well, and even following us around — she had imprinted on us and didn’t want to leave. When wanting to release her at the park we rescued her from, she wouldn't stop following us, and it was so early in the morning that the parks and recreation wasn't open yet. Concerned for her safety near a busy road, we called the Wetlands and Wildlife Center to ask about her chances for rehabilitation. We called three separate times. Every time, we were told clearly that they do not euthanize animals. Based on that reassurance, we brought her in. What happened next shattered us. The moment my colleague handed her over, the intake technician took one glance and said coldly, "She’ll be euthanized." Then she walked away. He immediately asked for the duck back — and was refused. We pleaded. We called the Parks and Recreation Department (where the duck had been rescued from), and they offered to help re-release her safely. We informed the Wildlife Center the same day, and again in person the following day. Still, they refused to return her. Eventually, we spoke main supervisor the same day over the phone and explained the situation, instead we was rude and hung up on us. We went in person the following day and spoke to a male staff member (another supervisor)— who at first would not confirm whether she was still alive. After much insistence, he said he would “check” and later told us, flatly, that she had already been euthanized. We were devastated. We thought we had saved her. Instead, we walked her to her death. They cited "wildlife regulations" as the reason they couldn’t release her back to us, and while we understand the legalities, we cannot understand the lack of compassion — for the animal or for the people trying to help. What’s worse is the misinformation provided by their own staff — misinformation that led directly to this outcome. If we had known the truth, we never would have brought her in. While they explained to my colleague that federal law prohibits the return of a surrendered duck, it is also the law-and their ethical responsibility-to provide the public with accurate information. Misrepresenting their policies and the outcomes of surrendered animals is unacceptable and should not be overlooked. This duck was surviving on her own. We had seen many ducks at that pond living full lives with similar conditions. She deserved a chance. Please — if you ever find yourself in the position of rescuing a wild animal, think twice before bringing them here. Ask hard questions. Get answers in writing. Or better yet, reach out to a true wildlife sanctuary or find a rehabilitation network with transparency and heart. We still live with the guilt of thinking we were helping her — when instead, we unknowingly handed her over to be killed. We will never make that mistake again. Thank you for reading this <3

Awesome place! Wonderful volunteers with a caring heart! Make sure to donate to help the cause. Rescued this juvenile opossum that was hungry and dehydrated in my backyard going on 8 days. He finally accepted help. ❤️

So grateful for the staff and volunteers that work here. I helped a neighbor on my Ring app rescue this baby from a sticky trap last night and they took him to finish the rescue. Thank you!

Thank you ! We found this little fella while on a walk. It was late so we gave it as much water over night while providing it a warm water bottle wrapped in cloth so it didn’t get cold. The staff were very helpful and respectful. Thank you so much to the volunteers as well.

I called that my son found a baby gold finch that fell off the nest so I decided to call this place and they were really nice and they said to bring it in and we will take care of it. And I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it we're my son found it , so that's why brought it in

This place is truly a wonderful, caring place. Jaret went above and beyond to help a poor little possum that was hit by a car and survived a night in pain while waiting for help. When everyone wouldn't take him, Jaret came through like a true super hero! I wish there were more people out there like him and this place!

I’m glad this place is here and helps the injured wildlife. I had a hard lesson today that cost the life a seagull and injured another. I will be more conscientious of my actions and how they affect wildlife going forward.

I'm so thankful for the Wetlands and Wildlife Rescue. We found a couple ducklings wandering on Crown Valley Pkwy with a crow flying hungrily overhead. We were able to rescue them and bring them in to Wetlands to be raised safely for release back in the wild later. Here's a picture of the adorable ducklings while they stayed warm & safe with our young tortoise until we could deliver them to the Rescue.

Well trained and dedicated staff helping wildlife and people. Wish more organizations were like them!

I tried to do an internship with Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center, and it was one of the most disappointing experiences I've ever had. From the very beginning, the volunteer coordinator seemed completely uninterested in setting up the internship. Through weeks of back-and-forth emails, they tried to cancel it multiple times, and the only reason it even happened at all was because I kept pushing for the opportunity. I ended up spending nearly $1,000 on a course through my university to get credit because that was their requirement. After all of that, I only got to do 3 shifts before they called me saying they didn't want to continue with the internship. It felt like they just didn't want to deal with having an intern and were looking for a way out. During the short time I was there, I barely learned anything. The only person who really made an effort to teach me was Mary, one of the techs, who was great. Everyone else seemed like they couldn't be bothered. I went out of my way multiple times to ask for tasks and learning opportunities, but all I got was feeding mealworms to baby birds for entire shifts. I wanted hands-on experience, to learn how to treat animals, to work with raccoons, possums, and other wildlife, but none of that ever happened. On top of that, I feel it's important for people to know that they euthanize an alarming number of animals that come into the center. When you start the internship, they ask if you're okay with "humane euthanization," but after seeing how quickly they choose to put animals down, it did not feel humane to me. I saw little effort to save animals or to transport them to another facility that might be able to help. They also didn't really encourage the public to seek out other facilities before bringing the animal in, it just seemed like the default option was to euthanize. If you're planning to bring an animal here, be aware of that. For a place that advertises internship opportunities, they sure don't seem to want interns at all. This experience was absolutely not worth the $1,000 I paid to make it happen. If you're a student looking for an educational opportunity, or someone thinking of bringing them an animal to save, I would strongly recommend looking somewhere else.

I discovered a wounded baby bird and brought it to the care center, where the staff was incredibly kind and reassuring. They assured me that the bird would receive the necessary attention and care.

This is my go to for all wildlife injuries. I have captured and brought in at least 4 seagulls with broken wings and 1 pelican. To my knowledge, they do their best to rehab and release vs euthanize like other urgent cares. I appreciate their dedication and volunteers!

Well I went yesterday 4/11/24 to drop off my little baby opossum because I couldn't find a place to leave it and they would take care of it. I found this place called Wetlans & Wildlife so I decided to take it until I emphasize that I live very far from the place. My city is Ontario, California. But the moment they took the baby I was not very satisfied since they didn't even let me say goodbye to the baby it was something very fast so I had to ask the girl to please let me say goodbye to him because he loved me a lot and I was a little sad to leave him. She accepted but she didn't even let me be able to grab him again or caress him a little. My point is that the place can be good but I think the workers lack a little more empathy. I was sad because I couldn't say goodbye to him well, and I think they should work more on that to be much more empathetic.

Very nice people. They took in a baby possum i found in my backyard with a broken foot. No questions asked.

Quick and compassionate acceptance of an orphaned baby opossum that we rescued, trapped beneath a wood pile.

I recently took a house finch that I found unable to fly due to an injured wing. The staff were so kind and quickly started to care for the little bird! I am sure she will have a fast recovery!

Hi. I took a orphaned baby Squirrel here today. The staff is so nice. I now. feel so much better. I also left a donation for Their kindness. thank You for caring! Wayde H.

Words cannot express how thankful I am for this place!! These ducklings had a very slim chance at life after their momma abandoned them 3-4 days ago, but now they have a new shot at life !! Called into 6 shelters prior to this one, and they all turned me down, I know for a fact they are in good hands. This is now my favorite non- profit, thank you !!

My cat got out this morning and was "playing" with a house finch in our back yard. I was so worried about the little bird and zipped right over to the center as soon as they opened. The lovely woman who helped me was so sweet and compassionate. So grateful for this place! Sent a donation

What a Blessing this place was for me! Especially thankful for Anne. I live in Ontario so its not close to my home but was worth the drive! She took in an injured adult hummingbird that landed in my backyard after bring attacked by something. After minutes of talking with her on the phone I knew she was the angel I needed to bring this birdy to. Make sure to donate when you can! They truly are angels. So happy I found them! The last update hummingbird was doing well and healing :))

5/13/22 I called and let the girl know that at my work (sheet metal shop) that we had found a very young possum inside our building. She proceeded to tell me in a very negative tone that it could not be any longer than 7 inches from nose to back end (not including tail) I told her that it was about 5 inches. Her response was "wow that is right on border" I asked, I thought you said no longer than 7 inches. She said yes, you can try bringing it in but not sure if they could keep it. I kept this little guy for a few days giving it a flea treatment and bath before i decided to bring it into their office off of Newland and PCH. I had the little guy which I named Joey wrapped in a small blanket. I walked into the office approx. 4pm 5/16/22 and was greeted "not very nicely" by a lady asking "what do you have there? I responded " Oh I have a baby named Joey" before I could show her, she rudely said "it's probably too big" I thought to myself WOW! she hasn't even seen it yet. I barley opened the blanket, and her response was "yep he's too big". I said the lady on the phone told me you would take him as long as he was not over 7 inches, (he was barley 6 inches) she says, "5 inches", I said no she said 7 inches. She proceeded to tell me "Well the lady was wrong". Unbelievable customer service and so very un-caring in my opinion. She said take it to a park and let it go. I told her I will not, I feel he is not big enough and walked out. NOT HAPPY WITH THERE SERVICE WHATSOEVER! Not at all what I was expecting :(

Went to their annual Baby Shower fundraiser!! Saw lots of baby animals in their care! So cute! So grateful there is a place like this & volunteers to run it daily.

Thank you so much to Anne for being available. An employee found a adult female hummingbird that fell off a light inside the shop and I refused to let that be her life story. I found this place on yelp called them and Anne was in the office to assist me thru keeping Wynona (that's what we names the hummingbird at the shop) alive. I almost immediately after talking to Anne got in the car and took the 30 min drive to her location to drop off Wynona. Anne was so quick to help out that little hummingbird and let me know if I would've waited longer she wouldn't have made it. Today together we saved Wynona.

We found two bald baby birds taken from their nest by a predator. For one baby, it was too late, but the other was still quite alive but wouldn't survive in its on. We couldn't locate the nest amongst so many trees. Thank goodness for this facility! They took in the baby bird quickly and I felt reassured it was in good hands. I avoided calling, because sometimes staff may sound rude. It's best to think about the life you are saving and let them save it!

After watching a mother duck and her small ducklings in the middle of the road in Irvine getting run over by cars my sister quickly put on the emergency lights and got out to grab the 3 ducklings left out of 8 before another car came :( so sad. Drove down to Huntington Beach and Took them here. They were so small and scared. So grateful they have a wildlife center where they will be taken care of and set free when grown. :) thankful you guys are here and all the volunteers! I was worried and not sure what to do with these babies.

My wife and I found an injured squirrel near our apartment. Fortunately, she knew about WWCC and we were able to get the squirrel into a box and to the Center before they closed. They must be really good at what they do here, because the squirrel survived! The poor creature had probably been attacked by one of our neighbor's cats and we were not very confident that it was going to make it. Thanks, WWCC! If you ever find a wild animal that needs medical care, follow their guidelines here: http://www.wwccoc.org/info.htm They would definitely appreciate your financial support and they are a very worthy cause. They also take donations from their wish list: http://www.wwccoc.org/pdf/wishlist.pdf

Thank you to the great staff for letting me take in the injured bird tonight. You can really see they are meant for caring birds. Not all heroes wear capes. You guys are amazing I appreciate all the hard work and dedication!! 5 stars does not do justice of how awesome this place is.

If you find an animal that is indigenous to this area which is out of your depth to care for, you bring it here. I have a tendency to encounter things that need help, and this place has saved their lives. When you find something, you need to keep a lot of mental notes: where you found it, how you found it, anything you noticed wrong, and so forth. They're going to ask you these things, and when the animal is healed, they try to release it where you found it.

God bless this place! We brought in a baby squirrel ( eyes still closed ) in that had apparently fallen out of its nest, and was given to us by our neighbors. The Wildlife center took him in and began caring for him! I have volunteered at other locations, and so I have a good feel for animal care places. This place made me very comfortable that our baby squirrel will have a great chance at a good life! Thanks for doing what you do, Wetlands Wildlife Care Center!

Wonderful and truly caring people we experienced at the W&WCC for an injured mama duck and her 5 babies. They recommended keeping a folding cardboard cat carrier box (small animal type) in the trunk of your car if you are the kind of person who would rescue any small undomesticated animal(s) in need. Give back too. Animals and nice people make a better world.

Donate donate donate. What a wonderful place to care for infant or injured animals. They are helpful and friendly and actually care about the animals.

So thankful for this place! They are right there at the foot of the power plant on PCH and Newland. Entrance on Newland and another on PCH. I was not aware of this Center, but was told by a woman who stopped and helped me with getting two injured baby seagulls in my car. Thank you for being my angel whoever you were!! The volunteer took the two fledgling seagulls right away. Someone had run over four baby seagulls who were lying in the road when I was on my way to work (two were dead, one was almost dead, but one looked like it might survive). At any rate, I wasn't going to let them die by getting squished by a car. I always keep blankets and towels in my car for such things. I have saved a dog who looked like he was dead by the road, but wasn't! He is such a good dog and part of our family now. Anyway, the volunteer, Bonnie, was very helpful and nice. I was pretty distressed and broken up at the birds' suffering and she was very sympathetic. I hope at least one makes it. WWCC run almost entirely on donations and volunteers. I gave a donation and may just volunteer there. Please folks, SLOW DOWN on Springdale and Heil. Everyone feeds those ducks, geese, etc and are the cause of attracting large numbers of birds there. I am going to petition for a sign to tell people to slow down. There are dead duck and geese in the road next to the park almost daily.

Found a baby squirrel at Schbarum park in the afternoon and by the time the evening rolled around the mom still hadn't come back. Took the squirrel home and stayed up and hydrated it every 2 hours until the next morning where we hauled ass down to this place. Open 7 days a week and take in animals of all kinds (as long as they're native to California). I left a donation and felt better about myself knowing that we saved the little guy. Yay animal rescue places!

My visit to the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center was a total disappointment. I found a tiny baby finch on the sidewalk, and after looking at their website guidelines of animals that they accept, they had no restrictions about this type of bird. When I took the poor bird to the center, the volunteer worker would not take the bird in and she told me to take it back and put it where I found it, and even though I told her I found it on a sidewalk. I'm sure that some of the volunteers at this center do nice things for some animals, but my experience with this agency was completely unsuccessful.

It's dirty... it's really sad that walking through a reserve would be so dirty!!! There was litter throughout the canals and dog poop along the trail. Ppl... PICK UP YOUR DOG SH*T!!! You're not even suppose to have your dog is certain areas and yet they can't be bothered to pick it up! I much prefer Central Park/library to this... would probably never come again. So sad...

I had found a baby opossum all by himself in the gutter at 11 or so at night. Brought him in the next morning and all my worries melted away. I could tell they would take the best care of him until he was old enough to be on his own. Very thankful for them.

7I found a little baby sparrow underneath someones car. I was advised to bring him here by a pet shop. I spied around... to make sure this is a loving place... they had colorful blankets. Clean cages... n a warm calm peaceful quiet ... clear atmosphere. The man was very helpful n asked if someone had helped us. And although the manager couldnt take these kinds of birds .. she recommeded me someone i can go to... at the end a little sweet lady that worked/volunteered there...took him home personally to place the birdie in an incubator. And give the baby tlc.. she Handled the birdie and said shes taking him home to CARE For. I agreed as she skipped off happily. Thanks guys for ur loving work n time to care. God bless u :)

I used to volunteer here in high school (let's not discuss how long ago that was...) and it was a great experience. About a year ago I brought in a baby possum that I had found in my yard. They were great about taking him in quickly and hopefully he made it :)

I rescued two baby squirrels this weekend that were abandoned by their mother. I was able to look up a few animal rescue facilities and this one came up, I called and they told me to bring them on over! I was worried it would be a complicated process considering after that I had to go straight to work but It was so easy. They were so sweet and welcoming to me and the little babies. I'm so happy I was able to find a place that will give them the care they need! So happy thank you Wetlands & Wildlife!!

My mom found a tiny little possum today behind Subway in Fountain Valley, he had no money and the five dollar sandwich sale was over. He walked right up to her making clicking and hissing noises. He was small and tiny, probably 3 or four inches long and had no chance without human intervention. This is a volunteer run nonprofit and we gave them a ten buck donation.

Enjoy our early morning walks. Such s beautiful place. So much wildlife so close to home.

This is not a place you want to volunteer. Most of the people giving their time are very nice, but the supervisors are extremely unappreciative and rude. Expect to work long hours scrubbing cages and hosing down pelican feces just to hear you could have done better.

Such sweet people! My son and I brought in a hurt bird and they found and gave me directions to a rehabilitation sanctuary nearby.

Super fun time at the fundraiser today, what a great bunch of people, really making a difference, please support them!

A wonderful facility for the rehabilitation and release of sick and injured wildlife.