Wildlife Rehabilitation Overview

Chintimini Wildlife Center provides care for more than 2,000 injured and orphaned native wild animals each year, with the goal of releasing them back into their natural habitats for a second chance at life. Our wildlife hospital is open every day of the year for animal admissions and provides these services free of charge to members of our community.

What is Wildlife Rehabilitation?

Wildlife rehabilitation involves medically treating injured or sick non-domestic wildlife, and raising orphaned or abandoned wildlife, using methods that prepare them for release and survival in the wild.

Wildlife rehabilitation involves medical assessment, stabilization, and treatment – initially performed by experienced and licensed rehabilitators who are trained to do physical examinations, provide emergency first aid, take x-rays, immobilize fractures, manage wounds, and perform basic laboratory diagnostics.

Numerous local veterinarians donate advanced medical care when needed. After veterinary procedures, rehabilitators fill the roles of technician, dietitian, and physical therapist. Once conditioning is adequate, rehabilitators make the decision to release.

Facilities

Our facilities include a complete veterinary hospital equipped with x-ray, anesthesia, and surgical equipment, plus a diagnostic laboratory, intensive-care unit, nursery, incubators, and pharmacy.

Over 40 outdoor enclosures provide housing for animals recovering from their injuries. Our outdoor cages include three flight cages ranging from 30′ to 80′ in length. Numerous chain link and specialty cages offer housing for a wide variety of animals.

The rehabilitation facilities are located within the boundaries of an ash swale forest that provides a cool, quiet buffer between our recovering patients and the human world of noise and activity.

Staffing

The daily operations of the animal care program are overseen by our Wildlife Rehabilitation Director and our animal care team members. Staff is supported by seasonal interns and more than 120 volunteers who donate nearly 20,000 hours every year.

Permits & Affiliations

State and federal wildlife regulatory authorities oversee permitting and reporting for rehabilitators and/or rehabilitation centers, particularly those working with migratory birds. Chintimini has held permits for wildlife rehabilitation from both the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) since 1988. Our permits authorize us to care for mammals, birds (including raptors), reptiles, and amphibians.

Training requirements for rehabilitators include knowledge of medical skills, handling and restraint skills, animal behavior, natural history, diet and nutritional needs and differences among species, and legal and regulatory information.

Our rehabilitation staff are members of the Oregon Wildlife Rehabilitation Association (OWRA), the National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association (NWRA), and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC). Our protocols are consistent with all standards and policies endorsed by the IWRC and the NWRA. Our rehabilitation team attend conferences and workshops held by the organizations mentioned above as part of the continuing education requirements for rehabbers.

Funding

Chintimini Wildlife Center is not a government agency, and we receive no funds from federal, state, county, or city agencies. Instead, we are supported by donations, merchandise sales, grants, special-event fundraisers, and business partnerships.