The little critters come in needing a helping hand — and now, the public can get a behind-the-scenes peek at how baby animals are cared for at the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach.
A new program called “Wildlife Wednesdays” happening each week allows people to see how babies and other wildlife in care are treated in the center’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital.
This season has been busier than usual, said executive director Debbie McGuire, who started the program two weeks ago as a fundraising idea to help raise money for the care. The tour costs a $20 donation, though going to the nearby wetlands and interpretive center is free.
Wildlife Technician Christine Alexiou checks in a baby opossum at The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, CA on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. The center has started “Wildlife Wednesdays” where the public can see how animals are cared for at the rehabilitation hospital. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Vickie Hanssen watches an operation at The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, CA on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. The center has started “Wildlife Wednesdays” where the public can see how animals are cared for at the rehabilitation hospital. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Wildlife Technician Christine Alexiou and Volunteer Coordinator Jaret Davey ID a bird that was brought into The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, CA on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. The center has started “Wildlife Wednesdays” where the public can see how animals are cared for at the rehabilitation hospital. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Veterinarian Liz Wood, left, prepares to operate on a Western grebe at The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, CA on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. The center has started “Wildlife Wednesdays” where the public can see how animals are cared for at the rehabilitation hospital. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mallard ducklings group together at The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, CA on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. The center has started “Wildlife Wednesdays” where the public can see how animals are cared for at the rehabilitation hospital. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Wildlife Technician Christine Alexiou gives fluid to a baby squirrel at The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, CA on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. The center has started “Wildlife Wednesdays” where the public can see how animals are cared for at the rehabilitation hospital. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A baby squirrel is fed at The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach, CA on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. The center has started “Wildlife Wednesdays” where the public can see how animals are cared for at the rehabilitation hospital. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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“We needed to bring money in, and people are always wanting to go see the babies,” she said, noting there was a three-hour line for last year’s spring ” wildlife baby shower” event held in May. “Babies are all over the place. It’s dynamic here. It’s different every week. … They are vulnerable and wouldn’t make it without intervention.”
Currently in care are baby squirrels, opossums, ducklings, raccoons and baby red-tail hawks. Staff talk to visitors about why the critters need care, how they are taken care of and how humans can coexist and interact with animals that are living in the urban sprawl.
A mama duck, for example, might be hanging around pools or giving birth to baby ducks in backyards. The best thing to do is simply to let the mom take care of her ducklings without intervening, which can do more harm than good.
“You have to let them be, you have to learn to co-exist,” McGuire said. “If you open a gate, mom will take babies, and she can walk several miles to a water source, a ditch or lake. We don’t know where they are, but they do.”
And despite wanting to help, people should never stop on a road or freeway to try and scoop them up.
It’s also the season for many species, like hummingbirds, to build nests and lay eggs — and trimming bushes or shrubs this time of year may inadvertently disrupt the process.
Other species, like songbirds or mockingbirds, spend their first days following birth hopping around before flying, and people will, unknowingly, bring them in for care.
“We call it birdnapping,” she said jokingly.
Visitors coming to see the birds must wear close-toed shoes and take a “foot bath,” sanitizing shoes in a biosecurity area, she said.
Currently, there are 165 patients in the care of the facility, half of them needing medical attention in the hospital. The funds raised for the “Wildlife Wednesdays” go directly to the general care of the wildlife, with each patient costing an average of $125.
“We’re desperate for funds right now; we’re running out of money. The end-of-the-year donations didn’t add up to what they have been in the past,” she said.
McGuire hopes to add Saturday tours, but low staffing levels pose challenges. The tours are also open to schools that may want to bring in students, she said.
“I think it can spark that one child into a career with animals, who knows,” she said, noting it may even pique the interest of potential volunteers who want to help. “It’s very rewarding.”
The address for the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center is 21900 Pacific Coast Hwy, Huntington Beach. More information: 714-374-5587
