Following is a selected project highlight from the Share with Wildlife mission to assist all New Mexico wildlife in need, no matter what species.
Helping Wildlife in Southeastern New Mexico
Contact information for Desert Willow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center updated 8/24/21.
Do you live in southeastern New Mexico? Do you want to know what you can do if you find a bird or other animal that appears to be sick or injured? If you live in the Carlsbad area or Chaves, Eddy, Lea, Lincoln, or Otero Counties, then the Desert Willow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center (DWWRC) is the place to call to get your questions about injured or orphaned wildlife answered and the place to bring these animals if Center staff so advises.
Wildlife ambassador, Mr. Peabody the pelican. (Ginny Seamster)
The Center is located at 516 E. Fiesta in Carlsbad and has highly skilled staff and enclosures for housing a diversity of wildlife while they are being rehabilitated. The Center has made great progress in expanding their facilities for medical treatment of wildlife. When complete, their expansion and renovations will further enhance their abilities to serve the wildlife rehabilitation needs of southeastern New Mexico. These needs have expanded in recent years as the southeastern part of the state has seen increased development. Upwards of 500 to 600 animals typically pass through the Center’s doors in a given year.
As part of their aforementioned expansion efforts, DWWRC has nearly completed new living quarters for their multiple “wildlife ambassadors”, animals that are not able to be relseased back into the wild. These animals include Mr. Peabody, the pelican. They have refurbished their pond habitat and have built the shell for their new wildlife rehabilitation intake, triage, and treatment facility. They will be having a fundraiser in November to get funds to continue work on their new rehabilitation facility. If you’re in the Carlsbad area, the banquet dinner with silent and live auction will be November 14th at the Walter Gerrells Performing Arts Center and it will be a great opportunity to support the work of the primary permitted rehabilitation center in the southeastern part of the state. As of August, 2021, the new rehabilitation facility has been completed.
Refurbished pond at DWWRC. (Ginny Seamster)
The Center is a good place to call not only if you’ve found a wild animal in the southeastern part of New Mexico that you think may need help, but also if you need assistance excluding an animal, such as a bat, from your residence. For injured or sick wildlife, Center staff will be able to tell you whether it is appropriate to move the animal and bring it to their facility in Carlsbad, or whether someone from the Center can come to you for animal transport. Center staff will perform an examination on any animals brought in to determine what can be done for them and will carefully document all information relevant to the animal throughout its stay at the Center. To protect the animals being rehabilitated, and prevent imprinting on humans by juveniles, members of the public are not allowed to tour the enclosures where the animals are held during rehabilitation.
New pens for wildlife ambassadors. (Ginny Seamster)
New wildlife rehabilitation facility. (Ginny Seamster)
DWWRC also provides a multitude of educational opportunities for a diversity of audiences, including school children, interested organizations, and members of the public. They typically bring “wildlife ambassadors” to inform their presentations. Please contact the Center at 575-689-6711 if you are interested in a wildlife presentation at a local event!