MEET IWRC

"IWRC" stands for International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council. 

What do we do?

 IWRC teaches interested people how to take care of injured, sick or orphaned wild animals.  IWRC encourages awareness of the problems encountered by wildlife. 

What do we teach?

1) How to handle wildlife safely  
2) How to treat wildlife injuries and diseases  
3) How to raise orphaned wildlife and keep them wild  
4) How to house wildlife while in our care  
5) How and what to feed wildlife 
6) How wildlife behaves and ways to keep them calm while in captivity. 
7) How and when to release wildlife to the wild

What else do we do?

1) research
2) education
3) publish a journal and newsletter
4) offer support to wildlife rehabilitators and help them with problems 

Who ARE We?

Some of us work in the office to make sure everything runs smoothly. 

Some of us are on the Board of Directors, and we help make decisions for IWRC and its members.  

Dody is President. Dody lives in Michigan.

Many of us are volunteers who help do all kinds of things, from answering wildlife questions to working on the web site.  Some of us put together Camp Cottontail, just for you.

We're all members of IWRC, and most of us are rehabilitators or work in related fields such as biology, veterinary sciences, medicine, conservation, ecology and government departments.

What are wildlife rehabilitators?

They are professional people who care for wildlife in trouble.  They also teach people about wildlife.  They can answer questions about animals who are hurt or orphaned, but they can also suggest what to do if you have a squirrel in your attic or a bird in your house.  Many rehabilitators go to schools and tell children all about wildlife.  They also speak to scout troops and other groups of people. They are ambassadors for wildlife.  Wildlife rehabilitators want to help people understand how wonderful, interesting and important their wild neighbours are.

Some of the things wildlife rehabilitators do every day are:

·        determine what may be wrong with an animal  

·        decide how the problem should be handled

·        treat wounds and raise orphans

·        talk on the phone a lot, answering questions and giving advice

·        prepare animals for release by teaching them how to find food and water and how to avoid danger—in short, how to be a wild animal.

If you'd like to learn more about what rehabilitators do, click on Take A Tour and Visit a Patient.

Can I be a wildlife rehabilitator?

That depends on a few things!  In most places, you have to be 18 years old (or older) to work as a wildlife rehabilitator.  You need to have the proper training, just as you would if you wanted to be a teacher or a doctor or an astronaut.  If you'd like to be a rehabilitator some day, you should learn all you can about nature, the environment and wildlife.  Once you complete your schooling, you need to apply for a license.  That's because there are laws that apply to wildlife and to rehabilitation.  Not everyone can legally handle or keep wildlife, just those who are trained and licensed.

In the meantime, what can I do to help wildlife?

If you notice an animal in trouble, you can get help from a rehabilitator in your area.  You can work to keep habitat available and safe by removing garbage and things that might hurt wild animals.  If people are mean or cruel to an animal, you can get help from your parents or teacher.  You can let other people know that wild animals aren't good pets.  They are very unhappy if they aren't free, just as you wouldn't be happy living in a cage, cut off from your own kind.

Most importantly, you can be a wildlife ambassador.  You can tell other people how great it is to live in a world where birds sing and bats fly, where deer run and bunnies hop.  

For more ideas on how you can help wildlife, click on The Natural Enquirer, a newsletter about kids and nature.  

"Meet IWRC"

Prepared for IWRC by

Kieran Lindsey   and   Astrid MacLeod