Admission Hours
Dear Friends,
We admit sick, injured and orphaned wildlife:
Tuesday through Friday
10am – 2 pm
During the Spring and Summer the Center receives a flood of wild babies and other wildlife in need of medical care. Please, please understand that our “beds” fill up quickly. When we are full, we must go off of admission until we have more room available.
Everyone at the Center is dedicated to protecting wildlife. There is a list of other resources to turn to for help located on this website under the heading of wildlife care.
Please come tour and visit. We are open seven days a week.
Katrina, Executive Director
I have a baby bunny that was brought into my kitchen. Its alive but not coordinated. Are you in the same mall as Curtis Liquors? I want to bring it to you. Thanks
Yes, and we are open til 2 for admissions. Best of luck. Hope to see you soon. K
Hello.
We adopted a Degu today. I did the research and he seemed like a good pet for us but now I am kind of panicked. I don’t think we can keep him. My dog wants to eat him. We have had hamsters and dogs never seemed to be interested. I feel terrible. Would you be able to take him? He seems sweet and comes with his cage and supplies. My daughter and I took the tour at your facility a few weeks ago and it was great. He might make a great addition to your teaching tour. We need to find him a home asap.
Hi Nicole, Give Nina Flaherty a call at the Center at 781 682 4878 x119 or send us an email at newildlifecenter@gmail.com and we’ll talk it through with you. Best, Katrina
Hi! I found a bird standing in the middle of the street, asleep, on my way to work this morning. It took it a while for it to wake up, and when it tried to run away it seemed to run crooked. It flapped its wings a little, but didn’t fly off. It looks like a shore bird to me (smaller than a pigeon, with a long, slender beak), and I can’t see any obvious injuries but something must be wrong. I work until 5, so there’s no way I would be able to bring it to the center until the weekend. Do you have any advice on how to keep this little guy alive until I can get him to you?
Thanks!
Galen
Hi Galen, We will be glad to take him this weekend or earlier if you can get him to us. Please call first to make sure we have room. I know we can take him for sure tomorrow, Wednesday. You can also try calling your animal control officer or the animal rescue league to see if they are able to bring him to us sooner. Getting him to us as quickly as you can is best. If you do have additional questions, though, please call Dr. Rob at 781 682 4878. He also will get right back to you through email at newildlifecenter@gmail.com Best of Luck Galen.
Hi,
We found a mourning dove with a broken wing yesterday…I read online how to stabalize her wing and have her resting comfortably with a child’s sock that is slipped over her broken wing with holes cut for her unbroken wing and feet. I have read to keep the bird stabalized for two to four weeks. Not sure about the laws about keeping doves but I know that they sell doves in the store sometimes. Any tips would be helpful…I can’t seem to find a phone number on the website.
Thank you so much,
Joy
Hi Joy, Our medical ward is full right now but may open up tomorrow for injured animals. A few animals were released today, so I am awaiting word from our veterinarian. We always post our hospital intake status on the front page. I am sorry to tell you, but, it is illegal to rehab wild animals in the state of MA without a permit. We do have a list of rehabbers on this website and you can also go to the Mass Division of Fisheries and Wildlife for a list. Sorry I can’t be of more help. Our phone number is 781 682 4878. Please call in tomorrow and our front desk folks can help you. If you can’t get through it is because we get thousands of phone calls this time of year. Someone will call you back. Very best of luck to you! Please let us know how you make out.
Thank you for the information…I really appreciate it and will follow your advice.
Very best of luck. Please let us know how you make out.
Hi,
For the past few days a baby squirrel has been living under our deck, he comes out during the day for bread and water. There is a large nest in a nearby tree, but no sign of a mother squirrel or brothers and sisters. He really is a sweet guy, but he’s now begun climbing our screen and following us around the yard. Can we bring him to be rehabilitated and re-released with other squirrels? Too bad he’s not a cat or dog or he’d be living on our couch by now. Is it possible to drop him off later than 2? I work until 4pm. Thanks!
Hi Jennifer,
Unfortunately we are inundated with squirrels after the high winds from Irene, and are unable to care for any more until we get more student interns. There is a list of other rehabilitators in the state listed through this link (http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/wildlife/rehab/wildlife_rehab_index.htm). There is a good chance that everybody is full like us. If this little guy is getting around and eating solid food on his own, there is a good chance that he is able to be independent and may do fine if left in the wild. If you have to go that route, I would discourage him from interacting with humans or pets as much as you can as this will only make life harder for him later on. You may need to move him further from the house to a more wooded area. But as he gets older he should naturally be more wary of humans. Good luck.
We found a baby bunny in our yard yesterday afternoon and he seems to have been born with only 1 eye and does look like he can see out of the other. He is probably 4 weeks old. We have him in a box and am trying to find some help for him. Can you let me know if this is something you can help with?
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Hi Karen,
Unfortunately, the options in this case are very limited. A blind or one-eyed bunny will likely be quickly preyed upon. This is part of a natural predator-prey cycle, and in cases of natural predation we try not to intervene. However, if the bunny is completely blind and unable to find food, its not very humane to leave him out there where it might starve. Non-releasable wild bunnies (such as this) do not make suitable animals to keep in captivity either, as they typically succumb to the stress of being around humans. Likely, the only think that we can do is humanely put it to sleep so that it doesn’t suffer. If you think its suffering in the wild you bring him to us or another veterinarian. I know its not a happy ending, but it might be the best thing for this little guy.
hi,1st.email said address error. we have a baby sparrow with a broken leg @ankle.we set it with scotch tape & keep her off it. she is strong,eating,drinking & sleeping.i can not bring her in this AM,as we spoke monday,but we can wednesday morn.if it’s ok? thank you, bruce,36 neillian st. bedford,01730/781-275-2838
Wednesday morning would be great. Sounds like you did an awesome job of stabilizing this little guy.
Hello..
My 13 year old daughter has always loved animals and has expressed interest in a career path toward animal care…She lives in Braintree and we are looking for a volunteer role for her in which she can learn about animal care and provide another set of hands for an animal center.. Can we visit the center and discuss any volunteer opportunities you may have?
Thank you,
Matt
Hey,
We are more than happy to help both you and your daughter explore the world of veterinary care! We have volunteer orientation every third saturday of the month which starts at noon. During said orientation you both will be explained the various jobs/expectations during your stay with the Center. Application are found online here, and you can come visit any day 10-4 or drop the application off time of orientation. A parent or guardian must accompany any volunteer that is 17 or under. This again is a great learning/ bonding opportunity.
Lookin’ forward to seeing y’alls
Found a beautiful, brown and cream, adult pigeon tonight that appears to be missing half of one of it’s wings. We have it in a box in our house and are planning on calling the Animal Rescue League tomorrow. However, given that appears it is missing part of it’s wing, it may be unlikely that it can be fixed? Is there anyone who takes in birds that can no longer fly? I am afraid it will be put down by the ARL. Any advice?
Hi Amy,
Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done if this bird is missing part of its wing. MSPCA has a farm in Methuen and they might be able to help. http://www.mspca.org/adoption/methuen-nevins/
The reality, though, is that there are far too many non-releasable animals and not enough sanctuaries to house them. Since this is a pigeon, its actually legal for you to keep it without a permit.
Today I saw my cat running around outside with a bird in his mouth. Eventually he dropped it and I found what I believe is a female sparrow. It didn’t even try to fly or run away when I picked her up. I sorta checked her body and I couldn’t find any visible injuries except for a cut on it’s chest, but she was shaking. I can’t tell she broke her wing or foot or something. I put her in a box in the basement where it’s dark and quiet so she can calm down. What am I to do now? It’s Sunday, so we can’t bring her to the center yet. Should I wait until Tuesday to bring her in or see if she’ll fly away.
Hi Nicole,
Cats harbor a bacteria in their saliva that can cause nasty infections in animals if they are bitten. Because of this, the bird should definitely be assessed by a veterinarian.
As advocates for wildlife, we also recommend that cats have a jingly bell on their collars. This makes it much harder for them to capture wildlife.
Hello, I found a baby duckling walking across an intersection last night. I live in Quincy. I picked him up and he seems to be in good health. One of his eyes seems to be petruding a little. I have him in a box and have given him some water. He is very active. Would I be able to bring him to you today? I really don’t know what to do with him. I just want him to be safe.
Yes, we are open for wildlife from 10AM to 2PM. Hopefully see you soon!
Hello -
We found a painted turtle in the road today and he had been hit by a car. His shell has an approx 1″ diameter piece which is broken away from the rest of the shell but still attached to the turtle. The injury appears to be along the back edge, near the tail only. I really don’t know a thing about turtles but he seems pretty active, despite his injuries. I understand there is a way to repair a shell and I am hoping I can bring this little guy to your hospital tomorrow (Friday, 7/1) for rehabilitation. I’d be happy to make a donation for him to get the proper care. Do you have an opening? Thanks.
Jenny
Hey Jenny,
I see that you were able to bring this turtle into our center yesterday. Just want to let you know that he is being treated in our centers Medical Ward where he is being administered Anti-Biotics to fight off potential infection. Our Staff is doing what they do best, rehabilitating sick, injured and orphaned wildlife.
In the future, if you come across animal in distress, give a call! Keep in mind at this time of year there are thousand of poor animals in need of care and we are doing the best we can. A drop in the bucket.
NEWC 781-682-4878
What hours are available for visits over the weekend? We have visited before with one of our granddaughters, but we have another granddaughter, now 9, who would like to take for a visit.
Jim Livingston
Hi James, we are open 10-4 on Saturdays and Sundays – also during the week. We would love to see you and your granddaughter.
Hi,
My children have been feeding a Canada Goose here in Framingham. Today, when “Mr. Goose” came to us, he was barely using his left leg. He also stayed on our upper terrace away from the river which is not normal for him.
Is there someone who could take him for us?
Lisa
Hi Lisa, We do not pick up animals but you can call the Animal Rescue League in Boston 617-426-9170. They will pick up injured animals if they are not overwhelmed with calls.