Education Also a Focus of Rescue Center for Ohio Wildlife

The Ohio Wildlife Center was introduced to the Scioto Valley Bird & Nature Club at their November meeting. Although many know of it as a hospital for injured wildlife, it also focuses on public education about the wild animals that can be found even in urban areas.

Rebecca Rose, conservation liaison for the Center, spoke to the group. She says it is the largest wildlife rescue and rehabilitaion facility in Ohio, founded in 1984 and celebrating its 40th anniversary. It has two locations in northern Central Ohio.

Rose said its hospital half takes in about 9,000 animals a year where they rescue, rehabilitate, and release as many as possible back into the wild. About 90% of the animals are brought in by citizens, but for the ones that get away, the Center has volunteers trained to capture injured animals. Those can be hard to catch – and dangerous. The state also requires permits to handle native widlife, which the Center has.

She says the two most common causes of wildlife injury are car collisions and cats. They accept only native wildlife; if injured, they will euthanize any non-native wild animals (like starlings or house sparrows).

If you know of an injured animal, you can call consult their webpage or call their hotline at 614-793-9453. Their emergency Facebook page is also monitored 24/7. They will pick up an animal as soon as possible.

But the other purpose of the Ohio Wildlife Center is education. They have a 20-acre outdoor Education Center in Powell, north of the Columbus Zoo, with more than 50 native Ohio “animal ambassadors” – rescues that have been rehabbed but can’t be released for various reasons.

Rose says they work on educating anyone who wants to know how to peacefully coexist with wildlife. They have programs and can speak to classrooms and adult groups (such as the Scioto Valley Bird & Nature Club). Hear Rose in her own words in the video interview in the article on the Scioto Post.

The Ohio Wildlife Center gets no government support, and relies on donations to operate. They have a website, and accounts for Facebook (non-emergency), Instagram, and YouTube.

The Scioto Valley Bird & Nature Club also has a monthly newsletter – and they welcome articles, including reviews of past events – email svbnc.ed@gmail.com. Join and get the newsletter.

Individual SVBNC memberships are $10, $15 for families. Email Program Director / Vice President Andrew Molloy at roymolloy@gmail.com for information.

Kevin Coleman covers local government and culture for the Scioto Post and iHeart Media Southern Ohio. For stories or questions, contact Kevin Coleman or the iHeart Southern Ohio Newsroom.