Phoenix’s extreme summer temperatures have increased the number of animals needing care. Liberty Wildlife, a local rehabilitation center, receives about 10,000 birds, mammals, and reptiles annually. This season has been particularly busy due to high heat and human activity. Educational coordinator Laura Hacket told ABC15, “Most of them are human involved.”
Liberty Wildlife helps animals affected by humans, like an overheated raccoon named Benji and a Chuckwalla named Jose. The center cares for many species, including Gila woodpeckers and lesser night hawks, and focuses on rehabilitation and education. Orphaned animals are taught to survive in the wild, such as using puppets to feed baby owls to prevent human imprinting and using foster great horned owls to care for orphaned owlets, as reported by KJZZ.
Liberty Wildlife is an educational center and works on its "rescue, rehabilitate and release" mission. Injured animals can be brought in daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the center has an emergency line with volunteer drivers for animals too dangerous for the public to handle. The center receives many birds each year, with Scott telling KJZZ, "Every year ... I would say at least 1,000 baby birds come through the orphan care department, minimum." More information, including volunteering or donation options, is available on their website, and a hotline is available for guidance when encountering distressed wildlife.
