Meet our First Interns of the Season!

California Wildlife Center’s ability to help 4,000 patients annually is largely due to the stellar team of volunteers and interns that donate their time and hard work to assist our animal care staff. Every year, CWC hosts 25 interns who are admitted into one of three internship tracks – Marine Mammal Rescue and Rehabilitation, Wildlife Rehabilitation, and Wildlife Hotline and Outreach.

Wildfires and Wildlife

Living in Southern California, we are all accustomed to the year-round fire season and the impact it can have on our lives. When a fire is imminent, humans are often preoccupied with our own need for survival; we often forget about how natural disasters like wildfires impact the surrounding wildlife.

The Fox and the Fence: A Tale of Healing and Care

In December, we were contacted by an Agoura Hills animal control officer, letting us know their team was going out to rescue a Gray Fox sitting in daylight atop a high chain-link fence, refusing to jump down. This is highly abnormal for a fox.

The Bridge to Wildlife Coexistence

CWC’s core mission to rehabilitate wildlife wouldn’t be possible without our incredible, compassionate community in the greater Los Angeles area. Angelenos live in close proximity to wildlife.

The Plastic Impact on Marine Life

The CWC Marine Mammal team has seen the impact of plastic pollution in our oceans firsthand. It is not uncommon to receive a call about fishing line entanglement.

NHM Avian and Mammal Collections

California Wildlife Center staff and volunteers recently had the unique opportunity to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the avian and mammal collections department of the Los Angeles Natural History Museum (NHM).

To Raise a Mockingbird

You have surely heard, if not seen, a Northern Mockingbird in your area. They can be heard serenading at any time of the day and night and can mimic hundreds of noises. This small gray bird with white patches on their wings and long tail feathers, can be found in grasslands, wooded areas, or in your backyard.

Incredible Interns and Volunteers

Volunteers and interns are an integral part of the successful rescue, rehabilitation, and release of the over 4,000 patients that arrive at California Wildlife Center each year. Volunteers are present at CWC seven days a week, 365 days per year to assist the wildlife technicians with day-to-day animal care tasks including cleaning and maintenance of enclosures, and giving the patients their diets, medications, and enrichment.

Marine Mammal Team Responds to a Distressed Gray Whale near Point Dume, Malibu

At 9am on March 16th, 2024, we received a report that a deceased whale had come ashore at Little Dume. Upon arrival, it was determined that this 30-foot-long sub-adult male, weighing approximately 25,000 pounds (the same as seven cars), was still alive, yet in grave condition and floating at the surf line.

Are You My Mother? When to Intervene

Encountering a young animal in the wild can be an exhilarating experience. Although it is natural to have the initial instinct to intervene in an attempt to protect the animal, stepping in without proper knowledge can do more harm than good.