BWR volunteers are needed for wildlife rehabilitation in their homes, but also for transporting animals and supplies, fundraising, helping with the hotline, and more. BWR is run entirely by volunteers!
WE ARE ESPECIALLY IN NEED OF NEW VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH REHABBING BIRDS. If you have rehabbed birds before or are currently, please join up with us! We need your help! Please fill out our online volunteer application here: New Volunteer Application
Read on to find out where else help is needed!
Bidwell Wildlife Rehab does not have a rehabilitation center - all of our wildlife rehabbing is done in our volunteers' houses! It's not easy, but we make it work. Someday we would love to have our own rehabilitation center, but in the meantime, we are always looking for rehab volunteers to help in many different areas.
Here are our volunteer needs:
Bird rehabilitation in your home - accepting applications for new bird volunteers now! THIS IS OUR NUMBER ONE NEED. Bird rehabbing involves helping birds, native and non-native, in your home. Most birds that go to home rehabbers are songbirds of a small species - larger raptors or owls will go to more experienced rehabbers who have aviaries. Most of the birds that come to us are flightless - either injured or babies unable to fly yet. Wildlife rehabilitation in your home requires a safe, quiet, climate controlled area such as a spare bedroom, spare bathroom, or outbuilding where the birds can be housed. This area should be away from household pets. BWR will never give a new volunteer more than they can handle.
Mammal rehabilitation in your home- accepting applications for mammal volunteers now! Mammal rehabbers work with wildlife native to our area - mainly squirrels, possums, raccoons, and rabbits. More experienced rehabbers may work with skunks and foxes. BWR currently doesn't have the capacity to rehab larger mammals such as coyotes, large cats, or bears; these are transferred to facilities out of the area. Wildlife rehabilitation in your home requires a safe, quiet, climate controlled area such as a spare bedroom, spare bathroom, or outbuilding where the mammals can be housed. This area should be away from household pets. BWR will provide all materials and all training needed - if have the room at your home and you're willing to learn, we need you! BWR will never give a new volunteer more than they can handle.
Fawn and raptor rehabilitation- accepting applications for fawn and raptor volunteers now! This volunteer work involves driving to the location of our fawn pen and raptor aviary (approximately 27 miles from Chico and 15 miles from Paradise) to care for fawns (baby deer, no adults) and injured or orphaned raptors. All training will be provided.
Transportation volunteers - accepting applications for transport volunteers now! This is an excellent way to help wildlife for those who don't have room in their home to house animals. Transportation volunteers pick up animals from point A and take them to point B. Point A may be meeting someone who has found an injured or baby animal, or a vet's office. Point B may be a rehabber's house, or a vet's office. It may be picking up an animal, or it may be picking up a donation. There are also times when we need transport volunteers to drive an animal to a sister rehab organization in Auburn or Placerville. There are many scenarios where transportation volunteers are needed! Transportation volunteers typically do not interact with the animals at all.
Hotline volunteers - accepting applications for hotline volunteers now! Hotline volunteers speak to members of the public who send in online forms regarding orphaned or injured wildlife. In the case of baby wildlife, BWR's main goal is to always try to help the finder reunite the baby with its mama! If this isn't possible, arrangements are made to get the animal to a BWR rehabber. As you can imagine, this is one of the MOST IMPORTANT BWR volunteer positions! All training is provided, and you will have a more experienced BWR volunteer at your disposal at all times with questions. This is a great way to help wildlife in need if you are unable to take them into your home!
Fundraising and Public Relations volunteers - accepting applications for fundraising and PR volunteers now! We currently have no volunteers helping with fundraising and public relations, and this is badly needed! If you have experience in either of these areas, we need you!