Welcome to Wilderness Haven!

    We are a not-for-profit 501(c)3 facility dedicated to the preservation and care of wildlife. 

Our Purpose:

Nature and man have been on a collision course for many years. As human populations increase, we take over more and more of the habitat formerly occupied by wildlife. The loser in this conflict of course is wildlife. Ninety percent of all wildlife brought to wildlife rehabilitators is in need of help as a direct result of Man's encroachment. Our goal is to undo some of the harm that man has done by caring for some of the small animals orphaned or injured each year.

Education is also an objective we would like to achieve. The person who finds an animal that is injured or orphaned needs to know what to do and what NOT to do. And mankind as a whole needs to realize that if wildlife is to be preserved for future generations, we must all help.

Wildlife rehabilitation is a lot of work, very time consuming and can be heartbreaking when you lose a patient. But there is no way to describe the feeling you get when you release an animal back to the wild healthy and whole after rehabilitation.

What Types of Animals Do We Care For?

We will take most types of small mammals, but have a special love for squirrels and chipmunks. Many of our cases this past year have been squirrels:  gray squirrels, red squirrels and even a few flying squirrels. We also have had a lot of success with cottontail rabbits who have been injured by cats and other predators. And we have found that caring for injured opossums can be quite interesting. Unfortunately, due to New York State regulations, we are unable to take any rabies vector species, which includes raccoons, bats and striped skunks.

If You Find An Animal In Need of Help...

If you have found a wild animal that is sick, injured, or orphaned, DO NOT give it anything to eat or drink. If you have it in your possession already, place it in a closed box with air holes punched in the lid. Place the box in a warm, dark, quiet place, away from  household pets and children. If you have a heating pad, place the pad under one half of the box and keep the control on the lowest setting.

Once the animal is settled in the box, call a wildlife rehabilitator. If you do not know of any personally, call your local Department of Environmental Conservation, which can be found in your phone book. Or, if you live in the Buffalo, New York area, you can contact Wilderness Haven. Please remember though--in general, the quicker you get an animal to a qualified rehabilitator for help, the better its chances of survival are going to be.

How To Contact Us:

If you have found an animal in need of care, you can reach Wilderness Haven at (716) 627-9366. Please leave a message if the answering machine picks up. Or, you can email us at: RehabLady11@roadrunner.com