Our babies need your help! TreeHouse Wildlife Center is a 501c3 non-profit wildlife rehabilitation center located in Dow, IL about 30 minutes north of St. Louis, MO between Alton and Grafton, IL. Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and release injured and orphaned wildlife. We also work to educate the public about the importance of wildlife and conserving the environment. Last year we admitted over 700 wildlife patients and we anticipate that we will top that amount this year as more and more people are finding out about us.

Baby season is our most expensive time of the year, starting around March and sometimes extending out into November. We take in all sorts of orphans such as squirrels, deer fawns, owlets, hawks, falcons, ducklings, goslings, fox kits, and bobcat kittens. The costs to feed and care for these young animals plus the injured adult animals we take in stack up. For instance, a young Barred Owl may eat as many as six mice a day! That is about $3.60 a day or $108 a month to care for one owlet which may take six months to raise. We often end up with several of these owlets plus owlets of other species. It is certainly a lot of work but wildlife rehabilitation centers like ours are often the difference between life and death for these animals. We have a workforce of dedicated volunteers and staff who love wildlife and give countless hours of their time to these babies.

How do we get all of these animals? Most of the animals we admit are injured or orphaned due to conflicts with humans. For example, we admitted a deer fawn whose mother was hit and killed by a car. Luckily, the people who were driving behind the other car stopped and called us immediately. We then stepped in and introduced the fawn to the other four orphaned fawns currently in our care. He grew up in a safe environment with other fawns his age and they were all released together as a herd in the fall. Every day more and more animals are becoming injured or orphaned as human populations expand. It is important that we do everything that we can to preserve our native wildlife so that we can keep a healthy and balanced ecosystem. A balanced ecosystem means a healthier environment which helps keep our planet healthy for generations to come.

In order for us to continue to care for all of these patients plus the patients coming through our doors on a daily basis, we need the help of people like you. As a non-profit we run strictly on donations and grants. All donations to TreeHouse go toward the care of our injured and orphaned wildlife. If you would like to learn more about our center, please visit our website at www.treehousewildlifecenter.com  or check out our Facebook page  to see updates of our current patients. If you live in the area, you can also come out for a visit or sign up as a volunteer! We are open to the public seven days a week. Thank you so much for your support! Our orphaned animals will certainly appreciate it! Your donations help save native wildlife.