Started in 1978, dedicated to the rescue, care, protection and preservation of native small wildlife. Originally confined to the lanai of one of its founders, the center quickly gained credibility and a new location as citizens learned of its successes in wildlife rehabilitation.
Since its beginnings the wildlife center has treated over one hundred thousand birds and small animals, offering a high level of skilled care by trained and permitted wildlife rehabilitation specialists with years of experience in treating native fauna disease and trauma. The Peace River Wildlife Center is a member of both the International and Florida Wildlife Rehabilitation Councils, the FWRA, NWRA and the IWRC. We are Licensed and Overseen by the US Department of Agriculture and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Comission. Currently, the center admits about 2,000 clients anually, a number that has increased every year since the center’s founding. If a bird or small animal cannot be returned to its native habitat after treatment and recovery but is otherwise healthy, it becomes a permanent resident of the center or another federally and state approved facility. Right now, the center has almost 200 permanent residents.
All of the permanent residents are available for viewing by the public in attractive, spacious aviaries and habitats, suggestive of their native environments. Among the birds available for viewing are Eagles, Hawks, Owls, Ospreys, Sandhill Cranes, Pelicans, Herons, Gulls, Terns, Cormorants, Songbirds, Crows and Vultures. The costs involved to display them for public viewing is nearly $75,000 per year just to feed the almost 200 permanent residents. All of the Peace River Wildlife Center’s expenses are met through grants, donations, recycling efforts and gift shop sales. The center’s mission is carried out primarily by volunteers. The center is open 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. everyday to receive injured, orphaned or ill wildlife. Visitors are welcome at the center and its gift shop from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. daily.
