So whats your backyard like?

Over the last 5 years, OWL has lost over 4,000 acres of release sites to urban development. If we are to continue to care for 2,000 + wild animals each year, we must have more areas for release.

When an animal is ready to go, we can’t just open the cage door and hope for the best. We may need to find deep timber, a good-sized pond, a heron rookery, a group of cedar waxwings, or some place where nobody minds a badger den. We often place young animals in a foster nest or den. We use areas with suitable habitat, plentiful water, compatible residents, and a variety of other requirements depending on the animal species, its age, and the time of year.

About

If you have a good release site, you can have the pleasure of watching a bird take flight or a mammal scamper into the bushes. Occasionally, we need people to leave out food, monitor the ‘releasee’ and report back to OWL. That’s fun too, and relatively easy, compared to the toil of getting the animal ready to release! If you have a suitable spot, please answer the following questions so we can add you to our release site file.

How to become a release site

Please return this form as soon as possible so we can begin preparation of mapping and documenting our release sites. OWL takes a variety of wildlife including: mammals (rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, opossum, baby skunks, coyotes, fox , bobcat), birds (waterfowl, songbird, raptors, and shorebirds) reptiles (snakes, turtles), and amphibians (frogs, lizards). Note: We do not have the liability for dealing with deer and cannot admit adult skunks, poisonous reptiles, and domesticated animals.
Name*
Phone*
Address*
Street Address City State ZIP
Email*
Please describe the size of your yard, acreage, and landscape (e.g., woods, farmland, streams, lakes, ponds, open space, and vegetation composition or special plantings that support wildlife.)*
My land borders: (explain if you neighbor nature preserves or a factory, plus whether the locals are wildlife enthusiasts or folks who enjoy shooting anything that moves)*
I have observed these animals on my land/in my yard: (please list species with nesting sites, their occupants, and other species you observe throughout the year.)*
I would be*
- willing to monitor a released critter, leave out food, and if necessary, report any concerns or problems to Operation Wildlife.
- ecstatic to monitor a released critter, leave out food, and if necessary, report any concerns or problems to Operation Wildlife.
- would pay to monitor a released critter, leave out food, and if necessary, report any concerns or problems to Operation Wildlife.
Is there anything else we should know?*

Supported by the kindness of our community

Operation Wildlife is a non-profit organization and is NOT funded by the government in any way. We rely completely on the kindness of the community and the people who rescue injured critters to support our financial needs.

Any help you can offer, whether volunteering time, financial support, release sites, or even providing groceries to feed the hundreds of hungry critters each week, it is GREATLY appreciated. Just as an example, it costs about $500 to raise a baby raccoon to release size because after the formula nursing weeks; they need fish, crawdads, minnows, earthworms, etc.

How to become a release site in kansas