Second Chance Wildlife Rescue

06/18/2026

We wanted to share these photos of the beautiful mural of a desert scene and wildlife that was painted on our ICU building at our rehabilitation facility. The mural was painted over several weekends by Elena Sotelo, a local art teacher in the Socorro Independent School District and her father, Enrique Sotelo. We absolutely love it! Please check the comment section for a closeup of the kestrel. Thank you so much Elena and Enrique for sharing your amazing talents with us.

05/26/2026

URGENT NEED FOR VOLUNTEERS
If you have volunteered with us in the past, or have taken any of our training classes, we need you! This is our busy baby bird season and we do not have enough volunteers to do what we do.
We will not, do not, can not, turn away an orphaned or injured bird. Pet rescues and city animal services can turn down or refuse to accept animals that need help when they have too many, but we cannot.
Second Chance Wildlife Rescue is a volunteer-powered organization and that is how we have been able to operate for as long as we have.
If you do volunteer with us, we ask that you are consistent with showing up and staying for your shift. If you do not like direct feeding of wildlife there is so much you can do such as cleaning cages and making food. We are currently dealing with 10 to 15 intakes a day. Please reach out to us at (915) 920-7867. Hours to volunteer are 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Please do it for our wildlife, because they matter.

PLEASE go to our google website Second Chance Wildlife Rescue and fill out a volunteer application. Someone will review it and get back to you. Thank you!

05/20/2026

This young Great Horned Owl came to us today after someone found it near a very tall tree. The rescuers weren't able to get it back in the tree so Animal Services brought it to us. He is flapping his wings and seems fine with no visible injuries. We fed him a nice rat for dinner. He will be going to the zoo tomorrow for further evaluation.

05/13/2026

This baby cottontail was brought to us after being caught by a cat. Luckily, there are no obvious injuries, so we will provide antibiotics just to be sure. Cottontail rabbits are prolific breeders capable of producing 350,000 descendants in 5 years, using zigzagging, 18-mph speeds to escape predators. They are solitary, active year-round, and camouflaged, with mothers visiting their hidden, fur-lined ground nests only twice a day to nurse kits to avoid detection.

05/07/2026

Yesterday a jackrabbit (hare) came to us with a terrible head injury. We hydrated him with 30 ccs of fluids and gave him something for his pain along with bunny prayers.
He lived through the night but passed away in the morning. These cases are very draining for us.
Jackrabbits are not rabbits at all, but are actually large hares. They are native to Western North America and are known for their exceptionally long ears used for heat regulation and speeds up to 40 mph. Primarily nocturnal herbivores, they thrive in arid, open environments like deserts and prairies, relying on speed and zig-zagging to escape predators like coyotes.
Their powerful hind legs allow them to leap up to 20 feet. As herbivores, they consume grasses, twigs, forbs and cacti, often foraging from sunset to sunrise.

04/28/2026

Whenever there are strong wind gusts, we know it's going to be a busy day. Today we received 15 nestlings and hatchlings! These babies were blown out of their nests last night or early this morning. Because they are so tiny, and totally dependent, they are hand fed every 15 to 20 minutes, from sunrise to about 8 p.m.---a significant time commitment!
We also received a nestling barn owl. It had a sibling but it died after being blown out of the tree. We kept the survivor overnight and delivered him to the zoo vet. We think he may be blind. Many of the very young owl nestlings do not see well. He was very dehydrated and hungry.
The barn owl is generally nocturnal, though it can sometimes be seen hunting during the day, or the early evening. It hunts by flying slowly, then hovering over a patch of ground that it believes may conceal prey. It may also find a tree or post to use as a lookout point so that it can scan for food. When it spots its prey, the barn owl can swoop down to grab the creature using its talons. Barn owls hunt over open fields, generally within a range of about a mile from their roosting or nesting site. As well as its good eyesight, the barn owl has extremely sensitive hearing, to help it hunt.

04/23/2026

04/22/2026

Our educational mule deer, Habib, absolutely enjoys when our released birds land on his back for a ride around the property, a lot like Bambi used to do.

04/14/2026

We received a sparrow two days ago that made us realize how strong and resilient wildlife is, even when we don't think they're going to make it, especially after suffering a horrific injury.
A pruning company was working downtown with a chainsaw. The sparrow was not able to get away in time and was sliced. He also suffered a broken leg. He was brought to us in really bad shape. We did what we could for him, but didn't really have much hope because of how badly he was injured. His wounds were treated and his leg wrapped. He never showed pain but it was obvious he was hurting. We checked him the following morning and he was alive, and eating! That's what we call a brave little dude!

04/03/2026

This cute little cottontail was caught by a cat. She has a
difficult time keeping her balance because the cat bit her on both sides of hips.