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Tuesday 9am - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm Thursday 9am - 4pm Friday 9am - 4pm Saturday 9am - 4pm Sunday 9am - 4pm

New Mexico Wildlife Center

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Espanola, NM
New Mexico Wildlife Center

New Mexico Wildlife Center's mission is to protect New Mexico's wildlife through rehabilitation, conservation, education, and public engagement.

08/31/2026

Make it rain! ☔🌈🌦We are almost 20% of the way toward our $8,000 goal, thanks to the 9 generous donors who have contributed to our mister system so far! We can buy enough supplies to install a mister for a couple of enclosures, but we have a total of 15 that need it. Keep it coming and help us keep our ambassadors cool! Donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-new-mexico-wildlife-centers-mission. Thank you!
Video: Dovah the Red-tailed Hawk ambassador enjoys a cooling spray from a water hose. Let’s make it easier with a mister!

08/30/2026

Looking for a fun alternative to Zozobra on Friday night? 🏺Come out to Paseo Pottery and create for a cause! 🍶 We are thrilled to be a featured nonprofit being gifted the proceeds of a throwdown at Paseo Pottery! Buy your ticket soon at --> paseopottery.as.me/THROWDOWN

08/28/2026

Our hospital just got a little less smelly, with the release of a group of six juvenile skunks back to the wild. These Striped Skunks came to us as orphans and spent two months in care with conditioning to be able to survive in the wild. We appreciate the many brave skunk rescuers who, during baby season, notice young ones who are orphaned or injured and bring them to us. Please note that skunks are rabies vector species: they could carry the rabies virus and transmit it to other mammals, including humans. This is why it’s so important to remember that wild animals should never be handled bare-handed.

It’s also important to know that skunks are an essential part of New Mexico ecosystems. Let’s appreciate their adaptations and give them the respect – and distance – they deserve.

* Notice how the skunks in this video are using their noses to explore their new environment. Believe it or not, they have a keen sense of smell. Their hearing is also good, but not their eyesight. They may walk up close to a threat without seeing it, leading to a conflict when they are startled.
* Skunks will warn before ejecting the spray containing a strong sulphuric odor from their scent glands. A raised tail is a clear message, along with stomping their feet. They will usually spray as a last resort, because it will leave them vulnerable and defenseless, and it takes days for their bodies to restore their scent supplies.
* Striped Skunks are opportunistic omnivores, capable of finding food in a variety of places and a great alternative to chemical pesticides as insect control. Their strong and sharp front claws enable them to dig into the earth and eat grubs and earthworms as well as ground-nesting insects like hornets and wasps.
* Skunks disperse seeds and recycle nutrients as they forage, and they are part of nature’s clean-up crew. They consume carrion and decaying matter which reduces diseases and assists decomposition.
* Skunks are not just striped. Two kinds of Spotted Skunks also live here in New Mexico, along with Common Hog-nosed and Hooded Skunks (five species total). These other types of skunks need more specialized habitats, which is why they are less commonly seen.

08/24/2026

There’s nothing quite as exciting as watching our Boreal Toad ambassadors at a mealtime! This “scatter feeding” technique gets them up and moving around, challenging them to chase down their prey – live crickets. These crickets are white because they are dusted in calcium powder, a supplement provided to all the reptiles and amphibians in human care at NMWC. It can be just as important as the UV light we provide in each indoor enclosure.

Four of these toads are retired breeding females from the Boreal Toad reintroduction program, and one is a male who will be released back into the wild. Exercise from scatter feeding is important for the geriatric females to prevent obesity. For the male, practicing his hunting behaviors now will be critical for his survival in the wild. Also, all animals in human care benefit from the mental stimulation that promotes natural instincts and movement around a space that is right-sized for their needs.

The New Mexico Herpetological Society lists 27 species of amphibians in the state, but you won’t find Boreal Toads on that list. That’s because they are extirpated, or locally extinct. Boreal Toads still exist in high elevation habitats in other states. Our Education Team is partnering with the Boreal Toad reintroduction program to bring them back to their historic range in New Mexico. The male is a sentinel toad and will be an important part of the experimental reintroduction program. Sentinels provide advanced warning of dangers for future generations. The male Boreal Toad’s cricket training here will condition him for hunting insects in the great outdoors!

08/22/2026

Game meat donations needed! Check your freezers. Our hospital is running critically low on meat supplies for patients such as hawks, owls, ravens, coyote pups, and skunks. Help us refill our stock and share this post to spread the word!

The best game meat donations are...
🥩 not ground (the animals prefer solid chunks of muscle meat)
🍖 not freezer-burned or spoiled
🍗 not seasoned or cooked
😋 frozen for two years or less.

Please call us at 505-753-9505 to schedule a time to drop off donated meat. If you don't have meat to donate a financial contribution will help us purchase needed supplies. Thank you for helping us keep our hospital patients fed!

08/21/2026

It’s been a while since we shared an update on hospital patient releases, so here’s a collection from over the summer!

Releasing rehabilitated wildlife back into the wild is a delicate balancing act that depends on many factors. Timing is everything, while location, species, age, and individual needs all play an important role.

Migratory birds need to be healthy and strong enough to successfully complete their migration. As baby animals grow, they must reach an appropriate level of independence before release to give them the best chance of survival. For example, skunks typically aren’t able to survive independently until they are around three months old.

Our Wildlife Rehabilitators work hard to ensure every animal leaving our hospital is released in an area with suitable habitat, food, water, and other resources to give them the best possible chance of survival. Whenever possible, we return adult animals to the area where they were originally found. Juveniles and animals that are migrating through may be returned to their original location or released at a nearby site with appropriate habitat and resources.

Have acreage in New Mexico? Consider allowing New Mexico Wildlife Center to use your property as a wildlife release site! We are looking for properties throughout the state with 5+ acres and access to a water source.

If you become a release site for us, we will always coordinate with you before bringing any patients to your property. Together, we can help give rehabilitated wildlife the best possible start to life back in the wild!

08/20/2026

Tickets are on sale for RAPTORS AND REPTILES AND MAMMALS, OH MY! 🎉 Join us Saturday, October 17 in celebrating our first 40 years and launching a renewed vision of caring for New Mexico’s wildlife! 🦅

RAPTORS AND REPTILES AND MAMMALS, OH MY! is more than a celebration of past accomplishments. It is opening the door to our future. We are undertaking an exciting facility expansion that will dramatically increase our ability to care for and educate about New Mexico’s wildlife. Come learn about the impact your donations have had over the years and how you can contribute to the dreams we dare to dream. 💫

Your event ticket includes these activities, all set in the beautiful Club at Las Campanas!
Drinks and appetizers
Music by The Jazz Battery
Paddle raises
Challenge match
Silent auction featuring:
* Fun experiences and packages
* Behind-the-scenes visits to NMWC
* Original art pieces

Purchase tickets at: secure.qgiv.com/event/nmwcfundraiser/ or call 505-753-9505.

08/16/2026

Remember our recent post about frozen treats for our Ambassador Animals? Another way we keep animals cool is with multiple daily showers using water hoses that staff drag up and down the pathways to reach every enclosure. 🥵 Well, there’s a better way to cool off and we need your help to make it happen! We can install a high-pressure water system that connects “misters” in every enclosure across the campus. 💦 😅Misters help cool the Ambassador Animals from their feathers and fur to their talons and paws. Thanks to some donors, we already have part of the cost, but we need another $8,000 to ensure every outside ambassador’s home includes a mister that attaches to a system that will last under the New Mexico sun and heat. Mister spray helps cool the air and ground surrounding the enclosures which will help our staff and visitors, too!

Learn more and donate through our Go Fund Me page for this project. https://gofund.me/b924a9f50
Thank you for helping New Mexico Wildlife Center’s Ambassador Animals beat the heat!

Video: Dovah the Red-tailed Hawk ambassador enjoys a cooling spray from a water hose. Let’s make it easier with a mister!

08/14/2026

🦎🐊Happy ! 🌎 This global holiday is a good time to appreciate the amazing adaptations of New Mexico’s lizards and the specialized care our hospital has provided lizard patients over the years. The reasons that lizards are brought to us are as diverse as the nearly 50 species found in New Mexico. The most common injuries to lizards are caused by cats or dogs.

Caudal autotomy, or tail loss, is one adaptation that some lizards have to escape predators. This is a last resort, though, and costs a great deal of energy to regrow, can weaken their immune system, and cause them to lose social status among their companions.

Like all reptiles, lizards are ectotherms, meaning their body temperature is reliant on their surrounding environment. In the winter, we sometimes receive lizards who are hypothermic or their brumation has been interrupted. However, rehabilitating lizards requires more time than mammals or birds because they have a slower metabolism, which means a longer recovery period.

Two resident lizards at NMWC on the Education side are Canyon the Collared Lizard and Mojave the Common Chuckwalla. Both were hatched and raised in human care to serve as educational ambassadors. In the wild, Collared Lizards can run extremely fast to avoid predators, while the Chuckwalla does the opposite and impersonates a rock. They can inflate their bodies with extra air to puff up and wedge themselves in a crevice just out of the reach of a predator.

Ten lizards are listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need in New Mexico. They are vulnerable to climate change and habitat loss, plus the aforementioned domesticated animals that are not their natural predators. Simple steps you can take to help our local lizards include keeping your pets indoors or leashed. Also, keep us in mind if you see a lizard that needs help. Give us a call at 505-753-9505.

Pictured: Whiptail patient, Canyon the Collared Lizard ambassador, Mojave the Common Chuckwalla ambassador

08/12/2026

🍶🎨 Create for a cause! Friday, September 4, 6:00-8:00 pm at Paseo Pottery. We are thrilled to be a featured nonprofit being gifted the proceeds of a throwdown at Paseo Pottery! Buy your ticket soon at --> paseopottery.as.me/THROWDOWN

Address

19 Wheat Street
Espanola, NM
87532

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4:30pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm
Saturday	9am - 4pm
Sunday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

+15057539505

Website

http://www.newmexicowildlifecenter.org/

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