New Mexico Wildlife Center

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

Baby season is in full swing! In addition to injuries caused by getting hit by cars, caught by cats or dogs, or flying i...
06/12/2026

Baby season is in full swing! In addition to injuries caused by getting hit by cars, caught by cats or dogs, or flying into windows, the heat and strong storms are adding to the stressors that wildlife face. With 70 patients currently in care, the top four species here today, by the numbers, are House Finch, Striped Skunk, American Crow, and Rock Squirrels, followed closely by Red-tailed Hawk, Spotted Towhee, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Great-horned Owl, and Northern Flicker. Approximately 20 more species are receiving treatment here, such as a Burrowing Owl, Mexican Free-tailed Bat, Common Poorwhill, Gopher Snake, and Great Blue Heron. This brief snapshot shows the diversity of wildlife in New Mexico and the versatility of our hospital team! If you find an animal that needs help, give us a call at 505-753-9505. Please donate, your gift enables us to provide care to each one of these diverse species with their individual needs.

Save the Date! Wild About Wildlife will be Saturday, July 18, 10:00 am-3:00 pm. As part of a month-long celebration of I...
06/10/2026

Save the Date! Wild About Wildlife will be Saturday, July 18, 10:00 am-3:00 pm. As part of a month-long celebration of International Wild About Wildlife month, we are happy to host a fun day of wild activities for the whole family with special events to celebrate the past, present, and future of NMWC! Details coming soon. (Regular entrance fees apply: $7 for adults, $5 for children over age 3, free for children under age 3.)

For the past 40 years NMWC has protected wildlife through education, conservation, rehabilitation, and public engagement. Our future is bright as we break ground on new facilities that will equip us to continue serving our community of wildlife and people alike. We hope to see you on July 18!

06/08/2026

Enrichment makes life rich! Part of ensuring the welfare of animals in human care includes sensory enrichment. We provide our Ambassador Animals challenges and a variety of stimuli to allow them to express their natural behaviors and experience a high quality of life. Enrichment plans are designed to meet the needs of the individual animal and provide experiences which imitate how their species behaves in the wild. Types of enrichment range from interesting scents of other animals to food puzzles to human interaction. These clips show food-based and structural enrichment: Echo the Sandhill Crane rings a hanging bell. Onyx the American Crow discovers food hidden within a series of dangling PVC caps. Corazon the American Barn Owl searches for a rodent meal within a constructed hiding spot.

Adding novel objects to the Ambassador Animals’ spaces gives them something new to think about and adapt to, or a problem to solve. These cognitive exercises often end with a tasty and nutritious reward, activating natural behaviors that developed as ways to survive. To become an Ambassador Animal sponsor, which includes support for providing enrichment, visit https://secure.qgiv.com/for/anispo/ or give a gift from our Amazon wishlist, https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/365YW1CCYVZK/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex.

06/05/2026

Evening Grosbeak patient 26-84 was found in late March and brought to us with a fractured coracoid and clavicle. While the cause of the injury is unknown, it’s likely that the bird hit a window. Lucky for her, the rescuer brought her to the hospital at New Mexico Wildlife Center. With two months of care and support, she was able to return to the wild with healed bones and reconditioned flight muscles. In this video, you can see her launch into a grove of pine trees, an ideal habitat for Evening Grosbeaks. Here are some fun facts about these intriguing finches:

*Songbird Minimalist*
The Evening Grosbeak’s scientific name, Hesperiphona vespertina, means the sound of the evening, but their simple songs don’t really live up to their family reputation. You won’t hear the repertoire of most finches, just a single, short “cheer” call. Why make things more complicated?

*She’ll Stand By Her Man*
That minimal melody does the trick to attract a mate. Evening Grosbeaks pair up for a season, maybe longer, and scientists observe that females will loyally await males that are captured briefly during field studies.

*Grosbeaks are Muscleheads*
Like other finches, the short, fat bill that’s greenish on female Evening Grosbeaks and a pale yellow on males is specially designed to open a variety of seeds. The gros part of Grosbeak means large, and their strong jaw muscles bulk up their broad heads and power the tiny nutcrackers.

*They Eat Everything on Their Plate*
They are incredibly efficient at getting the most nutrition out of all the sizes of seeds they crack. Compared to other finches who are only able to eat entire kernels of smaller seeds and waste the meaty parts of larger ones, Evening Grosbeaks clean up just about any size. Everything from goosefoot to box elders to pinecones make up their diet. Plus, they eat loads of invertebrates like beetles, aphids, and caterpillars. They’ve been studied for their economic impact on controlling large populations of spruce budworms.

If you find a bird or other animal that looks like it could use some help, call us at 505-753-9505. Thank you for keeping an eye and an ear out for injured wildlife!

Do you have extra venison, elk, or other game meat in your freezer? We'd love to take some off your hands to feed our ma...
06/04/2026

Do you have extra venison, elk, or other game meat in your freezer? We'd love to take some off your hands to feed our many, many hospital patients! We currently have lots of baby corvids (pictured: crow with mouth open, raven with blue background). We need to restock as we expect more to come in soon, plus orphaned or recovering raptors, coyote pups, skunks, foxes, and other predators who will be eating meat as they grow. Our freezer supply is dwindling and we hope you can help us out!

For the best game meat donations, we prefer:
🥩 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, ideally under a year

Please give us a call at 505-753-9505 to arrange a time to drop off donated meat. Thank you for helping us keep our hospital patients fed!

Our wildlife hospital recently hosted two Kansas State University veterinary students for externships. Aubrey Gauntt of ...
06/03/2026

Our wildlife hospital recently hosted two Kansas State University veterinary students for externships. Aubrey Gauntt of Kansas and Alyssa Schorn of Michigan spent their final month of veterinary school with us. They had heard about NMWC from a presentation a staff member had given and from our reputation as a top center for wildlife rehabilitation and education. While they came with a strong foundational knowledge about pets and livestock, they left with something unique: hands-on experience with wild animals. Aubrey and Alyssa also contributed to the care our patients needed at the beginning of baby season.

Have you ever wondered what veterinary school is like? “Extremely stressful and also a lot of fun, depending on the day,” says Aubrey, who is specializing in exotics. “A full-time plus a part-time job, and what I’ve always wanted to do,” says Alyssa, who is getting certified in reptiles and amphibians.

What did they learn during their time at NMWC? Both wanted to gain comfort handling birds. Aubrey says, “I also got experience with anesthesia, doing different physical exams on different species, and how to rear baby birds. To keep exams stress-free, it’s very different from handling domestic animals.” She also shares that she was drawn to the Southwest because of the diversity of reptiles here. “I’m a turtle girl,” Aubrey claims. She and Alyssa had the rare opportunity to assist with surgery on an Ornate Box Turtle.

What will they remember the most? Alyssa’s most memorable patients were 2 baby Rock Squirrels and a group of 7 House Finch babies that she fed after hours. “It was awesome to see them go from the nest to flying!” She explains, “ It was cool to see the healing process from inside to outside. There’s a lot of work and moving pieces. It’s more than just a ‘fix’, especially when you consider migration.”

Now that they’ve returned to Kansas and graduated, what’s next for these newly certified veterinarians? Aubrey is heading to a job in Omaha, Nebraska to work with exotics, and Alyssa is returning to Michigan to work at an emergency clinic that serves small animals, exotics, and wildlife. We wish them all the best in their veterinary careers, and are grateful for their time at the New Mexico Wildlife Center!

We’re celebrating by highlighting one endangered species, the Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha). This b...
06/01/2026

We’re celebrating by highlighting one endangered species, the Thick-billed Parrot (Rhynchopsitta pachyrhyncha). This bright green, yellow, and red bird uniquely represents the biodiversity of New Mexico and the ecological niches they used to inhabit. Sky islands along New Mexico’s southern border historically provided all that Thick-billed Parrots needed for survival. These high-altitude “islands” are characterized by a wide range of ecosystems and are ecologically distinct from other mountain ranges.

The specialized diet of these parrots consists primarily of seeds from certain types of pine and fir trees. They are interdependent on high-altitude, old-growth conifer forests, where the birds play a big role in seed dispersal. Their breeding season coincides with pinecones ripening, and they use hollows in standing snags for nesting.

Cultural associations with Thick-billed Parrots are another significant reason to save them from extinction. For example, their remains have been found along trading routes frequented by Pueblo peoples.

Fewer than 2,000 birds are found in the wild, and around 90 are in U.S. zoological programs. They’ve been shot, trafficked illegally in the pet trade, and much of their habitat has been destroyed for timber, agriculture, and development.

Here’s what we’re doing to support conservation efforts:

🌲NMWC is part of the Thick-billed Parrots SAFE committee. SAFE stands for Saving Animals From Extinction. As the first New Mexico partner, we are collaborating with national and international organizations to eventually release Thick-billed Parrots back into the United States and historic ranges, including New Mexico and Arizona.
🌲SAFE supports conservation in the field by fundraising for predator-proof nest boxes. We pay salaries for the rangers to track them, and we pay for tracking backpacks that go on the parrots.
🌲We are honored to have received an Education Grant from the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) to enhance our education programs and exhibits about Thick-billed Parrots and other extirpated species. Stay tuned for more information coming soon!

Happy Memorial Day and unofficial start to summer! We were blown away by the turnout for our Spring Into Summer event on...
05/25/2026

Happy Memorial Day and unofficial start to summer!

We were blown away by the turnout for our Spring Into Summer event on Saturday! Four hundred folks from near and far spent the day with us, learning how to help wildlife and be more aware of our impact on and interdependence with them. Our dynamic Education Team led multiple animal encounters and tours, shared the stories of Ambassador Animals and the species they represent, and answered lots of great questions. Our fantastic community partners led fun activities and provided useful resources to connect people with the wildlife that share this beautiful landscape. Thank you New Mexico College, .connection1696 , Cactus Rescue Project , Santa Fe County Open Space, and Wild Birds Unlimited of Santa Fe. This event was partially funded by the County of Santa Fe Lodgers’ Tax.

Whether or not you were at the event, we hope you will join us as we begin daily Animal Encounters at 11:30 am. NMWC is open to visitors Tuesday-Sunday from 9 to 4. Find more information at newmexicowildlifecenter.org. (Please note that our wildlife hospital is open every day from 9 to 4.)

The summer of 2026 is NMWC’s 40th! Let’s make it a great season for wildlife in New Mexico!

Every day is here at New Mexico Wildlife Center! We have the great privilege of housing three ambassador turtles here...
05/23/2026

Every day is here at New Mexico Wildlife Center! We have the great privilege of housing three ambassador turtles here. Sly the Red-eared Slider has been enthusiastically greeting guests for 25 years. This semi-aquatic ambassador always makes a big “SPLASH”! Patches the Desert Box Turtle commands a room and might just be our biggest shell-ebrity! Frannie the Ornate Box Turtle has not slowed down with retirement. A tasty bug can bring her out of her shell.

Turtles’ family of more than 350 species includes sea turtles, tortoises, and terrapins. Turtles spend most of their lives in and around the water and tend to have webbed feet. Tortoises live exclusively on land. Their feet are round and stumpy similar to an elephant foot. This adaptation helps them plant seeds into the ground to help their homes stay green. These long-lived species play important roles in their ecosystems and act as indicator species. Their presence, absence, or abundance directly reflects the health of sea-grass beds, coastal dunes, and arid deserts.

New Mexico is home to 10 species of turtles ranging from softshells to snapping turtles! New Mexico used to be home to the Bolson Tortoise, North America’s largest tortoise and rarest land reptile! The Bolson Tortoise is making a comeback through a collaboration of conservation efforts.

Would you like to become part of the effort to help turtle conservation?

*Watch out for turtles on the road while driving or riding a bike. Stop and help turtles cross the road if it is safe for you to do so.

*If you are thinking about getting a pet turtle, familiarize yourself with your local wildlife regulations, look into the housing requirements, research ethical breeders, and consider adopting from a shelter.

*If you have a pet turtle you can no longer care for, do not release it into the wild. Instead, rehome it through a shelter, reptile rescue program, or find a new family to take it in.

*Visit New Mexico Wildlife Center and meet our fantastic turtle trio. Learn more about fun ways to get involved with local conservation projects and become a turtle advocate.

05/22/2026

📣Volume up! Join the conversation on Saturday, May 23! Pica the Black-billed Magpie is a very vocal corvid and one of six Ambassador Animals that will be featured at Spring Into Summer. Come out and learn about the fascinating wildlife that surrounds us and how we can all help them. This FREE event for all ages includes guided tours, door prizes, and these fantastic community partners: Indigenous Connections 1696, Santa Fe County Open Space, Cactus Rescue Project, Tewa Women United, Wild Birds Unlimited, and Northern New Mexico College. See you there!
Santa Fe County Cactus Rescue Project Tewa Women United Wild Birds Unlimited Northern New Mexico College

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

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