Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care

Education/Living with Wildlife

Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care (ESWC) is dedicated to helping native wildlife through rehabilitation of injured, ill and orphaned birds, mammals, and reptiles and through education programs that further public knowledge and appreciation of native wildlife. 

Wildlife rehabilitation is the primary activity of the organization. Injured, ill and orphaned wildlife are provided with appropriate care, food and housing with the goal of returning them to their natural, wild existence. All care is provided free of charge by ESWC.

Patients are admitted from as far north as Yosemite and Walker and as far south as Death Valley and Olancha, covering a corridor about 200 miles long and 60 miles wide. ESWC is located in Inyo County and operates under permits from California Department of Fish and Game and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Animals needing help are brought to ESWC by community members and visitors to the area, as well as by public agencies such as California Department of Fish and Game, Animal Control, US Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management. Public referrals come from veterinary hospitals, pet and feed stores, bird clubs, Eastern Sierra Audubon, California Native Plant Society, Sierra Club, Chamber of Commerce, and Mammoth Visitor’s Center. ESWC volunteers carry out rescue efforts when the finder is unable to rescue the injured animal. Our Rescue and Return Team also returns young birds to nests and.or parents when conditions permit. In cases requiring further veterinary services or special housing, patients are transferred to another rehabilitation facility.

The rehabilitation process includes examination and assessment of each animal’s condition; appropriate medical care is provided, if needed, as well as food and housing. Care and feeding of baby animals may require round-the-clock feedings, and is labor-intensive work. When the patient reaches a suitable stage of health (and age, in the case of babies), it is placed in appropriate cages or aviaries for conditioning. Ultimately, the animal is released into an appropriate habitat and, in the case of flock or colonial specie, with others of its kind. [Regulations governing wildlife rehabilitation are set forth in CDFG and USFWS codes.]

Eastern Sierra Wildlife Care (ESWC) is dedicated to helping native wildlife through rehabilitation of injured, ill and orphaned birds, mammals, and reptiles and furthering public knowledge and appreciation of native wildlife through education.
More than 2400 wild birds and mammals—370 animals in 2006 alone—have been given a second chance at our door since our beginnings in 1995. Injured, ill and orphaned wildlife are provided with appropriate care, food and housing with the goal of returning them to their natural, wild existence.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS

ESWC offers educational programs for school classrooms and community groups and events free of charge. These programs address the problems that bring wild mammals and birds into rehabilitation and how people can help prevent some of these problems. Some handouts are included.

1. Helping Wildlife. This program consists of a slide show featuring the wide variety of patients admitted to ESWC—from hummingbirds to eagles and rabbits to raccoons. Discussion of individual patients, why they were admitted, the care they receive and the natural history of some species; also includes pointers on what to do if you find an animal needing help. Program length: 35-60 min.

2. What is a Raptor? This live animal program features our education Prairie Falcon
(“P.F. Cruiser” or “Cruise” shown in our logo above) and discusses the natural history of Prairie Falcons and raptors in general. Program length: 15-30 min.

3. Raptors and Reptiles. This live animal programexpands “What is a Raptor?” (with P.F. Cruiser”) to include live reptiles—a Kingsnake, Rosy Boa, and Gopher Snake and a discussion of snakes and the part they play in our ecosystem. Program length: 35-60 min.

 4. Not-so-scary Snakes: This live animal program is “Raptors and Reptiles” without the raptor portion. Program length: 35-60 min.

If you are interested in scheduling one of our programs, please contact Administrative Coordinator Linda Branca at 872-3926 or 920-5054(cell).

ESWC is a volunteer-based, non-profit, tax-exempt corporation operating under permits from California Department of Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  Donations are gratefully accepted and are tax-deductible. 2007

For questions about living with wildlife please contact Cindy Kamler