The Wildlife Clinic is home to Rhode Island's only fully-functional clinic dedicated to the veterinary care and treatment of all species of wild animals. The Clinic also acts as the headquarters of Wildlife Rehabilitators of Rhode Island (WRARI). 

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WHAT HAPPENS AT THE WILDLIFE CLINIC

Our clinic is professionally run by trained and licensed staff and volunteers. We are prepared to care for a wide variety of species from songbirds to squirrels to salamanders. On a daily basis, we intake sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife from members of the public. Once here, we assess overall health of each patient, triage injuries, provide appropriate housing and diets, provide supportive care as needed, prepare each patient for return to the wild, and finally release to the wild when each patient meets their release criteria. 

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WHAT WE DO

When an animal arrives it is immediately evaluated by one of our licensed staff members and a veterinarian who devise a care and treatment plan for each patient. Wildlife rehabilitation is not an attempt to turn wild animals into pets. Patients are maintained in captivity only until they are able to live independently in the wild. Fear of humans is a necessary survival trait for wild animals and every effort is made to minimize human contact and prevent the habituation of patients. This is an elaborate and often time-consuming process. 

LICENSED REHABILITATORS

Some patients, as is the case with baby animals or patients with certain specialized needs, are transferred off-site to the care of volunteer licensed rehabilitators who specialize in that species. They provide care until the animal is old enough to survive on their own or have sufficiently recovered from their injuries. This allows us to provide each patient with the specialized care they need and limits the risk of imprinting, as most baby mammals and birds require feedings every few hours.