© Mindlin/The FFA

The Fund for Animals Wildlife Center is located in northeast San Diego county in Ramona, Calif. The 13-acre facility provides a hospital and nursery for many native species of wild mammals and birds. A fully equipped medical center and trained staff and volunteers insure that the special needs of the ill, injured, or orphaned wildlife can be met 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This facility is also licensed as a "wildlife shelter." In this capacity, the center receives and houses both native and non-native wild animals confiscated by the California Department of Fish and Game. These cases usually are a result of individuals found to be in possession of an animal without appropriate permits.

The center specializes in birds of prey, coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, crows, ravens and skunks. Our 150-foot free flight enclosure enables birds of prey—from Cooper's hawks to Golden Eagles—to exercise their atrophied muscles after recovering from illness or injury. Once rehabilitated, the birds are released back into its home territory.

Enclosures for mammals are spacious and comfortable, allowing the orphaned youngsters and recuperating adults to get plenty of exercise and same species companionship with no human contact. The young animals are raised wild so they develop the survival skills necessary for life in the wild. Sick or injured adults are kept wild and all are fed their natural foods. Once healed, the adults are released back into the areas from which they came.