New Hospital to Treat, Rehabilitate Wild Animals

Injured wild animals will have a place to heal when the California Wildlife Center opens today in Calabasas.

The center’s founders received three acres of developed parkland from the state Department of Parks and Recreation and converted an old home on the property into a wildlife hospital. The center will be funded by donations and grants from private organizations.

“A center like this is needed in Los Angeles,” said Rebecca Dmytryk, the center’s director of administration. “We have a mission to care for injured wild animals.”

Dmytryk says this is the only wildlife center of its kind in Los Angeles. After recovery, the center plans to release animals back into the wild. No animals will be kept in permanent captivity.

Area residents may report injured animals to the center. Trained volunteers will tend to animal injuries on-site, if possible, or transport them to the center for treatment. The center will try to use as little human contact as possible in order to keep the animals wild.

After recovery, the center plans to release animals back into the wild.

The center will also provide care to wildlife juveniles that are orphaned. If a juvenile cannot be reunited with its family, volunteers will raise it into adulthood and attempt to return it to the wild. No animals will be kept in permanent captivity.

The center will take in animals from an area covering more than 200 square miles, including Calabasas, the West Valley and Pacific Palisades.

To report an injured wild animal, call the California Wildlife Center hotline at (310) 457-WILD.