About TWC
Our Mission
Tamarack Wildlife Center promotes the welfare of wildlife and inspires care for nature through excellence in rehabilitation and education.
Our Vision
Tamarack Wildlife Center is a leader in fostering a community in which wildlife and humans thrive.
What is Tamarack Wildlife Center?
Tamarack rehabilitates wildlife and conducts inspiring educational programs. Tamarack specializes in the treatment of raptors but is also equipped to treat a wide range of animals, including adult songbirds, rabbits, opossums, squirrels, turtles, snakes, and more. Tamarack is a non-profit organization licensed by state and federal governments, and entirely funded by private donations and grants.
Rehabilitation
Tamarack treats over 1,000 wildlife patients annually, with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. Since incorporation in 1989, over 20,000 wild animals have been treated.
Treatment of Patients
The admission routine for injured animals is very like that seen in a human Emergency Room setting. Upon arrival at the center, information is taken from the finder, and the wild animal is evaluated in the admission room, and initial care is given. The initial care involves a medical examination, drawing blood for testing (if needed), cleaning and dressing wounds, splinting any possible fractures, treating for parasites, and administration of any needed medications or fluids. In species prone to lead toxicity, such as Bald Eagles, Loons, Turkey Vultures and others, a blood lead test is run onsite.
The patient is then settled in our Intensive Care Unit, or “I.C.U,” an indoor room where patients needing intensive care are housed. It is common for patients to remain in I.C.U. for several weeks as their fractures heal or they recover from illness. If appropriate, physical therapy is given to improve range of motion and promote full recovery.
Once ready to begin self-exercise, the wildlife patient is moved to one of several outdoor enclosures that is protected from the elements and potential predators and an appropriate size for the species. This setting affords the patient the opportunity to adjust to the outside environment and gain stamina while still being regularly fed and treated by Tamarack's team. Our largest avian patients, Bald Eagles, receive flight conditioning in our 104 foot flight building. Before release each patient is evaluated to ensure that it has the ability to survive on their own.
Tamarack has an impressive release rate. Of the admissions that survive the first 24 hours, typically over 70% are released. Our greatest success is seeing a wild animal returned to its home. With birds, this can be quite dramatic and breathtaking as they return to the open sky.
The Tamarack team has particular expertise in treating Bald Eagles and they are being admitted in record numbers. In the founding years, a Bald Eagle was treated once every few years. Since 2007 however, with the rebound of Bald Eagle populations in the area, that number has risen to 10-15 eagles treated per year. This is among the most treated at any rehabilitation facility in Pennsylvania.
On occasion the injuries sustained by wildlife, cause them permanent disability and they can't be returned to the wild. These patients are evaluated for both health and temperament. The Tamarack team members then work to place good candidates in an appropriate licensed setting. Some can act as foster parents for orphaned young at a rehabilitation center. Others become ambassadors for their species and are placed with Zoos or Nature Centers. Often a young Red-tailed Hawk or Screech Owl takes to glove training and shines as the star of an education program.
Wildlife Education
Live wildlife captivates and inspires us. Tamarack provides educational programming throughout our region. In the presentations, non-releasable live birds of prey and an ambassador opossum serve as models of physical and behavioral adaptations, natural selection, and the impact of humans on species survival. An amazing cast of non-releasable wildlife assist in this goal: Bear, a petite Eastern Screech Owl, Ruby, a powerful Red-Tailed Hawk, Apollo, a sleek Peregrine Falcon, and Myrtle, an inquisitive Box Turtle, among others. During programs, an owl, hawk, or falcon perches on a handler's glove, or the Box Turtle is presented on a table. Take the opportunity to see these magnificent wild creatures up close and personal. The encounter is awe-inspiring.