The Wildlife Disaster Network (WDN) is an American organization focusing on aiding wild animals suffering due to
natural disasters
A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econo ...
. It was created in October 2020, as a partnership between the
California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is a state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protect ...
and the
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.
The network is made up of rehabilitation centers, veterinarians, trained animal care volunteers, wildlife biologists and ecologists.
History
The WDN was modelled after the Oiled Wildlife Care Network,
which was started at UC Davis for rescuing birds and other marine animals from oil spills.
It is led by Jamie Peyton, Eric Johnson, Deana Clifford and Michael Ziccardi.
In 2021, it was one of 29 recipients of a grant from the Dave and Cheryl Duffield Foundation to rescue and rehabilitate animals injured by the
Caldor Fire
The Caldor Fire was a large wildfire that burned in the Eldorado National Forest and other areas of the Sierra Nevada in El Dorado, Amador, and Alpine County, California, in the United States during the 2021 California wildfire season. The ...
.
Work
The network operates a hotline where they receive calls from people who find injured wild animals.
It then requests authorization from officials to rescue the animals, who after being found are captured and transported to rescue facilities where they receive care for their injuries.
References
External links
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{{Wild animal suffering
2020 establishments in California
Animal welfare organizations based in the United States
Organizations established in 2020
Wildlife rehabilitation