Centre Wildlife Care plays a vital role in the preservation and protection of our wildlife, and their dedication to helping injured, orphaned, and distressed animals is truly commendable.
The staff and volunteers at CWC are highly trained and knowledgeable in wildlife rehabilitation. They have a deep understanding of the unique needs and behaviors of various species, ensuring that animals receive the best care and treatment possible.
By rehabilitating and releasing animals back into the wild, CWC actively contributes to conserving endangered and threatened species. They help maintain biodiversity and prevent further decline in animal populations.
CWC also focuses on educating the public about the importance of wildlife conservation and habitat preservation. They raise awareness about the challenges facing wild animals and inspire people to take action.
CWC relies on dedicated volunteers and community support. They provide opportunities for people to get involved, learn about wildlife, and make a positive impact on the environment.
Their work not only focuses on immediate rescue and care but also the long-term sustainability of ecosystems by releasing rehabilitated animals into their natural habitats.
CWC advocates for policies and practices that protect wildlife and their habitats. They serve as voices for the voiceless in the fight against habitat destruction and other threats.
In essence, non-profit wild animal rehabilitation centers are unsung heroes in conservation and animal welfare. Their tireless efforts and dedication to the well-being of wild animals have a significant positive impact on our environment. They deserve our support and appreciation for their invaluable contributions to the natural world.
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Centre Wildlife Care meets the needs of injured and sick birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians with a caring and dedicated group of volunteers and staff. The most rewarding part comes when a creature can be successfully released back to its native habitat. Sometimes the release can come quickly, but at other times the animal requires weeks or months of care. Some of the animals have injuries that prevent them from being successfully released and, if possible, they become part of the education program of CWC or other wildlife rehab facilities. Educating the public about the wildlife living around them and what to do if they should find a sick or injured animal is also a big part of the mission of Centre Wildlife Care.
Volunteering for Centre Wildlife has been the most rewarding thing I have ever done. And I hope to continue for years to come. We have been involved with Centre Wildlife for 7 years now and for the last 3 years have been doing home care during baby season. His past season we homecared for 38 baby opossums and 8 baby raccoons. Of the 38 opossums, 15 from one liter. Very rare and I’m proud to say with the guidance from the supervisors at Centre Wildlife, successfully all were released back into the wild. Thanks to my involvement with Centre Wildlife, I found my nitch.
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I am a volunteer for Centre Wildlife. My husband and I have been with them for almost 7 years. Working with and help caring for the animals is such a wonderful and rewarding experience. And the people all amazing too. We all have a passion for helping wildlife. Rereleasing back into the wild is what it’s all about. Robyn is amazing. I love talking with her, her knowledge is incredible and I learn so much from her leadership. A remarkable organization.
I love all of the volunteers and employees. From a first-person experience, they truly have the biggest care for these animals and are very attentive to make sure they receive their fundamental needs, like food and shelter, and are very focused on their improving health.
Volunteering here has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever participated in! Seeing how much Robyn (The boss) has done for the animals is truly incredible. She is very dedicated to her work and has accomplished so much.
CWC is a top notch organization. I've been volunteering with wildlife organizations in PA for years and was really glad to find this facility. I have been both a volunteer and "customer" who brought in injured wildlife. I've had nothing but positive interactions with both. They are more than worthy of donations and volunteer efforts so please help to keep them going!
I started volunteering at Centre Wildlife Care about 5 months ago and became a supervisor about 2 months ago. It’s a fantastic atmosphere with a good combination of experienced volunteers and volunteers/interns learning skills on their way to other experiences. What we all have in common is our love for the animals, and it shows through the fantastic care they receive.
Our center is critical to our area, as it’s the only licensed wildlife rehab center in central PA. It’s a several hour drive to the next closest center. We work closely with Wildlife in Need PA and the public to get injured/orphaned/sick animals to us from many different counties.
We also have permits to care for nearly all categories of PA wildlife. We care for mammals (including rabies vector species), opossums, birds (including songbirds, waterfowl, and raptors), reptiles and amphibians.
Pictured is a screech owl that came in with head trauma and is now very close to being releasable.
We can’t do this work without the care and generosity of the public. We truly appreciate any and all help offered to us and the animals we care for.
The story of Centre Wildlife Care begins in 1988 with it's founder and director, Robyn Graboski, in her apartment on First Avenue in Lemont, Pennsylvania. Having grown up on a dairy farm and working as a lab technician at Penn State, Robyn began with a deep knowledge and a love of both animals and science. Robyn had also begun volunteering at Shaver's Creek Environmental Center when they were rehabilitating birds of prey and keeping unreleasable birds as educational ambassadors. And the alchemy of Robyn's life experiences sparked the enduring mission that has become Centre Wildlife Care.
Robyn and I met in 1990 through a mutual friend who had been doing wildlife rehabilitation and release in State College for many years. When Robyn moved from her apartment to a duplex and began doing wildlife rehabilitation on a larger scale, I began volunteering to help with animal care and fundraising. Now, Robyn rehabilitates on 15 acres and I serve as the President of the Board of Directors for Centre Wildlife Care.
So, for over 30 years I have watched and helped as best as I have been able, as Robyn dug deep every day for months during "busy season" from early Spring to mid-Fall to find the grit and energy to provide the best care possible to the animals brought to her and grow Centre Wildlife Care as an organization. We have grown from having handfuls of volunteers taking care of a few hundred animals every year to having many dozens of volunteers caring for 2,000 animals (and growing!) every year.
And along the way, I have witnessed not just the extraordinary, but the miraculous.
From Peanut the Opossum that weighed 9 grams when I brought him and his siblings to Robyn after I found his mother on the road hit and killed by a car. Peanut was successfully released later that year.
To Ava the tagged Trumpeter Swan migrating from from Canada that developed lead poisoning which caused her to fly into a car and sustain a foot injury that required surgery. After her treatment for lead poisoning and recovery from surgery, Ava was successfully released.
And to this September 10, 2021, when a Centre Wildlife Care rehabilitated Bald Eagle that had West Nile Virus was released at the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania by the Pennsylvania Game Commission during a ceremony honoring a Fish and Wildlife Service officer that was a passenger on Flight 93.
There are many other things that go on behind the scenes of which to be proud. Of the animals we receive, a remarkable percentage of them are released. And our Penn State student volunteers gain invaluable knowledge and experience that has taken them to careers in science and veterinary medicine.
After all these years, I continue to be in awe of the amazing perseverance and positive impact of Robyn and all the volunteers and supporters of Centre Wildlife Care.
Melissa Hicks, President
Board of Directors
Centre Wildlife Care
My time volunteering at CWC has been a delight. The professionalism and dedication to the health of wildlife shown by Robyn and the rest of the team is outstanding. I highly encourage that anyone wanting to help out a non-profit in the Centre County community to inquire about volunteer opportunities. Additionally, if you find an injured wild animal in Centre County, bringing it to CWC ensures that they gets the best quality care.
What a wonderful facility and knowledgeable staff. CWC stays on top of current regulations and practices. They also offer continuing education for their volunteers and staff. Robyn manages the volunteer and staff well. She is a great founder, owner, activist and friend
I have worked as a volunteer at Centre Wildlife Care and as a volunteer wildlife transporter. This wildlife rehab center covers a wide swath of central PA and cares for thousands of animals every year, from hummingbirds to fawns. Robyn is an Energizer Bunny when it comes to sharing her knowledge of, and her compassion for, the injured and sick animals that are brought to CWC. Baby animal/bird season is non-stop feeding time. Injured/sick animals are given the medical care and medications needed. One of life's most fulfilling moments is to see an animal that was brought in for help, released back into its natural home. Centre Wildlife Care also participates in educational programs throughout the state, allowing school students and adults to see and hear about some of the fauna found in Penn's Woods. Kudos to Robyn and her team.
I have experience with Centre Wildlife Care both as a community member and as a volunteer. I have visited them many times with baby bunnies, squirrels and oppossums that needed care. They gave these little critters a chance at survival. I realized that this is an organization that I wanted to help out by becoming a volunteer. What a privilege to work with majestic eagles, curious squirrels, gentle fawns and bunnies. Robyn is extraordinary and the volunteers are like a family.
Centre Wildlife Care is an amazing organization and does a superb job of caring for any and all wildlife! The people are wonderful at what they do and are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable!! They also do a great job of educating the public on wildlife! The owner, Robyn, is a wealth of knowledge not only of all wild animals, but how to care for them, heal their injuries and get them released back into the wild to be able to live their best lives!
Every moment I spend at CWC is amazing. Every week working as a volunteer, I am surrounded by fascinating PA wild animals, super knowledgeable rehab lady, and badass staffs. The existence of organization like CWC make me believe in miracle, and in people that are able to deliver it.
Robyn and the volunteers and staff at Centre Wildlife Care are amazing. We took an injured porcupine to CWC that we found in the woods and they gave it care and medical support until it was able to be re-released into the wild. We also called CWC when we found an orphaned bird, which Robyn again helped. We are so very grateful for her and all of the kind souls who help these helpless creatures.
I see some amazing things happen in this wonderful place. Animals with slim chances going back home to the wild because of one womans dedication to helping them. Day in and day out she makes it possible for animals to be saved and its incredible. With her amazing team and large efforts alot of good comes from Robyn's house.
The work on Robyn and her dedicated volunteers provides one-of-a-kind rehabilitation for wildlife. Together, the team at Centre Wildlife Care cares for hundreds of animals each year. On a daily basis, animals are fed, medicated, and have their enclosures cleaned. Volunteers also work hard to make sure animal bedding, laundry, dishes, and floors are clean multiple times per day. Often, volunteers work hard to create stimulating environments for resident, education animals to stimulate natural behaviors. It is an amazing place full of willing, hard-working, and giving individuals who all help wildlife in Pennsylvania.
Centre Wildlife Care is the only wildlife rehab in central Pennsylvania. It takes in animals from over half of the state. I've been working at CWC for nearly 3 years. It truly is a one of a kind, hands-on experience with wildlife. CWC also has non-releasable wildlife to use as education embassadors. We're able to use these animals at programs to educate the public about wildlife. CWC has provided me with so much knowledge and experience in my field of study. Although it is a "dirty job" sometimes, releasing an animal back into the wild makes it all worth it.
My son and I volunteer at CWC every week and get to witness the knowledgeable and compassionate individuals that provide the care and kindness for the injured animals. My son is on the autism spectrum and passionate about wildlife. He receiving an education about the care of wildlife while working with the animals. This drives his interest to become involved in wildlife management/environmental science. Thanks to the CWC staff that has taken the time to work with him. I can't thank them enough.
Centre Wildlife Care is the only wildlife rehab center in all of Western Pennsylvania. I have been volunteering there going on 3 years. I can't begin to tell you the number of injured and sick animals that we have helped recover and returned to the wild. Also, the number of orphaned babies that we have saved, raised and released into the wild. This is a wonderful organization that receives no government funding and is so very worthwhile.
As a longtime volunteer at Centre Wildlife Care, I can attest to the hugely positive impact this organization has on the community. CWC not only works to rehabilitate injured and orphaned wildlife, it also provides educational programs and outreach to people of all ages, and internships and work experience to students interested in wildlife and veterinary sciences.
Upwards of a thousand animals are helped each year due to the hard work of full- and part-time volunteers, interns, and local vets. CWC's geographical coverage continues to grow as other rehabilitators in the state have either retired or closed due to lack of funding. Despite the subsequent increase in animals brought in, CWC has maintained a high quality of care.
CWC's educational outreach includes wildlife programs offered to children, training seminars for students and animal professionals, and internships for college credit. On a smaller scale, the organization seeks to educate the public about wildlife habits and injury prevention via its website and emails.
Overall, Centre Wildlife Care is a fantastic organization. Their benefit to local wildlife is fairly well-known and appreciated. Their benefit to education is just as important.
Review from Guidestar