The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Minnesota provides
quality medical care and rehabilitation for all injured,
sick and orphaned wildlife, and shares its knowledge
with the people who care about them.

Believe it or not we're gearing up for the 2012 Nursery Season! We're in the process of hiring our seasonal coordinators and soon will be processing nursery volunteer applications.

Our Mammal Nursery will open first, in early April. There are three shifts a day, seven days a week to choose from. Our greatest need is during the morning and mid-day shifts, and on the weekend evening shifts. You do not need the rabies vaccine for this nursery as you'll be working with non-rabies vector species. This nursery runs through early October, with a small break mid-season.

Our Avian Nursery and Waterfowl Nursery will both open in early to mid-May.

The Avian Nursery is a busy nursery as the birds need to be fed every 20 minutes throughout the day. If you have a passion for birds and want to learn more about our feathered friends, this is a fascinating nursery to be in. Shifts are available from 8am-8pm every day of the week.

Our Waterfowl Nursery is a bit more hands-off since ducks are precocial, meaning that from the time they hatch they feed themselves (no hand-feeding needed!). Shifts in this nursery run only in the morning and in the evening, and tend to be a bit shorter than the Mammal or Avian shifts. It's also the only nursery where teens over the age of 13 can volunteer with a parent. These shifts fill quickly, so if you want to volunteer with your son or daughter, or grandchild, apply soon!

Here's our online application. If you have questions, drop our Volunteer Director Liz Cross an email.

For those who want a more in-depth volunteering position, our year-round Animal Care Crew (ACC) is the answer. In this area you'll have the opportunity to work with nearly 160 different species of animals, pretty much all the adult animals we have in the building for treatment. Because of this, we do require the rabies pre-exposure vaccine. You'll want to make sure your insurance covers these shots, or at least be able to apply them to your deductible (roughly $200-300/shot for 3 shots, plus a titer draw after your last shot).

Our ACC volunteers are required to be 18 years or older and work with everything from the amazing Trumpeter Swans and snapping turtles to the more common backyard animals such as squirrels, rabbits and cardinals.

Minimum commitment to the ACC is 9 months, but many of our volunteers have been with us for more than 5 years! You may also choose to pick up an additional seasonal shift in one of our nurseries if you'd like without losing your position on ACC.