Pelican Harbor Seabird Station

What Pelican Harbor Seabird Station does

Pelican Harbor Seabird Station is a Miami-based nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation organization founded in 1980, originally for the care of injured brown pelicans and now operating as an internationally recognized center accepting all native birds, mammals, and reptiles on a 24/7/365 basis. The facility sits within Pelican Harbor Marina on a site provided by Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces, and functions as the de facto regional intake point for injured wildlife in South Florida. Services span emergency wildlife rescue, medical treatment (including digital radiology), rehabilitation, and release, delivered by a small staff led by a Rehabilitation Manager and a DVM, with operational support from volunteers and interns.

The organization's revenue model is a community-led nonprofit stack rather than a commercial model. Primary funding comes from individual donations, Donor Advised Funds, stock donations, and a Legacy Society for planned giving. Secondary revenue is generated through fee-for-experience offerings including themed seabird cruises (sunset, full moon, holiday, private bookings), a monthly Speaker Series, on-site and free public guided tours, school and camp wildlife presentations, and Release-an-Owl and Honorary Adoption sponsorship programs. A small PHSS-branded merchandise e-commerce operation (graphic tees at $30-$32) contributes marginally. An active Capital Campaign with naming opportunities signals a major fundraising effort for facility expansion and future development.

The organization operates within a tightly integrated multi-agency ecosystem: it coordinates wildlife cases with US Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, and Ocean Rescue, and operates under state wildlife permits including FWC marine turtle permitting referenced in partner materials. Governance is by a Board of Directors (David Epstein identified as Chairman). There is no software product, no app, no API, and no disclosed revenue figure or headcount; financial visibility is limited to public-facing references to financials and annual reports on the website.

Name

Pelican Harbor Seabird Station

Legal name

Pelican Harbor Seabird Station

Website

https://pelicanharbor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pelican Harbor Seabird Station is a Miami-based nonprofit, founded in 1980, that rehabilitates and releases injured native birds, mammals, and reptiles 24/7/365, funded by donations and community experience programs and serving South Florida residents and visitors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Rehabilitation Services

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine Wildlife & Birding Cruises (dolphins, seals, seabirds) (THAAAIAD)

Keywords

• Wildlife rehabilitation services
• Seabird rescue care
• Native wildlife conservation
• Wildlife veterinary care
• Environmental education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Primary revenue stream from individual donations, donor advised funds, stock donations, and legacy society planned giving. Accepts donations through website and various giving vehicles.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded apparel and gifts including t-shirts priced at $30-$32 through the PHSS Shop e-commerce platform.
3. Experiences and Programs: Revenue from seabird cruises, speaker series events, guided tours, release-an-owl sponsorships, and private wildlife release experiences.
4. Capital Campaign: Major fundraising campaign for facility expansion and future development, with naming opportunities available for donors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pelican Harbor Seabird Station provides medical care, rehabilitation, and release services for injured native birds, mammals, and reptiles at its Miami, Florida facility, with 24/7/365 drop-off intake for community-rescued wildlife. The organization supplements its rehabilitation work with conservation education programs, donor-sponsored wildlife experiences, and an on-site merchandise store.

Product overview

Pelican Harbor Seabird Station operates as a wildlife rehabilitation nonprofit offering a single integrated suite of services centered on rescuing and rehabilitating native wildlife. The core offering is 24/7 wildlife rehabilitation for birds, mammals, and reptiles, supplemented by public engagement experiences (Seabird Cruises, Guided Tours, Wildlife Presentations) and fundraising programs (Release-an-Owl Sponsorships, Honorary Adoptions). The organization also operates a gift shop selling branded merchandise and runs educational Speaker Series events. No software product or platform is offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wildlife Rehabilitation Services
• Seabird Cruises
• Speaker Series
• Guided Tours
• Free Public Tours
• Wildlife Presentations
• Release-an-Owl Sponsorship Program
• Wild Hearts Private Release
• Honorary Adoptions
• PHSS Shop

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• US Fish and Wildlife ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal enforcement agency partnership for wildlife law enforcement and conservation. PHSS works closely with this agency on wildlife rehabilitation and rescue operations.
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState-level wildlife conservation agency partnership for wildlife rehabilitation oversight and conservation efforts. PHSS operates under state permits and coordinates with this commission on wildlife care.
• Miami-Dade Fire Rescue DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency response partnership for wildlife rescue incidents requiring specialized rescue equipment or coordination with fire rescue operations.
• Ocean RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarine rescue partnership for coastal wildlife emergencies and marine animal rescue coordination.
• Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation, and Open SpacescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerValued partner providing the physical location within Pelican Harbor Marina. This partnership enables the facility's existence and provides access to county park resources and community networks.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pacific Marine Mammal Center: California-based nonprofit marine mammal and seabird rescue and rehabilitation center. Directly comparable as a regional coastal wildlife rehab nonprofit with similar education-outreach programming and donation-driven economics.
• Marine Mammal Center: Large-scale nonprofit veterinary hospital and research center for marine mammals and seabirds along the California coast. Comparable rehab-plus-research-plus-education model and donor-driven funding structure, though at significantly greater scale.
• Busch Wildlife Sanctuary: Florida-based nonprofit wildlife hospital, rehabilitation center, and public education facility. Comparable mission of native wildlife rehabilitation plus education programming, and a regional peer competing for Florida donor support.
• South Florida Wildlife Center: Largest wildlife hospital and rehab center in South Florida, accepting injured native wildlife 365 days a year. Operates in the same geography and service category as PHSS, directly competing for donor share and wildlife intake in the Miami-Dade market.
• International Bird Rescue: Nonprofit specializing in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of birds affected by oil spills and other injuries, with centers on both U.S. coasts. Directly comparable mission, seabird/waterbird focus, and rehab-plus-education programming model.
• Wildlife Center of Virginia: Statewide nonprofit wildlife hospital and teaching venue in Virginia. Closely comparable as a nonprofit teaching hospital treating native wildlife, running education programs, and operating a donation-driven model.
• The Raptor Center (University of Minnesota): University-affiliated raptor and wildlife rehabilitation, education, and research center. Comparable mix of clinical rehab, trained staff (including DVM), and education/research programming; differs as an academic affiliate rather than an independent nonprofit.

Broad incumbents

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Academic institution focused on ornithology research, citizen science, and bird conservation education. Comparable in bird-focused expertise and potential research partner, but not a direct rehab-services competitor.
• Audubon Society (National Audubon Society): Large national bird and habitat conservation nonprofit with a chapter network and sanctuaries. Overlaps with PHSS on bird conservation mission and donor pool but operates at a national scale and does not run a local 24/7 rehab hospital.

Regional players

• Sea Turtle Conservancy: Florida-based nonprofit dedicated to sea turtle research and conservation. Comparable in regional Florida coastal wildlife focus and donor-driven programming, though narrower in species scope and not a 24/7 rehab intake facility.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pelican Harbor Seabird Station