Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital

What Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital does

Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital (legal entity: Fellow Mortals, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation facility founded in 1985 and located in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The hospital admits more than 2,000 injured, orphaned, or sick wild animals annually spanning roughly 150 species, providing veterinary-supported care, rehabilitation, and release back to the wild. The facility footprint is unusually specialized for an organization of its size, including the Buchanan Critical Care Wing, the Uihlein Raptor Flight (4,000 sq ft), a Waterfowl Habitat, a Merganser Clinic, and a Fawn Habitat situated on a 52-acre remote property designed to minimize human imprinting on whitetail deer.

The business model is donation-driven and entirely privately funded. The organization does not charge for services, does not receive government funding, and relies on individual donations, monthly giving (Team Hope), corporate and foundation sponsorships, planned/legacy giving, and annual fundraising events such as Wild Spirits Christmas and the Masquerade. Named capital donors include the Buchanan Family Foundation and Richard Uihlein and Family, who underwrote dedicated facilities. Veterinary services are delivered through a partnership with Lake Geneva Animal Hospital rather than via in-house clinicians, allowing the hospital to operate with a lean staff of approximately six employees supplemented by volunteers.

The organization holds federal and state permits (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Wisconsin DNR) required to legally rehabilitate protected wildlife, creating a regulatory perimeter that limits direct competition. It has also invested in public education, including a 2021 partnership with Into the Outdoors television, and has received external validation through Charity Navigator (including the 2024 Community Choice Award), GreatNonprofits, GuideStar, and Candid transparency recognition.

Name

Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital

Legal name

Fellow Mortals, Inc.

Website

https://fellowmortals.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation facility in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, founded in 1985, that admits over 2,000 injured and orphaned wild animals across 150 species annually, funded entirely by private donations and supported by Lake Geneva Animal Hospital veterinary services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (541940)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release (BPAGAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB)

Keywords

• Wildlife rehabilitation services
• Injured wildlife care
• Raptor rehabilitation
• Native mammal rescue
• Wildlife hospital operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Private Donations: Primary funding source entirely from private gifts and financial contributions from donors. No government or public funding received.
2. Team Hope Monthly Giving Program: Recurring monthly donations from sustaining donors starting at $1/month, providing regular operational support
3. Event Fundraising: Annual events including Wild Spirits Christmas dinner and auction, Wild Spirits Masquerade, generating revenue through ticket sales and auction items
4. Sponsorship Programs: Sponsorships for specific animals and facility wings such as Buchanan Family Foundation Critical Care Wing and individual animal sponsors
5. Legacy Giving: Bequests and planned gifts through wills and trusts for long-term sustainability

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital provides professional veterinary medical care, rehabilitation, and release services for injured and orphaned wild animals brought in by the public. Services are delivered through species-specific facilities including the Buchanan Family Foundation Critical Care Wing (triage, exam, x-ray, surgery), the Uihlein Raptor Flight, Waterfowl Habitat, Merganser Clinic, and White-tailed Fawn enclosures, serving 2,000+ animals per year regardless of donor ability. Care is provided free of charge and funded entirely by private donations.

Product overview

Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital operates as a single unified nonprofit organization offering comprehensive wildlife rehabilitation services from rescue to release. The core offering is the Wildlife Hospital providing medical care through multiple specialized facilities including the Buchanan Family Foundation Critical Care Wing (with triage, exam, x-ray, and surgical capabilities), Uihlein Raptor Flight (4,000 sq ft raptor rehabilitation structure), Waterfowl Habitat, Merganser Clinic, and White-tailed Fawn Habitat. Supporting programs include the Foster Animals Program (using unreleasable birds as fosters for orphaned young), the Orphaned Wildlife Care Internship Program (entry-level 3-month training for wildlife students), Wildlife Insights educational resources (quizzes and flip-books), Team Hope monthly giving, Legacy Giving program, and the annual Wild Spirits Celebration event. The organization accepts over 2,000 animals annually and receives no government funding, operating entirely on private donations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Team Hope: Fellow Mortals' sustaining donor program where monthly donors provide ongoing support for wildlife care.
• Wild Spirits Christmas

Products and services

• Wildlife Hospital Medical Care Services Professional medical care for injured and orphaned wild animals including triage, critical care, surgery, and rehabilitation services delivered by licensed wildlife rehabilitators. Provided free of charge to all members of the public regardless of donor status; over 2,000 animals admitted annually.
• Buchanan Family Foundation Critical Care Wing State-of-the-art critical care facility within the hospital featuring a triage room, exam rooms, x-ray, and surgical facilities for emergency wildlife care.
• Uihlein Raptor Flight 4,000 square foot raptor rehabilitation flight structure with two 100-foot long flights, 20 feet high and 20 feet wide, with mews for building strength, muscle, and stamina in rehabilitating birds of prey. Large sliding panel doors allow a circular endless flight path.
• Waterfowl Habitat Pool habitats and outdoor caging for waterfowl rehabilitation including ducks and geese.
• Merganser Clinic Species-specific care facility for mergansers and other birds including nursery, isolation, exam rooms, x-ray, and indoor flight areas.
• White-tailed Fawn Habitat Half-acre fawn enclosures with 10-foot high fences surrounded by stockade fencing, providing privacy and screening from human activity for deer rehabilitation and overwintering release.
• Foster Animals Program Program providing orphaned wild birds with same-species role models (such as Alberta the Great Horned Owl and Gabriel the bald eagle) to ensure proper imprinting and learning of natural vocalizations and behaviors for improved survival upon release.
• Wildlife Internship Program Entry-level 3-month minimum internship program for college students in wildlife-related coursework, providing hands-on experience in wildlife rehabilitation including care for orphaned small mammals, songbirds, ducks, and geese.
• Team Hope Monthly Giving Program Recurring monthly donation program through which sustaining donors provide species-specific food, formula, medicine, and supplies for wildlife care across 150 different species.
• Wild Spirits Annual Celebration Annual fundraising dinner and auction event hosted at Hawk's View Golf Club, with virtual auction options through the Charity Auctions Today platform.
• Legacy Giving Program Planned giving and bequest program allowing donors to include Fellow Mortals in their will or trust for long-term organizational support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2000+ animals admitted and provided care annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Into the OutdoorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Partnership to create 'Into Wildlife Rehabilitation: First Responders' educational episode aired on regional broadcast stations reaching multiple Midwestern markets including Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, and surrounding states. Episode also nationally streamed on YouTube and available on ITO app.
• Dr. Chris Welch (Lake Geneva Animal Hospital)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2019Dr. Chris Welch performed surgery on a black-crowned night heron to place a prosthesis on the broken bill, working with Dr. Scot Hodkiewicz and Dr. Ann Limberg.
• Dr. Scot HodkiewiczcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2019Dr. Scot Hodkiewicz performed surgery on a black-crowned night heron and has performed orthopedic surgery on eagles and other raptors.
• Dr. Ann Limberg (Geneva Family Dentistry)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2019Dr. Ann Limberg of Geneva Family Dentistry carved a wax prosthesis that was formed into plastic for the heron's broken bill.
• Pete Roth / Pete Roth FenceminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2015Pete Roth and his company constructed the fawn habitats in 2015. Pete Roth Fence donated fence materials for the project.
• Lake Geneva Animal HospitalcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLake Geneva Animal Hospital provides veterinary services including surgeries for critical patients. They pledged $10,000 in matching funds to sponsor the Triage Room in the Buchanan Family Critical Care Wing and already donates skills and services.
• U.S. Fish & Wildlife ServicecoreOthersLicensing agency for migratory birds from Wisconsin and Illinois. Also partnered for foster animal program permitting.
• Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcescoreOthersLicensing agency for native mammals from Wisconsin. Regulates wildlife rehabilitation including special species permits for deer.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Raptor Center: University of Minnesota-affiliated wildlife hospital focused on raptor medicine, rehabilitation, and education. Directly comparable as a licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility serving raptors and other species with research, internship, and public engagement programs.
• Toronto Wildlife Centre: Canadian nonprofit wildlife hospital providing medical care and rehabilitation to injured and orphaned wild animals with public education focus. Comparable licensed rehabilitator staff model with high annual intake.
• Wildlife Center of Virginia: Nonprofit wildlife hospital treating native Virginian wildlife with full medical, surgical, and rehabilitation services plus internship and training programs. Operates a similar hospital-to-release model for injured and orphaned wild animals.
• PAWS Wildlife Center: Washington-state nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center admitting thousands of native wild animals annually, with licensed rehabilitators, internship programs, and donor-funded operations. Directly comparable in mission and operating model.
• Rocky Mountain Raptor Program: Colorado-based nonprofit raptor rehabilitation center with medical facilities, flight enclosures, and education programming. Comparable focus on raptor medicine and species-specific rehabilitation infrastructure.

Others

• International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council: Professional association supporting wildlife rehabilitators through training, certification, and standards development. Adjacent ecosystem organization rather than direct operator, but closely tied to Fellow Mortals' professional community.
• Lake Geneva Animal Hospital: Local companion animal veterinary practice that provides surgical and clinical support to Fellow Mortals under a Core partnership. Supplier/enabler relationship providing veterinary expertise to the wildlife hospital.

Broad incumbents

• World Bird Sanctuary: Larger nonprofit combining wildlife rehabilitation with permanent raptor sanctuary, breeding, and public education exhibits. Comparable in mission scope but broader as a multi-program organization.
• Audubon Society (National): Large national conservation nonprofit with affiliated wildlife rehabilitation centers and bird-focused habitat programs. Operates broader than direct hospital care but shares wildlife welfare and education mission.

Regional players

• Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke: Virginia-based nonprofit wildlife hospital serving a similar catchment-area model with licensed rehabilitators and volunteer-supported operations. Regional peer with comparable scale and service approach.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fellowmortals1
• Facebookfacebook.com/Fellow.Mortals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fellow-mortals-wildlife-hospital

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Fellow Mortals Wildlife Hospital