Wildlife Care Association

What Wildlife Care Association does

Wildlife Care Association (WCA) is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation organization founded in 1970 and headquartered at 5211 Patrol Rd, McClellan (Sacramento), California. It operates as the largest wildlife rehabilitation center in California by patient volume, providing emergency medical treatment, rehabilitation, and release for injured, orphaned, and sick native wildlife throughout the Sacramento region. The organization runs a 7-day-a-week physical facility with a 24/7 wildlife emergency hotline and serves a mix of casual wildlife finders, individual donors, volunteers, and interns. Beyond direct care, WCA delivers community education through its Living with Wildlife resources, school and public speaking engagements, and signature annual events such as the Owl Release & Picnic held with Heringer Estates.

WCA's service operations are veterinary and field-driven rather than technology-driven. Core activities include intake triage, emergency and ongoing medical care, orphaned-animal husbandry, and coordinated release. Capacity expanded in November 2025 with the conversion of a radar dome into additional animal housing, supporting rising patient volumes. In 2025 the organization treated 9,296 patients, with 7,442 admissions concentrated in the March through August busy season (about 80% of annual cases), and is on track to exceed 10,000 patients in 2026 (a 7.74% year-over-year increase).

The business model is donation-funded, not fee-based. Wildlife care services are provided free of charge to the public. Revenue is generated through individual donations processed via Zeffy, vehicle donations via Careasy, corporate and individual sponsorships, merchandise sales on Bonfire, targeted supply needs via an Amazon Wishlist, and an incoming real estate donation channel. The organization employs 44 people, relies on a large volunteer and internship base coordinated through Volgistics, and previously received Sacramento County funding; that funding is being discontinued in the 2027 budget cycle, creating an $80,000 gap that the organization is offsetting through channel diversification. Director Sandra Foreman leads public-facing operations and media engagement.

Name

Wildlife Care Association

Legal name

Wildlife Care Association

Website

https://wildlifecareassociation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wildlife Care Association is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center founded in 1970 in Sacramento, California, providing free emergency medical care, rehabilitation, and release services for native wildlife, serving roughly 9,000-10,000 injured or orphaned animals annually through donations, volunteers, and community partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wildlife Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife Rescue, Rehabilitation & Release (BPAGAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Conservation & Species Protection (BPAGAGAB), Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release Centers (Public Viewing/Education) (THAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Wildlife rehabilitation services
• Wildlife emergency response
• Native wildlife rescue
• Wildlife veterinary care
• Wildlife conservation education

Headquarters

HQ city

McClellan (Sacramento)

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization relies heavily on financial contributions from individual donors to cover costs of food, medical supplies, and facility maintenance. Donations are accepted through their website via Zeffy platform.
2. Vehicle Donations: Accepts vehicle donations through the Careasy platform.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate and individual sponsorship opportunities available for supporting wildlife care.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sales of WCA merchandise through Bonfire and Amazon Wishlist for specific supplies needed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Wildlife Care Association is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center that rescues, treats, and rehabilitates injured, orphaned, and sick native wildlife, returning recovered animals to the wild. The organization operates the largest wildlife rehabilitation center in California, treating over 9,000 patients annually, and supplements its clinical work with public education, internships, and volunteer programs.

Product overview

Wildlife Care Association operates as a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center offering a unified set of services centered on the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of native wildlife. The core service is wildlife rehabilitation and emergency response, supplemented by volunteer and internship programs, community education and outreach, and donation-driven fundraising activities. The organization also hosts annual events such as the Owl Release & Picnic to engage the community and support operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wildlife Care Association (WCA) & Education Center: The organization operates under this full legal name as indicated in the footer.

Products and services

• Wildlife Rehabilitation Services Comprehensive rescue, veterinary medical treatment, and rehabilitation of injured, orphaned, and sick native wildlife, with recovered animals released back into the wild. Services are provided free of charge to the public through the McClellan, California facility.
• 24/7 Wildlife Emergency Response
• Wildlife Education and Outreach Programs
• Wildlife Care Internship Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 9,000 wildlife patients cared for annually, with 9,296 patients in 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Heringer EstatescoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 August 2026Heringer Estates serves as event sponsor and venue partner for the annual Owl Release & Picnic event. The event features local food trucks, wine service, and culminates with the release of rehabilitated owls back into the wild. This partnership combines winery hospitality with wildlife conservation awareness.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Gold Country Wildlife Rescue: Gold Country Wildlife Rescue is a California-based nonprofit providing wildlife rehabilitation in the Sierra foothills region — a comparable but geographically distinct rehabilitation peer serving communities outside WCA's Sacramento catchment.

Direct peers

• Lindsay Wildlife Experience: Lindsay Wildlife Experience is a Walnut Creek, California-based wildlife hospital and education center that rehabilitates injured and orphaned wildlife — a closely aligned peer in both rehabilitation services and public education programming.
• Project Wildlife: Project Wildlife operates the largest wildlife rehabilitation program in San Diego County, providing medical care, rehabilitation, and release for native wildlife — a strong direct peer in scale and California regional footprint.
• WildCare: WildCare is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation hospital in San Rafael, California, providing medical care and rehabilitation for injured and orphaned native wildlife — directly comparable to WCA in mission, services, and California geography.
• Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care: Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care is a nonprofit wildlife rehabilitation center serving the Lake Tahoe region of California and Nevada, providing rescue, rehabilitation, and release services comparable to WCA's core mission.

Broad incumbents

• Born Free USA: Born Free USA is a national nonprofit focused on wildlife conservation and animal welfare advocacy — a broader incumbent with overlapping wildlife-protection mission, even though it does not operate a rehabilitation hospital like WCA.
• Sacramento SPCA: The Sacramento SPCA is a larger, broader animal welfare organization in the same Sacramento region as WCA, offering shelter, adoption, and humane law enforcement — overlapping with WCA's mission but focused on domestic animals rather than native wildlife.
• Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA: Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA is a large Bay Area animal welfare nonprofit offering sheltering, veterinary, and wildlife services — a broader incumbent that overlaps with WCA on wildlife rehabilitation within the broader California animal-care landscape.

Others

• International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council: The IWRC is the leading professional association supporting wildlife rehabilitators with training, certification, and resources — a relevant ecosystem enabler that supports organizations like WCA through standards and education.
• California Department of Fish and Wildlife: California Department of Fish and Wildlife is the state regulator that issues permits and sets policy for wildlife rehabilitation — a key counterpart and ecosystem participant for any California wildlife rehabilitator including WCA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wildlifecareassociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/wcaofsacramento
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wildlife-care-association

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Wildlife Care Association