Welcome to the Wild Side of WNY! Get to know a bit about what we do here.
Hi! I’m Jes, your friendly, local wildlife rehabilitator! I run Wild Side of WNY Inc. out of my home in Pavilion, NY. I started Wild Side in summer, 2022, out of a love of animals and a passion for conservation. When I first started researching wildlife rehabilitation and talking it over with my family, I was expecting to take in a handful of animals at a time – but quickly realized that the need in our area was much greater than that.
I finished off my first season with 44 intakes. In 2023, we had just over 80 intakes, and in the 2024 season we had 136 wild visitors, with 110 successful releases. Though not every animal is able to see it through to their happy return to wild, it is also a great gift to be able to provide comfort and relief in the final moments of the animals who spend their final days here as well.
What animals can we facilitate?
My most frequent visitors here at Wild Side of WNY are orphaned squirrels, and eastern cottontail rabbits – though we also provide care for groundhogs, turtles, amphibians, opossum, small rodents like vole and mice, and the occasional other small mammal. We are not licensed or equipped to care for rabies vector species (bats, raccoon, and skunk) or native birds, but we are always happy to help direct finders to those in the area who can care for those species.
How do these animals end up in rehab?
The vast majority of the animals who come into Wild Side of WNY are here due to human caused displacement. Here is a list of the most common causes requiring animals to require rehabilitation that I personally see:
- Rodenticide poisoning
- Lead poisoning
- Injury due to tree removal
- Hit by car
- Family separation due to tree removal
- Attack by a cat/dog
- Displacement due to development
- Family separation due to trapping or exclusion of mom
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