Cape Wildlife Center

Cape Wildlife Center 🦉 Nonprofit veterinarians and educators
🫶 Kindness to people and animals
đź“Ť Barnstable, MA We operate two non-profit wildlife hospitals and education Centers.
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The Birdsey Cape Wildlife Center is the Cape Cod branch of New England Wildlife Centers. Each year we provide free veterinary care to over 5000 sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals. In the process of caring for these patients we work to educate members of the public and spread the message of environmental conservation. Each day we work to preserve the rich natural history of Cape Cod and Sout

heastern Massachusetts — one animal, and one person at a time. If you have found a wild animal in need of help, or have questions about wildlife, natural history, or habitat please call our wildlife Hotline at (508) 362-0111.

Home at last.These raccoons have come a long way over the past few months, and now they’re finally back in the wild wher...
08/31/2026

Home at last.

These raccoons have come a long way over the past few months, and now they’re finally back in the wild where they belong!

From daily care and specialized housing to enrichment, monitoring, and veterinary treatment when needed, every part of their time with us at the Cape Wildlife Center has been focused on preparing them for this moment.

Of course, they wasted no time getting back to raccoon business. A few immediately climbed a small, swaying tree that looked straight out of a Dr. Seuss book... before deciding a sturdier option might be a better idea.

We’re incredibly happy to see this crew back home and doing what raccoons do best!

Slides 1-5 were taken at the raccoons’ release; slide 6 is a raccoon in care at our Cape hospital

08/28/2026

After 20 weeks in care, these two foxes are finally home.

One baby fox came to us weak and dehydrated after spending several days alone, and when she couldn’t be reunited with her family, our team found her a companion. The second kit had been rescued from a drained pool, and after quarantine and a careful introduction, the two became fast foster siblings.

Growing up together gave them the chance to develop important social behaviors and skills before release.

We’re so proud of how far these two have come!

A successful release like this takes so much more than simply opening the door. It takes weeks of daily care, nutritious food, medications and veterinary treatment when needed, specialized housing, enrichment, cleaning, monitoring, and countless hours from our veterinary team. It takes the time and resources needed to make sure these animals are not only healthy enough to survive, but prepared to thrive once they return to the wild. None of this would be possible without our community. Thank you for helping us give wildlife a second chance!

Sometimes wildlife rescue means going out on a limb.This past weekend, three members of our team (Ava, Sam & Zak) spent ...
08/25/2026

Sometimes wildlife rescue means going out on a limb.

This past weekend, three members of our team (Ava, Sam & Zak) spent the day learning a very different kind of wildlife rescue skill: tree climbing and arborist techniques.

The intensive course taught them the same skills used by professional arborists, giving our team new tools for responding when wildlife is injured, stranded, or tangled high above the ground.

That could mean safely returning a young raptor to its nest, reaching an adult bird that has become caught in a tree, or simply being better prepared when a rescue takes us somewhere a little harder to reach.

Wildlife rehabilitation asks our team to be ready for all kinds of situations, and sometimes that means adding an entirely new skill set to the toolbox.

A big thank you to Jim Sobel for sharing his expertise and helping our team take wildlife rescue to (literal) new heights!

This was such a sweet surprise for us! 🍋💚Braidy and Emi Hawkins stopped by the Cape Wildlife Center to deliver money the...
08/21/2026

This was such a sweet surprise for us! 🍋💚

Braidy and Emi Hawkins stopped by the Cape Wildlife Center to deliver money they raised through their lemonade stand to support our work caring for wildlife. We’re so grateful for their thoughtfulness - and love seeing young members of our community find their own ways to help wildlife!

Thank you, Braidy and Emi!!

Wildlife care takes more than what happens inside the hospital. It takes a community, too :)Tomorrow, we’re bringing fol...
08/18/2026

Wildlife care takes more than what happens inside the hospital. It takes a community, too :)

Tomorrow, we’re bringing folks together for another Community Volunteer Day at the Cape Wildlife Center! Come spend a few hours helping with projects around the Center and connect with kind people who care about local wildlife.

Join us tomorrow from 10 am - 1 pm at the Cape Wildlife Center. Please wear long sleeves, long pants, and shoes you don’t mind getting dirty.

â„ą Ages 16+ / No registration required
🗓️ Wednesday, Aug 19th / 10 am - 1 pm
đź“Ť 4011 Main Street, Barnstable, MA

In our line of work it sometimes takes a village to do what we do and this young raccoon had so many people fighting to ...
08/13/2026

In our line of work it sometimes takes a village to do what we do and this young raccoon had so many people fighting to save him today.

This young raccoon somehow got his head wedged through the grate of a storm drain. Our veterinary staff was actively dealing with three other emergencies that had come into the cape hospital so were unfortunately not able to go out and sedate the raccoon on scene to help get him out, so instead Bourne Department of Natural Resources, Bourne Fire/Rescue & Emergency Services, Bourne Police Department, and Bourne Department of Public Works collaborated to get the entire drain grate and raccoon transported to us as one.

When they arrived at the hospital we were ready with meds to sedate the poor raccoon. We did not know how long he had been stuck like that and could only imagine how exhausted and scared he was. Once he was sedated we went to work trying to free his head. We used canola oil and plastic garbage bags to reduce as much friction as possible to get his head to fit back through the small grate holes. It took a couple tries but within 10 minutes we were able to free him. Our vet team gave him a full exam, rehydrating fluids and meds to reduce any tissue inflammation before reversing the sedatives to wake him up. As he was coming to he started to move around and we could see he was able to move all his limbs and neck appropriately!

We’ll keep him in an outdoor enclosure while we continue to monitor his improvement.

Wildlife rescues don’t always happen with one person or one team. This one took a whole community working together, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped get this little guy the care he needed.

We weren’t sure this Egret’s wing would fully recover. Then we saw him fly.He arrived at our hospital, after a ferry rid...
08/09/2026

We weren’t sure this Egret’s wing would fully recover. Then we saw him fly.

He arrived at our hospital, after a ferry ride from Nantucket where he was captured by Nantucket Animal Rescue due to a wing injury. When we evaluated him in our hospital we found a wound through his shoulder and a severe wing droop, likely the result of an impact that damaged the nerves and muscles in his shoulder.

To give the injury a chance to heal, we wrapped his wing to immobilize it and provided daily fluids and pain medication. Caring for Egrets in rehabilitation comes with its own challenges: they need plenty of space to move around, and they can be particular about what they’ll eat. For this patient, that meant setting him up in an entire room while his wing was wrapped and making regular trips to the bait shop for live food.

When we removed the wrap for the first time, his wing droop returned within a day. We were concerned that the damage might be permanent, so we gave him more time, more rest, and another stretch of time with his wing immobilized.

Thankfully, the extra time made a difference. Once his wing was strong enough, he moved into an outdoor enclosure where he could begin stretching and using it again.

After a few days out there, we watched him take flight.

Seeing that first flight was a huge relief - and a very good sign that his shoulder has finally healed.

After some time to allow for flight conditioning we released him on the pond on the property grounds. Keeping his release close to the hospital will spare him the stress of another trip and allow him to return to the wild from a familiar environment.

Join us on Saturday, September 12, from 10 am - 3 pm at Mass Audubon Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary in Barnstable for t...
08/06/2026

Join us on Saturday, September 12, from 10 am - 3 pm at Mass Audubon Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary in Barnstable for the Cape Cod Wildlife Fest! It's going to be an unforgettable day in nature, filled with:

🎶 Live music
🦉 Live animal shows at 11 am & 1 pm
🍦 Local food trucks
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Hands-on exhibits & family activities

The Cape Cod Wildlife Fest is free and open to the public, so everyone can come down to meet wildlife experts and discover how they protect Cape Cod’s incredible animals and habitats.

We’re very proud to partner with Mass Audubon Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary Mass Audubon Association to Preserve Cape Cod Town of Barnstable Center for Coastal Studies ifaw New England Coastal Wildlife Alliance Orenda Wildlife Land Trust Whale and Dolphin Conservation and Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve on this special event.

Hope to see you there! massaudubon.org/capecodwildlifefestival

Sometimes the biggest dangers to wildlife are the ones we don’t think about. 🥅When two women found this Great Horned Owl...
08/04/2026

Sometimes the biggest dangers to wildlife are the ones we don’t think about. 🥅

When two women found this Great Horned Owl tangled in a soccer net in Sandwich, they stayed with him for more than an hour until our team could arrive.

As Dr. Priya Patel reached the scene, it was clear that - like most Great Horned Owls - he wasn’t exactly happy about the situation. One of the advantages of having a wildlife veterinarian respond in the field is being able to provide immediate medical care when it’s needed. In this case, Dr. Patel administered a small amount of intranasal sedation to help keep the owl calm while he was safely untangled, making the rescue much less stressful for him.

We brought him back to the hospital for a thorough examination to make sure he hadn’t suffered any hidden injuries. Thankfully, he checked out beautifully! Plus. after being moved to one of our flight cages, he immediately flew up to a perch - a great sign! We’ll continue monitoring him over the next few days before releasing him back where he belongs.

This rescue is also an important reminder that unattended soccer nets can become serious hazards for wildlife. Owls, hawks, and even small mammals can become trapped in loose netting, often with devastating consequences.

If you have a soccer goal at home, please flip it over or roll up and secure the net whenever it isn’t in use. It’s a simple step that can help prevent tragedies like this one - and, in many cases, save a wild animal’s life.

07/28/2026

Barn Owls are making a comeback in Massachusetts - and you can help! 🦉

Today is World Conservation Day, and we’re proud to play a small role in the return of Barn Owls to our state. Once nearly gone from the mainland of Massachusetts, these remarkable birds are beginning to make a comeback, and our team has had the privilege of caring for several over the past few years, including Goobie, our newest educational ambassador.

Conservation stories like this don’t just happen in wildlife hospitals. They start in your backyard.

As old barns and other nesting sites disappear, Barn Owls have fewer places to raise their young. Properly installed owl boxes can help replace some of that lost habitat, while avoiding second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides helps keep the owls that use them safe.

Whether it’s installing an owl box or choosing safer rodent control methods like snap traps, exclusion, and good sanitation, small actions can have a lasting impact on wildlife.

Watch Goobie’s story, celebrate World Conservation Day with us, and help write the next chapter of conservation in Massachusetts.

Address

4011 Main Street
Barnstable, MA
02630

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm
Saturday 9am - 4pm
Sunday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

(508) 362-0111

Website

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