Found an Animal?

If you find an animal in distress, please call the Mercer County Wildlife Center at 609.303.0552. The animal may not actually need assistance and removing it from its environment may cause more harm. We will help you decide whether the animal needs care and, if necessary, ask you to bring it to the Center.

Before bringing an animal to us for treatment, please keep it warm and quiet. Handle it as little as possible and keep it away from pets and children. Do not feed the animal or force it to drink water! Any attempt to offer food or water may not be in the best interest of the animal and may actually, in fact, cause harm.

Bringing patients to the center

The Mercer County Wildlife Center cares for more than 3,100 animals a year - this keeps us very busy! Therefore, we are not equipped to provide a pick-up service for patients. If an animal needs care, we will tell you how to handle and transport the animal safely or make a referral. 

Hours
We accept patients for treatment seven days a week - BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Please call 609.303.0552 for an appointment. If we do not answer immediately - leave a message. We are caring for patients and will return your call as soon as possible.

Our hours are seasonal:                                 

May through September
10:00 am to 6:00 pm
September through April
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

When you bring an animal for treatment, a staff member will log the animal into our computer system and assign it a case number. If you would like to follow the animal's progress, make sure you have the case number handy when you call so we can locate the animal's patient history.

A Note About Domestic Animals

We do not accept domestic animals for treatment. If you find a domestic animal in need of care, we will be happy to provide local referral information.

Do All Animals Need Our Help?

We will help you determine whether an animal needs assistance when you call the Center. An owl that has flown into the path of an oncoming car and injured its wing, for example, needs help. However, many young wild animals that may appear to be abandoned really are not. Their mothers are most likely nearby and will return to feed them throughout the day. Please see our pages on Birds and Mammals for a few basic tips, but whenever possible, your first action should be to call us for advice on whether and how to handle an injured or seemingly abandoned animal.