If you find wildlife in need of human assistance, call WRL’s Wildlife Helpline. A volunteer will return your call and give you instructions on how to proceed. Learn More
Found an Animal in Need?
Wildlife Resources
A list of local (VA, DC or MD) and out-of-state wildlife rehabilitators.
Animal Help Tips
Learn what to do when you find injured or orphaned wildlife.
Online Publications
Learn more about various wildlife species native to Northern Virginia.
Wildlife Rescue League
Preserving Virginia’s Natural Heritage Through Wildlife Rehabilitation
Wildlife Rescue League is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to providing care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife with the intent of releasing them back into their native habitat.
Our licensed rehabilitators, located throughout Northern Virginia and surrounding areas, work with a network of volunteers, wildlife centers, animal shelters, humane societies, nature centers and veterinary hospitals to provide life-saving work for wildlife in need.
Years Rehabilitating Wildlife
Helpline Calls Answered Each Year
Volunteer Hours
Thousands of animals in Northern Virginia are injured each year as a result of human action.
Help these animals get a second chance at life. Support WRL wildlife rehabilitators.
Help Wildlife in Need
Support Wildlife Rehabilitators
Support WRL through Amazon
Shop using Amazon Smile
You Shop. Amazon Gives. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to WRL whenever you shop on AmazonSmile. Same products, same prices, same service.
WRL Amazon Wish List
You can support WRL by purchasing items from our Amazon Wish List! Remember to include a note with your name so we can thank you in our Facebook page!
Publications
Endangered Species of Bats in Virginia
Every October when Halloween comes around, frightening images of werewolves howling at the moon, black cats creeping through the night, ghosts haunting deserted corridors, and bats morphing into blood-sucking vampires often come to mind. But even when it’s not...
It Takes a Village To Rescue a Raccoon
We all know that raccoons are wicked smart. But sometimes they’re too smart for their own good. On August 8 th Jane Gailey received a call on the helpline from Cat Roberts in Fairfax. A raccoon, that frequently visits her neighborhood had gotten its head completely...
Upcoming Events
Grace Holden has been involved with WRL since 2002. Beginning as a hotline volunteer, she also did some transporting and got to know the local rehabilitators. Inspired by them, she became an Apprentice Rehabilitator for cottontails and opossums from 2004-2016. She served as Board Secretary from 2007-10, was a Member-At-Large for the 2013-2016 terms, and returned to secretarial duties for the Board from 2018 to the present. She is also WRL’s Rehabilitator Liaison, helping those interested in becoming rehabilitators find a sponsor.
Sally Russell has a lifelong love of animals, both wild and domestic. She has been a visual communications professional, working for organizations such as World Wildlife Fund, National Geographic, and the Smithsonian. Most recently she was the director of media production and acquisition at K12, an educational publisher in Herndon, VA. Sally’s volunteer work has included the Board of Directors of the American Society of Picture Professional’s DC branch, and ushering at the Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts.
Olivia LoBalbo has been volunteering for WRL since 2011. She is a Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator with the state of Virginia and works at Caring Hands Animal Hospital. She specializes in small mammals such as squirrels, bunnies, and opossums. Her interests include educating the public on wildlife issues and working with neonatal babies.
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