It was pouring rain when a family member told me there was a baby duck in the garage. At first I thought, "Oh, a duckling," and went out expecting something small and harmless. It was hiding beneath the car -- frightened, alert, and surprisingly difficult to catch. Every time I tried to reach for it, it scrambled away awkwardly, and when we finally cornered it, I noticed its tail was injured. It looked serious. So I did what most people would probably do when they see an injured animal: I tried to help it. For me, it stopped being "a duck" in the abstract. It became this specific little creature I was trying to save. I searched for someone who could help, and that led me to the Ohio Wildlife Center. Their website says, "Wildlife Help Starts Here." But for me, it felt like wildlife help ended there. I understand that wildlife rehabilitation is complicated. They cannot save every animal. There are limits involving resources, suffering, survival odds, and quality of life. Rationally, I know that. But emotionally, I could not stop thinking: I never wanted to be the person delivering this tiny creature to its death. Maybe I should have asked a different question before bringing it in: "What percentage of animals brought here are killed?" But it would not have mattered anyway. When I called, I got an automated response and brought the duck in regardless, hoping for the best. My mistake. Maybe I am applying human standards to an animal. Maybe I am projecting my own instinct to survive onto it. But I cannot help feeling that existence itself matters. If it were me, I would rather have another day alive -- even injured, even imperfect -- than have someone else decide my life was no longer worth continuing because recovery would be difficult, inconvenient, or incomplete. That is the part that stays with me. Not death itself, because death comes for everything eventually, but the feeling that I unknowingly became part of ushering it there. If I had left the duck alone, maybe it would have lived longer. Maybe it would not have survived at all. I do not know. But I walked in believing I was helping save it, and instead I was confronted with the fact that they were going to kill it. What made it harder was how sudden it felt. The moment I walked inside, they took the duck immediately. No pause. No goodbye. Just gone. To them, perhaps it was routine. To me, it was still this frightened little thing I had crouched in the rain trying to protect. Maybe "murder" is the wrong word. Maybe "kill" is more accurate. Either way, the result is the same: death. Nonexistence. The extinguishing of something that, only moments before, was alive and fighting to keep moving. I care about animals. So when you try to do what you believe is the right thing, only to realize the outcome no longer belongs to you, it leaves a mark. And then, on top of all of that, they wanted my personal information. I remember looking at them like they were delusional, "Are you serious?" You are telling me this duck is going to die, yet you still need my details? For what? Do they keep records of where animals came from they've killed? Stats? Maybe. But in that moment, it felt absurd. In an era where everything is collected, tracked, harvested, monetized, and stored, I could not help reacting with suspicion and disbelief. At this exact moment I felt emotionally blindsided and disgusted. This is one of those questions that comes up everywhere -- from medicine to animal care to end-of-life decisions. Wildlife rehabilitators usually focus on survival and minimizing suffering. But the animal wasn't necessarily at risk of dying from the injury itself. I tend to see it more simply -- that existence still matters, even when things are imperfect. That's where we differ. read more

The OH Wildlife Center is a non profit that operates the state's largest wildlife hospital. They also house and rehabilitate native wildlife species. Throughout the year, they offer various educational and special events that are open to the public. I was so excited to take a fundraising yoga class here. Kelly was our yoga instructor and she is also an OWC volunteer. She gave us some great tips for protecting wildlife at home and took us on a short tour after class. We got to meet several of the residents including Waldo the turtle, beautiful red foxes, feisty raccoons, owls and a shy little coyote pup. They provide signage with more information about the animals, and many of them had been injured, abandoned, or kept as pets and released illegally. It was wonderful to see them peaceful and well cared for. They mentioned that they are always looking for more volunteers. Check out their website for more information or to donate. read more

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Brought a possum here for treatment and they decided to kill it. I wish I had just kept the animal myself, I had no idea they were going to do that read more

The Wildlife's "Second Sunday" event is phenomenal. You can walk around and see a bunch of animal ambassadors and talk to various volunteers. I absolutely love opossums, so the highlight of the visit for me was getting to meet Ruth, their Opossum Ambassador. The volunteer who was watching over Ruth happily answered all the audience questions (which there were a lot of), and Ruth was beautiful to look at!! We also got to see some raccoons who were playing with each other and in the water. They had a turtle and snake out, and there were many different types of birds including a bald eagle and hawks. They also had a release of various birds that were ready to go back into their natural habitat after being treated at the Wildlife Center for various conditions. I believe this event is mostly aimed towards children, but I had a total blast. It's also completely free; although, you should really consider donating. The Wildlife Center truly does amazing work. read more

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Do not bring your animals here theu will lie to you in the phone saying they will let you know upon arrive if they have space or not and if they don't they will have you take it back till take it somewhere else but what they do is take them and euthanize them. I asked the lady on the phone if I would be just taking him to a death sentence if he has diarrhea and her and the girls who took him both assured me if they have space they will take him and try their best to save him and if they don't have room they won't take him so i submitted this sweet baby to them with full trust and they euthanized him for space so they took him knowing they don't have space and murdered him. Instead of telling me to find a place with space and enough commitment to try and save him. So they lied. And they will continue to lie. And I come to find out this is not the first time they have done this to many other people ! Just look at the image to see their reasons when I asked how he died after their 1 sentence emails saying he did not survive. You know when you say something don't survive it makes you think they tried and he lost the hard fight but you can see it's the animal didn't survive THEM. In my opinion this is terrible and poor ethics if you don't have room don't take them and have a list of other local resources that do. I would give this zero stars and a warning alert if I could read more

Ohio Wildlife Center - Them telling me they killed a racoon for space and lied to me when I submitted him . - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Powell, Ohio

We had the opportunity to tour the Ohio Wildlife Center, and it was really neat to learn more about their animals and the work they do. They've been rescuing and rehabilitating animals since 1984. Their Cook Road facility is the education center and is home to a lot of animal ambassadors that cannot be released to the wild, either as a result of an injury or illness that they sustained, animal regulations, or think they are people and cannot function in the wild. It was so neat to see so many different animals, including raptors, birds, raccoons, turtles, snakes, opossums, foxes, and more. The grounds are really pretty too, featuring forest, ponds, and wetlands. The staff was very friendly and good with kids and animals. As others have mentioned, the parking lot is off of Dublin Road, and it's a nice large gravel lot. read more

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Our family loves animal encounters and we've been known to drive for hours to find a good one. Little did I know that right here in Powell (entrance on Dublin Rd, not Cook) is one of the best! Ohio Wildlife Center offers family-friendly open house events on the second Sunday of each month. For $5 per person (kids under 5 are free), you can get up close to Ohio wildlife and learn all about them. No touching of the animals, except for petting the snake if you choose - but you are able to get quite close to most others. Part of the open house is indoors in their barn, where wildlife animal ambassadors are on display with volunteers to tell you all about them. Then, a guided group tour embarks on a walk around the center grounds where you get to meet more animals, including adorable raccoons, a shy coyote and fox, and multiple raptor birds who were just incredible. Shout out to Burton, the majestic Bald Eagle, who taught us that every formidable Bald Eagle screech you've ever heard in a movie was false - rather than a screech, they actually peep like babies and sound quite adorable! We'll definitely be back for another Second Sunday event in the spring. Central Ohio and our wildlife neighbors are lucky to have this wonderful organization. read more

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We held my 6 year olds birthday party here and it was a wonderful party. The host was amazing with all the kids, make the party flow and was incredibly knowledgeable. It was the best party we've ever had and worth every penny. The party started with host showing the kids three different animals and teaching them about each one. We then did an enrichment activity for the foxes. We celebrated the birthday boy with cookies and snacks and finally did a tour of the center. I had so many families complement the party and express how much their kids learned while attending. Not only did the kids enjoy learning but i have not doubt all us adults also learned a thing or two. We look forward to supporting the Ohio Wildlife Center in the upcoming years. read more

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Lived here 20 years and didn't realize this amazing Center was right around the corner. Occupying the corner of Cook Road and Dublin Road (Route 745) this little stop is incredible. We discovered it as a local high school graduate had their graduation celebration here (would highly recommend this location). This is only a few miles northwest of the O'Shaughnessy Dam / Columbus Zoo/Scioto River and worth the visit. They have a huge gravel parking lot and a freshly paved nature walk way into the core of the wildlife center. After casually walking through the short pathway, we pop out into an open area, with a multi-story beautiful barn/meeting hall in the center, a rehab center on the left, and other sites throughout the large open field. The rehab center has beautiful Owls, Hawks, and more! Several of the owls were inches away around the 7:00pm hour. The facility is not huge so you should not have to plan a day to see it, just bring the kids for visit (as its a great story) or just plan an evening walk. The barn (where celebration was held), was beautiful and had a full kitchen and rest room facilities. Honestly, great for a family gathering or business meeting to get away for the concrete of the city. As far as the wildlife center is concerned, we are looking forward to going back and visiting the animals as we were focused on the graduate!! read more

Hello ! I hope this message finds you well. Yesterday night i found a baby raccoon I found it after you guys had closed so I kept it for the night. So tonight after my mom got off work we took the baby raccoon (cheeto) to your facility. When we got there we were greeted with a not so nice worker of yours who gave us a box to put Cheeto in and then we started talking to her and what she was going to do with it and this is what she said "We don't take raccoons but we will take it and test it for rabies which means euthanizing it" and he was a completely healthy baby coon.(I will attach a picture of the sweet boy himself. He was playful had good bathroom breaks incredibly kind cute and was very hungry all the time. in my backyard playing in the grass. He was super sweet and showed no signs of being sick (as far as I could tell i'm not a vet)all i'm asking is that that girl would learn to have decency and not just say they were going to kill animals. read more

Ohio Wildlife Center - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Powell, Ohio

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There's nothing better than seeing animals in rehab, beats reality VH1 shows anyday. The Ohio Wildlife Center is roughly a 40 minute drive from Columubs in Powell. They are closed to the public during winter but open to the public Tues-Sun during Spring and Summer. Admission is a whopping $5.00. What do you get for this price? A good look into the resilience of urban wildlife. Most of the animals here suffered some sort of mishap in Columbus. My favorite is a raccoon called Arrow. This little guy made the center his home after the rehab clinic recieved a call about him stumbling through suburbia with arrows stuck in him. You can still see the effects from the way this animal moves, that is if he is able to come out during your visit. Don't get me wrong the OWC is not all sad stories. It is also a delightfully peaceful little nature preserve. Parking is ample and you are led through a forested path and over a nice wetland area, past a few outdoor cages, which look more like condos...i've lived in smaller apts myself..to a little visitor center. The center has the typical shop with books, calendars, and toys but also features some snakes and turtles. Exit from the visitor center and head opposite the main entrance passed another nicely managed wetland and turn left to see the main event. The center keeps a coyote that also has a varied past. Ask a guide and they will tell you all about it or any animal for that matter. They also like to invite visitors to participate in feeding times. My favorite naturalist there is Mike because he is so passionate about sharing the stories of each and every animal from squirrel to fox. It will cost you a little in gas but you get a lot for 5 bucks and your soul when you spend a day at the OWC! read more

Ohio Wildlife Center - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Powell, Ohio

The Ohio Wildlife Center is a short drive, just north of Dublin (just 5 to 10 minutes). Although the address for the Center indicates Cook Road, the entrance to their parking lot is just south of Cook Road off of Dublin Road (Rt 745). Plenty of parking places available. The Center cares for injured or orphaned local wild life. They provide medical and other care for the critters in attempts to rehabilitate and hopefully release back into the wild. Some, however, are unable to sustain themselves without help. So many volunteers help with providing care. I went with a local photography group to both learn about the Center and Ohio wildlife. This location is their administration and education center. Access is via appointment. Their web site describes a variety of day camps, outreach and programs available. We each chipped in a $20 donation. The staff and volunteers were very informative and eager to answer questions about the Center, volunteer opportunities and of course the wildlife. They shared the individual stories about their wildlife residents. Definitely a fun morning. read more

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SCRAM is a SCAM! after taking days to return our phone calls, Adam from scram charged us $521 to remove wildlife from our home, "with a 2 year guarantee" which Adam from SCRAM is not abiding by, as it is only 1 month later, we still have wildlife in our home, and Adam the SCAM from SCRAM is telling me we have to pay more $$$$ to come back into the home, to find the remaining animals. AND, he is not offering anything before 7 days to do so, and he is a very rude and inconsiderate person. We called a critter control after our horrible experience, and they told us, they always get customers that already paid SCRAM, because SCRAM leaves behind wildlife. In addition, Adam from SCRAM "deleted all of our photos and videos" so we don't even know what he did, or did not do for sure. Animals in our house with small children = stressed out Adam from SCRAM = rude, charges a lot, and doesn't care when you're still facing the same problem. Very stressful and sad. read more