Wildlife Rehab in West Virginia

Jun 6
4 min read

After our last blog post on what to do if you encounter a baby wild animal, many people asked about who to contact when they actually find wildlife that needs assistance. West Virginia, where we are based, is among the more complex states for wildlife rehabilitation and there are not many rehab facility options for West Virginia wildlife. Recent changes to West Virginia law have brought wildlife rehabilitation into the spotlight, creating clearer rules for who can legally care for wild animals and how rehabilitation is managed statewide. Unfortunately, we are NOT a wildlife rehabilitation facility, nor are we likely to become one.

Given our proximity to Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, we occasionally receive wildlife inquiries and requests from these neighboring states. However, wildlife rehab facilities are unable to accept animals from outside the state in which they operate. We've included contact information for those facilities closer to us that we're familiar with, along with their respective states, at the end of this blog post.

Is It Legal to Rehabilitate Wildlife in West Virginia?

In short: not without a permit. According to West Virginia law, members of the public cannot legally possess, keep, raise, or rehabilitate orphaned or injured wildlife unless they are properly permitted through the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR). The law states:

“No person may keep, hold, or possess in captivity any orphaned, sick, or injured wildlife without receiving a wildlife rehabilitation permit…” - West Virginia Code §20-2D-3

This means that someone who takes home a fawn, owl, squirrel, or raccoon, even with good intentions, may unintentionally be violating state law. Wildlife laws exist for several important reasons:

Wild animals have highly specialized nutritional and medical needs
Improper care can cause suffering or death
Human imprinting can prevent successful release
Wildlife may carry diseases or parasites transmissible to humans and pets
Some species require specialized housing, handling, and veterinary care

Because of these risks, wildlife rehabilitation is treated as a regulated field rather than casual animal rescue.

Are There Wildlife Rehabilitators in West Virginia?

Yes but very few and those are specific to birds. While there is a new law that will permit more wildlife rehabilitators in our state, the process is still fairly new. The quickest way to find out if there's one near you is to call your local Department of Natural Resources District Office for assistance.

As for those avian rehabilitators:

Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia (northern WV)
Three Rivers Avian Center (southern WV)

The New Wildlife Rehabilitation Law

In 2025, West Virginia passed major legislation modernizing the state’s wildlife rehabilitation system through House Bill 2836. The bill established a more formal statewide wildlife rehabilitation program under the WVDNR and created clearer standards for permitting and oversight (West Virginia Legislature, HB 2836, 2025).

The law includes:

Official wildlife rehabilitation permits
Minimum age and residency requirements
Training and examination requirements
Facility standards for housing wildlife
Veterinary partnership requirements
Recordkeeping and reporting obligations
Standards for humane treatment, release, and euthanasia

You can read more about the legislation enacted by this law in its entirety here.

Supporters of the legislation argued that West Virginia needed:

Consistent statewide standards
Better protections for wildlife
Legal clarity for rehabilitators
Improved public education
A more organized rehabilitation system

Many wildlife rehabilitators viewed the law as long-overdue recognition of wildlife rehabilitation as a legitimate and highly specialized field.

Why “Rescuing” Wildlife Can Sometimes Cause Harm

One of the biggest challenges wildlife professionals face is well-meaning people removing healthy young animals from the wild unnecessarily. This happens frequently with:

Fawns
Baby rabbits
Songbirds
Squirrels

In many cases, these animals are not abandoned at all. Their parents are nearby and still caring for them. Check out our blog post about how to tell when and if young wildlife need human intervention.

When You Should Call a Wildlife Rehabilitator

A licensed rehabilitator should be contacted if an animal:

Is visibly injured
Has been attacked by a cat or dog
Is bleeding or unable to stand
Has a dead parent nearby
Appears weak, lethargic, or severely dehydrated
Is covered in flies or maggots
Has been handled extensively by people

When in doubt, it is always best to call a wildlife professional before attempting to help on your own.

Other State Wildlife Rehabilitators Near Us

As mentioned before, we have received wildlife inquiries and requests from other states given our proximity to Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Should you find wildlife in those states, please use the following list of contacts to seek assistance. Remember: wildlife rehab facilities are unable to accept animals from outside the state in which they operate.

Maryland