Our Mission

Sarvey Wildlife Care Center rescues and rehabilitates orphaned, injured, and sick wild animals from the Puget Sound area, ensuring they get the best medical treatment and care possible, with the ultimate goal of releasing them back in to their natural habitat where they can continue to enrich the environment we live in. We also strive to educate the public about wildlife through educational programs and by provide leadership, learning, and volunteer opportunities for people of all ages.

Our Purpose

Sarvey Wildlife Care Center is located in Arlington, Washington in Snohomish County. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

Our primary purpose is to help our wildlife population continue, and assure immediate medical attention, food, and shelter for injured and orphaned wildlife at our facility. Balancing our ecosystem is important to the earth's future.

The education programs we provide for schools and organizations consist of presenting a number of our non releasable birds of prey. These animals give people a chance to connect to wildlife up close and personal. Education is the key to success.

We provide the only ambulance service the state of Washington. We have pick up locations throughout the Puget Sound region, helping wildlife get to a center where they can be give the care they need. We also work closely with other wildlife rehabbers to insure that we are providing the best care for the wildlife brought to us.  

Background

Sarvey Wildlife Care Center is a 501(c)3 recognized nonprofit organization and was established in 1981 in Everett, Washington, with a handful of patients from the local neighborhood.

Within 6 years it became necessary to secure a more spacious and appropriate location. Kaye Baxter, director and founder, personally purchased 5 acres just south of Arlington, Washington, to give thousands of rehabilitating animals a second chance. With two ponds on the east side of the property secured for recovering deer and waterfowl and the clinic, educational building, eagle flight, and a wide range of enclosures on the west half of the property. The land retains its rustic 'out in the country' atmosphere. In 1995 Sarvey Wildlife took in just 992 animals.  By 2009 Sarvey Wildlife was taking in over 4,000 patients annually.

Our first goal, to provide food, shelter, and rehabilitation to orphaned and injured wildlife, is just as comforting to the person who finds an animal in distress as it is to that animal. Having to leave an animal to die in pain and fear is incredibility disturbing, having someone to turn to for help is a welcome relief. Sarvey Wildlife accepts all orphaned and injured wildlife.

As an organization we realize the answer to the multifaceted threats against our wildlife ultimately lies in education. Sarvey Wildlife provides programs for public and private schools as well as the general public and private organizations. The astounding growth in the number of animals we receive each year is a clear indication of the need for wildlife education. Sarvey Wildlife does over 120 education programs a year reaching 15,000 to 17,000 children and adults annually. There is a high demand for our programs as we reach more and more community members.

Sarvey Wildlife has the only wildlife ambulance servicing, Snohomish, King, and Pierce counties. It is important that the local authorities have an immediate avenue to take when encountering injured or orphaned wildlife. We have worked well with many city and country police departments and other law enforcement agencies including U.S. Customs.

There are several organizations that we work with to better the wildlife population and share rehabilitation information. Sarvey Wildlife is recognized by Animal Centers of Excellence, (A.C.E.). We work with the Trumpeter Swan Association, International Rehabilitation Council, National Wildlife Rehabilitation Association, Washington Wildlife Rehabilitation Association, United States Fish and Wildlife, and Washington State Fish and Wildlife.

Sarvey Wildlife is a locally based nonprofit organization with funding coming mostly from private individuals in our community. Our sole focus is Washington wildlife. We accept all wildlife throughout the state. Sarvey Wildlife does not discriminate against any wildlife and we are very cost effective. The veterinarians that assist us donate their time. Our corporate officers and board of directors take no salaries. 

Our Staff and Volunteers

It takes over 100 volunteers to keep the doors of Sarvey Wildlife Wildlife. The spring and summer are our busiest time. Every cage and enclosure gets cleaned everyday and all animals get fresh water and food every day, no matter what. Some volunteers clean and feed and others work with the staff in taking animals and administering medications. Some concentrate on maintaining the buildings.

We have five full time staff members. Leslie our Clinic Director has been a part of Sarvey Wildlife for nearly 10 years and recently become the Clinic Director in October of 2008. Kelly, our Administration Director, has worked many shifts over her 9 years. After completing her degree in business management in 2007 she began to take on the office portion of running a wildlife center. Melissa and Saskia are both Lead Wildlife Techs and are both fairly new to Sarvey Wildlife; this will be their first baby season with us. Before coming to Sarvey Wildlife Saskia interned at several other wildlife rehab facilities. Melissa learned a lot about customer service and marine mammals at working at SeaWorld and has experience with Florida wildlife. Mark, our Habitat Developer, started as a volunteer. Once he built his first squirrel enclosure we knew we had to keep him. When the option came hire him, we took it. Scott is our one part time driver. He spends four hours driving to the drop off clinics to pick up orphaned and injured wild animals. He also picks up produce and does other errands. Then we have three seasonal staff members to help care for the animals through our busy baby season. Currently they are very happy and relaxed as the baby season gets off to a start. We'll see how they feel in August.  

Education

Part of the commitment at Sarvey Wildlife Care Center is to help educate the public. Not only about our natural wildlife, but about where they live and how you can help the animals and the environment we all live in. We go to schools and events throughout western Washington and bring our non-releasable raptors along. Our education program is run by Kestrel SkyHawk. Answers to many of your questions can be found on the education FAQ link on our home page.