Location: W.E.R.C. is a closed facility and is not open to the public.
Executive Director: Sue Howell
History: W.E.R.C. is governed by a board of directors. It’s supported by a small staff and a team of volunteers who provide care for the animals and maintain the facility, as well as participating in public events. The center was founded in 1990 to offer educational outreach programs for area children, and rehabilitative services for orphaned, sick and injured native wildlife. One of the most extraordinary efforts to rehabilitate an animal in W.E.R.C.’s history came in 1994, when a 10-week-old bobcat kitten was brought to the center. A team at the center transformed themselves into a “foster” mother bobcat to ensure the kitten kept her natural instincts and did not become tame. The program is internationally recognized and is now standard protocol for the California Department of Fish and Game.
Philosophy: W.E.R.C.’s goal is not to tame, but to release animals back into their native habitat healthy, wild, and free. Through their educational programs, W.E.R.C. encourages a peaceful coexistence between civilization and native wildlife.
Services: W.E.R.C. is the only facility in South Santa Clara County licensed by the California Department of Fish and Game and by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to provide
rehabilitative services to native wildlife (no domestic animals). Services include an acute care center for injured and sick wildlife, and a nurturing center for orphaned wildlife too young to survive on their own.Â
W.E.R.C. also offers educational programs to local schools to teach and inspire children about native wildlife. W.E.R.C. also presents programs to service groups and at public events, and monthly bird walks.
W.E.R.C. is a non-profit, tax-deductible organization and does not receive operating funds from any government agency to care for wildlife, nor is it allowed to charge a fee for
this service. It is supported solely by donations from businesses and the public.
Contact: Sue Howell, (408) 779-WERC (9372). For more information visit
www.werc-ca.org or write to P.O. Box 1105,
Morgan Hill, 95038-1105.
