Annie
Bobcat

Annie came to our Ramona Wildlife Center as a baby with her brother in early 2019. The plan for both kittens was to rehabilitate and release them back to the wild once they were old enough to provide for themselves. Our team noted that Annie was not as fearful of people as her brother, but we thought that both bobcats would still be able to thrive in the wild. About a week after their release, we received a call about a bobcat who was coming up to people — it was Annie. She was returned to our care and introduced to two other resident bobcats, Baxter and Boomer. The three of them have been wildlife ambassadors ever since, helping us educate the public on the importance of leaving wildlife wild.

Arnold
Acorn Woodpecker

Arnold was found on a golf course in Ramona in 2017. He kept flying onto the shoulders of a couple and while they repeatedly tried to put him in a tree, he would just fly back to them. They let him ride on the golf cart with them for the remainder of their round before they took him to then Fund for Animals, where he was ultimately transferred to Project Wildlife. On exam, he immediately flew out of the carrier and onto the shoulder of one of the vet techs. After three months in care Arnold still would readily approach humans, deeming him unfit to be released back into the wild. However, due to his comfort level with people he was able to become an Education Ambassador and was named after Arnold Palmer the famous golfer as an homage to his origin.

Baxter
Bobcat

Baxter was found as a kitten in early 2018 and brought to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Santa Barbara. It was assumed he was housed in a community member’s house for a while before being brought to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator because he was completely imprinted on humans. Shortly after, he was transferred to our Ramona Wildlife Center where he received a more spacious enclosure to explore and grow. Since he was unable to be released back into the wild, he lived alone until another non-releasable bobcat, Boomer, arrived a few months later. Baxter and Boomer quickly became inseparable!

Bella Luna
Coyote

One spring morning, a hiker came upon a puppy so young she still had her eyes closed. She was alone on an open trail in Mission Trails Regional Park, and suspecting she was an abandoned pet dog, the hiker took her to one of San Diego Humane Society’s shelter campuses. After conferring with our Project Wildlife team, we realized that the little pup was actually a coyote! In excellent condition despite a little dehydration, the tiny pup was transferred to our Ramona Wildlife Center for care. Due to the sensitive age of the pup and the inability to find another age-appropriate coyote to pair her with, it was determined that she would not be able to be released back to the wild.

Now in the long-term care of our team, staff and volunteers were able to experience the joy of raising the tiny coyote — whom two volunteers lovingly named Bella Luna. Bella Luna is very athletic and loves a good obstacle course. She also enjoys exploring anything stinky (such as other animal scents) and interactive enrichment with fresh grass, native plants and puzzle boxes. Bella Luna is always happy to see her caregivers — especially when they bring her delicious treats.

Boomer
Bobcat

Boomer was dropped off by Humane Law Enforcement at a wildlife rehabilitation center in late 2018. Humane Officers had seized Boomer from a person’s house, and rehabilitators hoped he could be returned to the wild. However, Boomer was too habituated to humans to be released and was transferred to our Ramona Wildlife Center to be paired with another habituated bobcat for companionship. Boomer and Baxter quickly became the best companions!

Brawley
Coyote

Brawley was hand-raised by a member of the public after being found alone as a young pup. When she was 3 months old, Brawley was surrendered to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and brought to our Ramona Wildlife Center. After a short time in care, wildlife rehabilitation staff began observing behavior not typically seen in “wild” coyote pups — Brawley was seeking attention, play and comfort from her caregivers. After it was determined that she could not be returned to the wild, she was named after the desert county she was born in.

Brawley looks forward to visits from her caregivers, squeaky toys and getting treats! She enjoys her training sessions and is quick to impress visitors with her beauty. Brawley can be heard throughout the day howling as airplanes fly over and when motorcycles and fire trucks drive by her habitat. She also can be heard communicating back and forth with our coyote ambassador, Bella Luna. During baby season, the juvenile coyotes who are housed in outdoor enclosures join the girls in practicing their howling and other coyote vocalizations. Brawley loves to rock climb and run around her beautiful natural enclosure. She spends lazy afternoons laying in the sun on her den or boulder of choice, then retreating to her self-made hollows to cool off.

Bruiser
Big Brown Bat

In the summer of 2021, Bruiser was found as an orphaned infant by a kind-hearted rescuer, who used gloves to safely contain the furless pup. He was brought into care and raised with several other young Big Browns that year, but for some reason his arms and fingers never grew out long enough for his wings to sustain flight. Despite much flight practice over many months after he was full grown, our vets realized he was never going to make it out in the wild and kept him on as a bat ambassador. Despite their long lives, BBBs appear to be declining in numbers around southern California, so now Bruiser can help advocate for his species.

Casper
Barn Owl

Casper the barn owl was brought to Project Wildlife in 2015 as a very sick young bird. It took six months to get him healthy and eating on his own. Due to his lengthy care plan and how often he had to be hand fed, he became too accustomed to human interaction to return to the wild. He lives at our Ramona Wildlife Center as an ambassador for his species, where he continues to build a strong relationship with the wildlife rehabilitation team.

Chuck
Western Screech Owl

Chuck is a western screech owl who came into Project Wildlife in 2018 with head trauma and a parasite infection. The parasites were treated but to prevent infection and pain, our vet staff removed his left eye. They noticed he had poor vision in his right eye and compromised hearing. With poor eyesight and hearing, he would not be successful in the wild. We believe his injuries may have been caused by a car strike, so Chuck now educates the public about safely driving at night and being aware of our nocturnal wildlife.

Copper
Rosy Boa

Copper was donated to our Project Wildlife program by a past employee. He is an education ambassador and helps us teach people about the importance of snakes in our ecosystem. His environment is changed often to provide enrichment and staff frequently take him out to explore other areas outside of his enclosure under supervision.

Cricket
American Kestrel

Cricket arrived at our Ramona Wildlife Center in 2023. The hope was that the young bird could be rehabilitated and released back to the wild. Upon further examination by our medical staff, it was discovered that she had an old fracture in her left wing that had not healed properly. Due to this previous injury, she would not be able to be released. The wildlife rehabilitation team has worked hard on developing her as an ambassador for her species, demonstrating the tiny yet mighty presence of American kestrels.

Hannah Shirley
Pygmy Hippo

Hannah Shirley is a 50-year-old pygmy hippo who has been in care at our Ramona Wildlife Center since 2001. She is currently the world's oldest living pygmy hippo in managed care and is loved and adored by all who meet her. She has three large enclosure areas that she explores each day, including a natural pond and a man-made swimming pool. She receives a daily spa treatment of a specially blended moisturizer to keep her skin nice and smooth. Hannah enjoys lots of enrichment items like stuffed pumpkins and Jolly Ball toys and will always visit her caregivers for a tasty treat.

Kwa'Pai
Red-Shouldered Hawk

Kwa'Pai is a Red-shouldered Hawk who came to Project Wildlife as a hatchling in 2004. He was found on the ground underneath a nest, and it was soon discovered that he was blind in his right eye. With poor depth perception and the inability to see danger from one side, Kwa'Pai was unable to be released into the wild. Kwa'Pai's vocalizations and regal bearing inspired his name, which means "chief" in a dialect of the Kumeyaay people. He actually has a very calm personality and loves the showers he gets in his enclosure on hot days, holding out his wings to get soaking wet underneath.

Moki
Common Raven

Moki (Hawaiian for "Rascal") is a common raven brought to Project Wildlife in 2000 as a hatchling with a broken wing. His injury did not heal completely enough for him to be able to survive on his own in the wild. As a result, we brought him into our education program and habituated him to humans and human behavior. Like all ravens, Moki is excellent at imitating sounds that he hears regularly, including the voice of his regular caregiver.

Tracy
Yuma Myotis Bat

Tracy the Yuma myotis bat came into care in 2017 when two wildlife biologists observed her struggling to stay airborne. Upon examination, it was clear that her finger bones and arm bones were severely deformed and stunted — she had metabolic bone disease. Despite getting extra dietary calcium in care, the bone damage was already done and she would never fully develop the ability to fly. In the wild, this shy species hunts almost exclusively around fresh water sources, feeding on emerging aquatic insects such as mosquitoes. They are one of the first bat species to awaken after sundown, so if you are ever near a water source at dusk, such as one of our coastal lagoons, and you see tiny bats hunting low above the water, you are probably watching Yuma myotis snagging their breakfast.

Torrey
Coastal Rosy Boa

Torrey came to Project Wildlife in 2022 after someone found her in their hubcap. Because this snake species is native to San Diego, but can also legally be owned as pets, our medical team had to assess if she was someone's pet who got lost or a wild snake. Torrey was found in Little Italy and did not show any discomfort being handled by people, so it was decided she was likely someone's pet. After no one claimed Torrey during a stray hold at the shelter, she was moved to our Bahde Wildlife Center to receive ongoing care and join staff at events as an education ambassador.

Rita
Northern Raccoon

Rita was found as an infant in a community member's backyard, alone and crying out. Her eyes were just beginning to open and due to being so young, she was placed in care with our satellite team. After a few weeks, Rita was paired with another infant raccoon to keep each other company and prevent them becoming habituated to humans. Through Rita's rehabilitation, our wildlife specialists was not developing and reaching the same benchmarks as other raccoons around her age. She didn't appear to be doing well and was had lost weight, so we quickly began additional medical care. The team was able to care for and handle Rita easily for all of her treatments, and it was determined that she had become too adjusted to humans and would not be able to be released back into the wild. Rita lives full time at our Ramona Wildlife Center as a wildlife ambassador. She enjoys the company of the caregivers and loves meeting new visitors. Her favorite things to do are play in water, run around when she gets the zoomies, climb around her habitat, and explore enrichment items like new toys and treats.