Alabama Wildlife Center
Encyclopedia
The Alabama Wildlife Center is a wildlife rehabilitation
center located in Oak Mountain State Park
in Pelham
, Alabama
. It is the oldest and largest such center in the state.
The center treats injured or orphaned wildlife from the greater Birmingham
area (Jefferson
and Shelby
counties) and birds of prey
from across the state. It treats approximately 2,500 animals each year.
to run the center full time. In 1987, the state of Alabama, in recognition of the center's service, donated the use of a closed restaurant
inside Oak Mountain State Park. Currently the state covers the cost of the building maintenance and most utilities, while the center is responsible for capital improvements and operating expenses.
The center was recognized as a "Best of the Road" destination in the 2006 edition of the Rand McNally
road atlas
.
s being treated at the center will be on display at once, visitors have the opportunity to observe many of the patients through one-way windows. The nursery, solarium and Backyard Wildlife Demonstration Garden are located inside the building. Adjacent to the main building are the Raptor
Wing and Freedom Flight, where large birds on the cusp of release are housed. Nearby is the Treetop Nature Trail, where otherwise-healthy birds unable to be released into the wild may be observed in a natural setting along an elevated boardwalk.
Wildlife rehabilitation
Wildlife rehabilitation is the process of removing from the wild and caring for injured, orphaned, or sick wild animals. The goal of wildlife rehabilitation is to provide the food, housing and medical care of these animals, returning them to the wild after treatment.-Process:Rehabilitation begins...
center located in Oak Mountain State Park
Oak Mountain State Park
Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama's largest state park at . It is located in Pelham, Alabama and is convenient to Birmingham, Alabama's largest city....
in Pelham
Pelham, Alabama
Pelham is a city and suburb of Birmingham in Shelby County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 14,369, but has grown to 21,352 recorded by the 2010 census. It was named for famed Confederate American Civil War officer John Pelham...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. It is the oldest and largest such center in the state.
The center treats injured or orphaned wildlife from the greater Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
area (Jefferson
Jefferson County, Alabama
Jefferson County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, with its county seat being located in Birmingham.As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Jefferson County was 658,466...
and Shelby
Shelby County, Alabama
Shelby County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama and a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. It is named in honor of Isaac Shelby, Governor of Kentucky. The county seat of Shelby County is Columbiana. As of 2010 U.S. Census the population was 195,085. Shelby...
counties) and birds of prey
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
from across the state. It treats approximately 2,500 animals each year.
History
The center was founded in Birmingham in 1977 by Anne Miller as an all-volunteer organization to meet the need for the rescue and rehabilitation of native Alabama wildlife. By 1981, Miller left her job as a zookeeper with the Birmingham ZooBirmingham Zoo
The Birmingham Zoo is a zoological park that opened in 1955 in Birmingham, Alabama . The zoo is home to almost 800 animals representing over 200 species, including many endangered species from six continents....
to run the center full time. In 1987, the state of Alabama, in recognition of the center's service, donated the use of a closed restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
inside Oak Mountain State Park. Currently the state covers the cost of the building maintenance and most utilities, while the center is responsible for capital improvements and operating expenses.
The center was recognized as a "Best of the Road" destination in the 2006 edition of the Rand McNally
Rand McNally
Rand McNally is an American publisher of maps, atlases, textbooks, and globes for travel, reference, commercial, and educational uses. It also provides online consumer street maps and directions, as well as commercial transportation routing software and mileage data...
road atlas
Road atlas
A road atlas is a map or set of maps that primarily display roads and transport links rather than geographical information.- Types :Road atlases come in many shapes, sizes and scales...
.
Exhibits
While not all of the animalAnimal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s being treated at the center will be on display at once, visitors have the opportunity to observe many of the patients through one-way windows. The nursery, solarium and Backyard Wildlife Demonstration Garden are located inside the building. Adjacent to the main building are the Raptor
Bird of prey
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen senses, especially vision. They are defined as birds that primarily hunt vertebrates, including other birds. Their talons and beaks tend to be relatively large, powerful and adapted for tearing and/or piercing flesh....
Wing and Freedom Flight, where large birds on the cusp of release are housed. Nearby is the Treetop Nature Trail, where otherwise-healthy birds unable to be released into the wild may be observed in a natural setting along an elevated boardwalk.