The Arizona Game and Fish Department's Wildlife Center

The Arizona Game and Fish Department's Wildlife Center was founded in 1983. Today, the primary objectives of the Wildlife Center are to provide wildlife education outreach programs, specialized care for non-releasable education animal ambassadors and other Arizona wildlife, and manage the desert tortoise adoption program.

Financial support for the Wildlife Center comes largely from Arizona's Heritage Fund, a voter-passed initiative that uses lottery ticket sales to support wildlife conservation and education. The center receives additional support from donations of money, volunteer time and supplies. 

In 2018, the Wildlife Center moved its operations to the Arizona Game and Fish headquarters in north Phoenix. Since that time, outdoor bird and mammal enclosures have been built, and in March 2020, construction was completed on a brick-and-mortar building that provides a new home for several wildlife ambassadors as well as much-needed onsite office space and a meeting area for the ever-growing number of volunteer educators and wildlife caretakers.

The completion of the facility is still in progress with many projects in the hopper! The Wildlife Center staff members pride themselves on keeping the animals physically and mentally healthy. They provide enrichment to the animals every day and are constantly improving the animals’ living quarters. 

In keeping with providing top-notch care, wildlife ambassadors must be provided choice in their enclosures. For example, to be in the shade or the sun, or to cool off or warm up. While the current enclosures provide many of these options, the mammal enclosures still need to be outfitted with small, climate-controlled spaces especially for when the temps soar above 95 degrees. 

Currently, during the summer, staff rotate mammals into smaller temporary enclosures and house them inside the Wildlife Center during the hottest parts of the day. And as you know, those brutal temps can last for many months here in Arizona!

Together we make a difference. Help us help them!

Your dollars will go directly to providing several permanent cool retreats for the non-releasable wildlife ambassadors!