Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wildlife Rehabilitation Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The Wildlife Rehabilitation Specialist is responsible for the humane intake, triage, treatment, husbandry, rehabilitation, and release of injured, orphaned, and sick wild animals across avian, mammal, and occasionally reptile and amphibian species. This role includes hands-on medical care under veterinary direction, developing and implementing species-specific rehabilitation plans, maintaining accurate medical and regulatory records, supervising volunteers and interns, coordinating transport and release logistics, and delivering public outreach and education in support of wildlife conservation goals. The Specialist operates within state and federal permitting frameworks, follows zoonotic disease protocols, and contributes to continuous improvement of clinical and husbandry protocols to maximize survival and successful reintroduction to the wild.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Animal Care Technician / Shelter Technician with wildlife or exotic experience
Veterinary Assistant or Veterinary Technician with exposure to wildlife cases
Volunteer wildlife rehabilitator or field rescue volunteer

Advancement To:

Senior Wildlife Rehabilitator / Lead Rehabilitator
Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Manager or Clinic Manager
Wildlife Program Director, Conservation Manager, or Licensed Wildlife Biologist

Lateral Moves:

Wildlife Educator / Outreach Coordinator
Field Biologist or Wildlife Technician for state/federal agencies

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Manage intake and triage of wild animals, performing thorough physical assessments, recording presenting signs, collecting intake histories, and prioritizing treatment needs according to established clinical protocols and triage criteria.
Provide hands-on medical care including wound cleaning and management, splinting, fluid therapy, gavage tube feeding, thermoregulation, bandaging, and supportive care for hypothermia, dehydration, and shock under supervision of a licensed veterinarian.
Administer medications, including oral and injectable antibiotics, analgesics, anti-inflammatories, and antiparasitics, following veterinarian prescriptions, dosage calculations, and controlled drug handling protocols.
Develop, document, and implement individualized rehabilitation plans that include species-specific husbandry, feeding schedules, enrichment, behavioral conditioning, and staged-release readiness assessments to maximize post-release survival.
Coordinate and carry out surgical prep, assist licensed veterinarians during procedures, and manage post-operative care plans, including monitoring, wound care, and pain management.
Supervise and train volunteers, interns, and seasonal staff in safe animal handling, feeding techniques, cleaning and disinfection procedures, recordkeeping, and center protocols to maintain consistent care quality.
Maintain accurate and up-to-date medical records, intake/release logs, medication administration charts, and permit-required documentation using electronic databases and paper files to ensure regulatory compliance and data integrity.
Conduct daily husbandry tasks including enclosure preparation, sanitation, biosecurity maintenance, enrichment rotation, diet preparation, and specialized housing adjustments for isolation and quarantine cases.
Plan and execute safe capture, transport, and transfer of wild animals including coordination with field responders, law enforcement, veterinary partners, and other wildlife agencies; ensure compliance with transport regulations and minimize stress to animals.
Evaluate animals for release fitness using behavioral and physical criteria, design and implement soft-release or pre-release conditioning when required, and organize release logistics, including site selection, timing, and post-release monitoring where applicable.
Implement and enforce zoonotic disease prevention protocols and occupational health practices, coordinate with public health officials when necessary, and maintain PPE, disinfection, and quarantine standards to protect staff and the public.
Perform diagnostic sampling (blood draws, swabs, fecal samples) and basic laboratory testing in-house or prepare and ship samples to external labs following chain-of-custody and biohazard shipping guidelines.
Support necropsy and post-mortem examinations as needed to determine cause of death, collect diagnostic specimens, and contribute to disease surveillance and reporting in partnership with veterinary staff and regulatory agencies.
Maintain and calibrate medical and husbandry equipment (e.g., incubators, oxygen cages, nebulizers, fluid pumps) and coordinate repair, replacement, and inventory of medical supplies, feed, and enrichment materials.
Ensure all operations comply with state and federal wildlife rehabilitation permits, reporting requirements, migratory bird regulations, and species-specific legal protections, and assist with permit renewals and inspections.
Lead or participate in rescue and response efforts during disasters, oil spills, or mass casualty events, providing triage, surge capacity management, and coordination with emergency response partners.
Contribute to, update, and standardize clinical and husbandry protocols, emergency procedures, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) based on current best practices and evidence-based rehabilitation literature.
Provide public-facing services including community education, phone triage for wildlife emergencies, intake counseling, and rehabilitation consultations while maintaining accurate public records and following confidentiality requirements.
Mentor and support continuing education for staff by organizing workshops, training sessions, and cross-training in areas such as avian raptor handling, neonatal care, and analgesia protocols to build institutional capacity.
Participate in research, data collection, and outcome tracking initiatives to measure rehabilitation success rates, post-release survival (when available), and contribute to conservation publications or internal reports to inform program improvements.
Manage daily scheduling, coordinate volunteer shifts, triage incoming calls and email inquiries, and balance clinical workload with facility maintenance, outreach, and reporting responsibilities to maintain efficient center operations.
Assist in fundraising, grant writing, donor stewardship, and community partnership development to support program sustainability, education efforts, and capital improvements necessary for clinical and rehabilitation operations.
Make humane euthanasia recommendations in consultation with licensed veterinarians when animals are irreversibly suffering or unsuitable for release, ensuring procedures comply with ethical guidelines and legal requirements.

Secondary Functions

Support community outreach and education programs including school visits, workshops, social media content, and interpretive programming to promote wildlife conservation and injury prevention.
Maintain inventory of medical supplies, PPE, specialized diets, and enrichment materials; place orders, manage vendors, and track budgetary expenses related to animal care.
Prepare documentation and supporting materials for state and federal permit applications, renewals, and regulatory inspections; provide timely responses to compliance inquiries.
Coordinate with local animal control, police, wildlife agencies, and partner non-profits to streamline rescue networks and ensure rapid response for injured wildlife.
Participate in cross-functional program planning meetings to align rehabilitation activities with conservation initiatives, release monitoring projects, and research collaborations.
Provide subject-matter expertise for media inquiries, community awareness campaigns, and public safety advice relating to wildlife-human interactions and injury prevention.
Assist with facility maintenance tasks such as enclosure repairs, carpentry for caging, landscaping for release enclosures, and implementing biosecure design improvements.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Species identification and species-specific husbandry knowledge for birds (songbirds, raptors, waterfowl), small mammals (squirrels, raccoons, rabbits), and common reptiles/amphibians encountered in the region.
Triage assessment and emergency stabilization techniques including fluid therapy, thermal support, wound management, and basic life support adapted for wildlife species.
Medication administration competency: safe handling, dosage calculation, injectable and oral routes, and recordkeeping for antibiotics, analgesics, and sedatives as prescribed by veterinarians.
Proficiency in restraint and low-stress handling techniques across taxa, including raptor hooding, towel restraint for mammals, and species-appropriate translocation procedures.
Basic surgical assistance and post-operative care skills, including sterile prep, suture management, and monitoring for complications under veterinary supervision.
Diagnostic sampling and basic lab techniques: blood collection, fecal flotation, parasite identification, swab sampling, and packaging/shipping of diagnostic samples.
Experience with electronic medical records, intake/release databases, and wildlife rehabilitation software (e.g., WILD-ONe, Excel, Shelter software) for accurate documentation and reporting.
Knowledge of permit and regulatory frameworks (state wildlife permits, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, endangered species protocols) and experience preparing compliance documentation.
Facility-level biosecurity, sanitation, and zoonotic disease prevention practices including PPE use, quarantine protocols, and environmental disinfection procedures.
Rescue and transport logistics, including safe capture equipment, crate selection, secure animal transport methods, and coordination of multi-agency transports.
Necropsy assistance and sample collection for pathology to support disease surveillance and cause-of-death determinations.
Ability to design and implement species-appropriate enrichment and pre-release conditioning programs to prepare animals for wild survival.
Basic budgeting, supply chain management, and inventory tracking for medical and husbandry supplies.

Soft Skills

Strong observational skills and clinical judgment to assess subtle changes in animal condition and escalate concerns appropriately.
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills for interacting with veterinarians, volunteers, partner agencies, donors, and the public.
Leadership and mentoring abilities to train volunteers and junior staff while maintaining a positive, safety-focused team culture.
High emotional resilience and ethical decision-making, including handling euthanasia decisions with compassion and professionalism.
Organizational skills and time management to prioritize simultaneous clinical cases, facility tasks, and outreach duties.
Problem-solving mindset and adaptability in high-stress, resource-constrained, or emergency response situations.
Detail orientation for precise medical recordkeeping, permit compliance, and following treatment protocols.
Public speaking and educational presentation skills for outreach and community engagement activities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED with demonstrated wildlife or animal care experience and relevant certifications (e.g., wildlife rehabilitator permit, first aid for wildlife courses).

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Biology, Zoology, Animal Science, Ecology, Environmental Science, or related field.
Additional preferred coursework or certifications: AAZV/IZW continuing education, Certified Wildlife Rehabilitator courses, veterinary technician coursework.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Wildlife Biology
Zoology
Veterinary Technology or Animal Science
Ecology / Conservation Biology
Environmental Science

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

1–5 years of direct wildlife rehabilitation, animal care, or veterinary support experience; internships and extensive volunteer service may substitute for part of experience.

Preferred:

3+ years of progressive wildlife rehabilitation experience including intake triage, medical treatment, and release planning; experience supervising volunteers/staff and experience with permit-managed species preferred.

If you would like this tailored to a specific region, species focus (e.g., raptor-only or marine mammals), or to include a sample job posting summary and interview questions, I can customize further.