Between 900 and 1,000 animals were settled into WildCare’s 10-acre facility in Noble during the event, a fraction of the thousands of wildlife it welcomes each year. Many were juvenile and in need of help to survive in the wild.
“Every year since I have been here, the demands on WildCare, in terms of intake, have gone up,” said Executive Director Inger Giuffrida, who started the job in 2019.
Part of the rise is from development, Giuffrida said, which is spurred by Oklahoma’s population growth. Higher temperatures from climate change are also causing some species to move northward. Animals like the black-bellied whistling duck that were historically out of range are expanding into the state, she said.
Primarily, Giuffrida said, the increase is likely due to more people knowing about the 40-year-old organization. The combination has resulted in a higher demand for funding and a push for wildlife awareness.
“A lot of organizations of our size would have already hired fundraising staff and what have you,” she said. “But all of that money has to go into staff to care for all the animals because that keeps increasing. That's kind of the big hurdle we're trying to overcome right now.”
The baby shower’s cash and gift donations amounted to $42,000 for the organization, which has about 12 staff on site each day. WildCare’s operating budget is more than $1.7 million, according to Giuffrida.
WildCare has applied for public dollars, including through the American Rescue Plan Act, but was denied, Giuffrida said. For now, its funding comes from individuals and businesses.
“Every single day, a million animals are killed on our roads,” she said. “Every year, we lose a billion birds crashing into our buildings. We have to be a voice for the intrinsic value of wildlife. They matter because they matter.”
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