And we’re not just talking about snacks.
Every spring and summer, Wildlife Care Association experiences a surge of wildlife patients unlike any other time of year. Our busiest season runs from March through August, when nearly 80% of the animals we care for arrive at our doors. In 2025 alone, 7,442 of our 9,296 patients were admitted between March 1 and September 1. As Sacramento continues to grow, expanding development and habitat loss increasingly force wildlife into dangerous encounters with people, pets, vehicles, and urban infrastructure.
Every day, Wildlife Care Association provides emergency medical care to injured, orphaned, and sick native wildlife throughout the Sacramento region and beyond. Our work helps mitigate the growing human-wildlife conflict, giving thousands of animals a second chance to return to the wild. The need continues to rise each year. In 2026, we are on track to admit more than 10,000 animals, maintaining our position as California’s largest wildlife rehabilitation center by patient volume. So far this year, we have admitted 7,323 patients—a 7.74% increase over the same period last year.
As if things weren’t bananas enough, busy season is also baby season.
Of the patients admitted during the 2025 busy season, approximately 60% were orphaned. Many are opossum joeys whose mothers were struck by vehicles, leaving litters of 13 to 20 babies in need of round-the-clock care. Others are ducklings separated from their families, often stranded in backyard swimming pools with no way out. Tree trimming can unintentionally destroy nests, bringing hundreds of songbird eggs and hatchlings into our care each spring. Countless more animals arrive with life-threatening injuries after encounters with free-roaming cats and dogs, requiring intensive medical treatment and weeks of rehabilitation.
As we look ahead to 2027, our challenge has become even greater. Sacramento County was unable to include Wildlife Care Association in its annual budget, resulting in an $80,000 loss in critical funding. At the very moment our patient numbers continue to climb, we must do even more with fewer resources. Now, more than ever, we rely on the generosity of our community, individual donors, and grant support to continue this lifesaving work.
Our busy season may be bananas, but our mission never changes.
Every donation helps provide food, medicine, specialized care, and a second chance for the hundreds of wild animals depending on us each day. Together, we can ensure they have the opportunity to heal and return to the wild where they belong.
Bananas Season Needs Big Support.
From orphaned opossums to injured songbirds, thousands of wild patients are counting on us right now. Donate Today to power our lifesaving mission.
