Tucson Wildlife Center to Hold Feb. 25 Fundraising Benefit
The Tucson Wildlife Center will hold its 12thannual fundraising benefit, “Born to Be Wild,” at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.
This annual benefit raises much-needed funds to support the TWC which was founded in 1998, and is now the only full-service, state-of-the-art wildlife rescue hospital in Southern Arizona.
The cost of care for the animals, including food, medicine, veterinary treatment, and supplies approaches $2,000.00 per day. The center is solely reliant on contributions (or donations) with no federal or state aid. TWC services are available 24/7, 365 days a year, free of charge. In the past few years, all other rehabilitators have closed their doors, so TWC serves all eight counties across Southern Arizona: Pima, Pinal, Gila, Graham, Cochise, Santa Cruz, Greenlee, and Yuma.
TWC’s annual benefit funds one-third of the center’s operating expenses, which provides medical and rehabilitation care for around 4,000 injured, orphaned, and sick wild animals from Tucson and surrounding areas with the goal of returning them back to the wild. Additionally, TWC trained staff offers advice via phone or email to those residents that find an orphaned, sick, or injured wild animal. All options are explored before it is determined that the animal should be brought into the center.
Animals come to TWC for a variety of reasons, including:
• A baby ringtail trapped in construction equipment.
• A coatimundi hit by a car.
• A great horned owl that was poisoned.
• A bobcat kitten found by landscapers.
• Exhausted seabirds blown in on hurricane winds from the Sea of Cortez.
• A red-tailed hawk that suffered an electrical injury on a power pole.
• A raccoon cub left behind in a chimney when his mother was frightened away.
“Our annual benefit is essential to ensure funds for the TWC including the care of the wildlife patients, expansion of care units, medicine, nutrition, and creating and maintaining outdoor rehabilitation enclosures,” said Penny Melchior, chairperson for the fundraising event.
The benefit’s live and silent auction items are some of the best in Tucson, including exciting experiential trips, original art, fine jewelry, gift certificates and a day with a K-9 unit. This year, there is a special naming opportunity for the Raptor Flight Enclosure.
The event begins at 4:30pm with a silent auction, followed by dinner and a live auction at 6:30pm. Tickets for the benefit are $225.00 per person and are available for purchase at https://tucsonwildlife.com.
For donations of auction items, please contact:
Hubert Parker – Development Director
developmentdirector@tucsonwildlife.com
520-290-WILD (9453) x236
