Coming Soon: Renovated Wildlife Care Center at Drumlin Farm
January 22, 2025
Drumlin Farm’s wildlife ambassadors, who are integral to educating sanctuary visitors and students at local schools about the environment, will soon have a new home.
Recently, Mass Audubon staff, volunteers, and project supporters gathered to celebrate the new major renovation of the Wildlife Care Center building by signing the wooden beams that will form the structure of its walls. With their marks of goodwill and ambitious plans, this exciting renovation will support the crucial work of Drumlin Farm’s wildlife and educators for years to come.
Wildlife Ambassadors Bring Nature to Life
Mass Audubon’s wildlife ambassadors come to sanctuaries across the state from wildlife rehabilitation centers. All of the ambassadors are “non-releasable,” meaning their injuries or human-habituated experiences make it so that they can no longer survive in the wild. Now, they serve as educational ambassadors for their species, teaching visitors and students about their complex lives and adaptations.
Drumlin Farm cares for 69 wildlife ambassadors, representing 44 species native to Massachusetts, including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Each year, these ambassadors visit 500 classrooms across the region, creating highly memorable educational experiences for approximately 7,000 children. Often, they provide a student’s first close-up encounter with the natural world.
In addition to the estimated 100,000 annual visitors who flock to Drumlin Farm, 5,000 children visit with their schools on field trips, where they learn about native wildlife from our animals on exhibit.
Caring for Wildlife Takes a Village
Attending to all the animals and their unique needs is a feat requiring expert knowledge, training, and perseverance. Two full-time staff, six part-time and seasonal staff, and 13 volunteers make up the backbone of the team responsible for supporting the health, daily care, feeding, and comfort of the animals. Working with the animals creates a dynamic environment that requires a lot of juggling and adapting to daily surprises.
“To me, the animals are my co-teachers,” says Susannah Elliott, one of Drumlin Farm’s field teachers. “It's gratifying to know that these interspecies connections ripple out to help our audience appreciate and understand nature better, leading to more compassion and care for the natural world.”
Out with the Old, In with the New
The original Wildlife Care building was built in the 1950s as a poultry coop and was then repurposed to hold the wildlife and their care staff. While it served the team well for a long time, the aging building could no longer match the breadth and quality of work being done as Drumlin Farm’s wildlife program has expanded over the years. When demolition of the building began in the fall of 2024, the animals were moved to temporary locations. Meanwhile, construction is well underway.
The upgraded Wildlife Care Center will feature significant improvements, including:
- Enhanced infrastructure, such as better air quality, ventilation, lighting, drainage, and water access.
- New indoor enclosures designed with easy-to-clean surfaces and materials, dedicated spaces for food preparation, a medical clinic, and a quarantine area.
- Refinements to staff workspaces, enhancing functionality and efficiency.
Though not open to the public, the building will also be updated to ensure it fully meets accessibility standards for volunteers and staff.
“The new facility will not only impact the lives and well-being of the animals we take care of daily, but it will also allow us to continue to expand and touch the lives of numerous children and adults,” says Wildlife Care Supervisor Colleen Dougherty.
The animals and their care staff are looking forward to moving into their new home later this spring!
Visit Native Wildlife
While the new Wildlife Care Center is being constructed, visitors can still come out and see all of the resident wildlife at Drumlin Farm as usual. To get a closer look at native Massachusetts wildlife, check out the owls, hawks, fox, and more currently on exhibit.
Note: While some ambassador animals do require special care as a result of their injuries, Drumlin Farm is not a rehabilitation center and does not accept injured wildlife. If you encounter an injured animal, please contact a local wildlife rehabilitator.