Wildlife Rehabilitator

Position Description
As part of the rehabilitation team, wildlife rehabilitators are responsible for a variety of
tasks, including animal care, husbandry, nutrition, and, most importantly, training. This
position reports to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Supervisor and is a member of the Veterinary
Department.
Duties and Responsibilities
I. Animal Care
 Provide excellent rehabilitative care to all animals at the facility, including black
bear cubs and non-releasable ambassadors.
 Daily cleaning and feeding of all animal patients housed at the facility.
 Evaluate patients for release. Monitor animal’s health, attitude, appetite, etc.,
and maintain written records of each animal’s progress. Report evaluations to
veterinarians and participate in daily clinical rounds with veterinary staff to
discuss medical cases.
 Must be able to handle emotional aspects of euthanasia.
 Exercise all flighted raptors daily and record progress in patient record.
 Assist with restraint, examination, diagnostic procedures, and treatment of
animals.
 Admit patients and complete associated records. May also examine and initiate
first aid to patients or new arrivals in the absence of the veterinarian or
technician, within constraints of training and experience.
 Communicate with other permitted rehabilitators in the state to transfer healthy
animals out of the hospital. Arrange for transportation to transfer site as needed.
 In conjunction with veterinary staff, develop and improve rehabilitation protocols
for birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals.
 On a regular basis and in conjunction with the team, re-evaluate protocols and
give input on accepted procedures.
 Maintain high standards of cleanliness in hospital, kitchen, and animal housing
areas.
1800 South Delphine Ave / PO Box 1557 / Waynesboro VA 22980 ● 540.942.9453 ● wildlifecenter.org
II. Training
 Train, supervise, and mentor rehabilitation intern, rehabilitation externs, animal
care volunteers, and community service volunteers. This includes daily oversight
as well as orientation and mid-term and final evaluations of rehabilitation intern
and rehabilitation externs.
 Train and mentor rehabilitation apprentices as needed.
 Develop and lead educational programming for rehabilitation externs and
veterinary and veterinary technician externs.
 Assist in teaching veterinary and veterinary technician interns and externs about
rehabilitation/caregiving protocols.
 Teach developed courses to rehabilitators and volunteers as needed.
 When travel funding permits, submit one abstract per year to speak at a national
conference in person or online. (NWRA, NYSWRC, etc.) Attend the Center’s
annual three Call of the Wild conference and present lectures and workshops
upon request.
III. Other duties
 Daily and seasonal maintenance of enclosures, grounds, perches, etc. Recognize
and correct any maintenance or safety hazards when possible. Report other
problems to the Rehabilitation Supervisor.
 Obtain a personal Virginia Wildlife Rehabilitator permit within one month of start
date. Acquire six hours of continuing education yearly to maintain permit.
Renew permit annually.
 Obtain International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) Certified Wildlife
Rehabilitator (CWR) designation within one year of start date. Acquire two
continuing education units (CEUs) biennially to maintain permit. Renew permit
every two years.
 As a team, coordinate with other rehabilitation staff to ensure daily coverage of
hospital [weekdays, weekends, holidays, and snow days].
 Write at least one article per year for submission to a national wildlife
rehabilitation journal.
 Provide support for the Wildlife Center of Virginia’s annual Call of the Wild
Conference and Gala and Benefit Auction.
 Act as primary on-call for the after-hours phone one to two nights per week, as
needed.
 Assist in creation of a collection of photographs of mammals, reptiles,
amphibians, and birds for classes, workshops and educational/promotional
materials.
 Other duties, responsibilities, and special projects, as requested.
Required Qualifications
 Commitment to wildlife, conservation, and the environment
 Professional appearance and demeanor
 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccine
 Pre-exposure rabies vaccination required. Provide proof of vaccination or adequate
titer within the previous two years of start date.
 Valid driver’s license
 Ability to lift/carry equipment and animals up to 50 pound