Second Chance Wildlife Center Inc

Founded in 1995, Second Chance Wildlife Center is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit facility providing skilled and compassionate emergency treatment and long-term rehabilitative care to injured, ill, and orphaned wildlife with the goal of releasing healthy animals back to their intended roles in nature. We also work to educate the public on how to safely coexist with their wildlife neighbors. Each year, residents, animal services officers, and others bring nearly 3,000 wild animals in need to our door knowing that we care deeply about each one and that we are licensed to operate under permits issued by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under the rules of our permits, we are not open for tours and our patients are not on public display. We have received a proclamation from Montgomery County and the Governor of Maryland for our service.

We rely on responsible and dedicated people who give their time to care for the animals in our facility, and help with a myriad of other equally important tasks. These tasks range from basic facilities cleaning maintenance, to a variety of critical animal care tasks like patient feeding and cage maintenance. We also appreciate volunteers who may be interested in general facilities maintenance like lawn care or gardening. If you are thinking of volunteering with us, we welcome your assistance, but here are a few important things you need to know first:

We invest a great deal of time and effort in training and supporting our volunteers and we seek a long-term commitment from them. With this in mind, we do not accept applicants seeking to earn court-ordered community service hours.

Volunteers must be at least 18-years old.

We ask volunteers for a minimum commitment to work at least one four-hour shift each week. Hours in which volunteers can support us at the Center vary seasonally but are generally 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. year-round, and 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the busy months (March – September). We are open everyday of the week, including holidays.

Volunteering at Second Chance might not be appropriate for people with respiratory illnesses, allergies, immune diseases, or neck or back problems. Potential volunteers may wish to contact their physician before volunteering. They should have a current tetanus vaccination and, for most volunteer roles, should be able to lift 50 pounds.

All volunteers (as well as staff and interns) must follow our safety protocols and animal care procedures; must be able to work under stressful conditions and work as a team member; and must know how to stay organized and multitask in a busy, hectic environment.