When it comes to wild animals in need, Southwest Wildlife knows no boundaries; we have taken in wildlife from across the United States. Over 70% of the thousands of animals that have come to Southwest Wildlife because they were injured, orphaned, or displaced have been released back into the wild-their rightful heritage.

Unfortunately, some animals can never be released. This may be due to the nature or extent of their injuries; some animals from our rehabilitation program have a good quality of life, but are deemed non-releasable by veterinarians. Other sanctuary residents had been kept as pets and were confiscated or given up when they became unmanageable. Some sanctuary residents have come from closing roadside zoos..

Those animals who cannot be released will live out their lives in safety and comfort in our accredited Wildlife Sanctuary. .

Keep the wild in your heart, not in your home. Make no wild creature a pet.

SWREF strongly advocates this principal. Although that baby animal is cuddly and appealing, it eventually grows up into an adult wild animal. Knowing this will ultimately happen, some people with wild or exotic pets attempt to surgically alter the animal in an effort to make them less dangerous or destructive. For example, canine teeth may be pulled or the animal may be de-clawed.

Once an animal is mutilated in such a manner, it can never live successfully in the wild. Many of these animals suffered torturous, inhumane treatment, including abuse and neglect, at the hands of man before being rescued and given a second chance at the lives they deserve in Southwest Wildlife's sanctuary.

Another effect of raising a baby wild or exotic animal is that it will imprint on humans. When an animal has imprinted on a human, it has learned to depend upon humans for food and shelter instead of learning how survive in the wild. It also means that the animal is likely to approach humans in an effort to fulfill its needs instead of learning to avoid humans. A wild animal that approaches humans fearlessly is likely to be perceived as a threat to their safety and be captured or destroyed.


While the majority of animals treated are small or medium mammals, Southwest Wildlife also rehabilitates large mammals such as bears, mountain lions, and wolves. Southwest Wildlife is the only facility in Arizona that is capable of handling and housing large mammals and is, therefore, their only hope for rehabilitation and permanent sanctuary.


Southwest Wildlife is also a vital component of the Mexican Gray Wolf Recovery Plan. Because the Mexican gray wolf is an endangered species, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has developed a recovery plan by which this species is being reintroduced to its native range. Southwest Wildlife serves as a holding facility for the Mexican gray wolves in this plan.