Operation WildLife, Inc (OWL)

Basic Information

Address: 23375 Guthrie Rd, Linwood, KS 66052
Phone Number: 785-542-3625
Fax Number: 785-542-5114
Director: Diane Johnson, RVT

Action Shots

Operation WildLife, Inc (OWL)
Operation WildLife, Inc (OWL)
Operation WildLife, Inc (OWL)
Operation WildLife, Inc (OWL)

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Additional Information

Causes Served: wildlife rehabilitation, outreach public education, coexisting with wildlife, natural history
Clearances Required: Yes
Background Check: Yes
Population Served: Northeast Kansas & Northwest Missouri
Ages for Volunteer: 14 w/ parent ~ 16 & up
Hours of Service: 7 days a week, 365 days a year
Minimum Hours Required: 4-8
Days of Service: Monday ~ Sunday
Mission Statement:

Advocates for wildlife ... providing professional rehabilitation services for injured and orphaned wild animals, and wildlife education for the citizens of northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri

Philosophy/Belief Statement:

We do this because it is an honor and a privilege to get this close to animals as exquisite as these ~ we have a responsibility as human beings to provide stewardship & care. They have no one - no owners to care for them, to pay their vet bills, to provide food for them. They are wild, scared and defensive because when they look at us they see a predator...someone that eats or injures them. It is back breaking, heart breaking and soul wrenching to say the least. If we turn our backs we have let them down; not ourselves.

Program History:

Founded in 1989. OWL is the largest publically funded wildlife clinic in Kansas. OWL covers 9 KS counties or approximately 4500 square miles. Each year we care for 4,000-5,000 orphaned, injured & displaced wild animals. OWL also provides outreach educational programs to approximately 125,000-250,000 people annually. We emphasize the special challenges faced by wild animals today, offering suggestions to foster peaceful coexistence between wild animals and people.

Additional Information:

OWL is staffed by two full time & 125 volunteers.  Our volunteers are the heart of our organization.  We are funded by donations, memberships, a few small grants & the educational fees generated by our outreach programs.  Our official IRS status is a 501(c)(3) & 509 (a)(1) organization.  Our FEIN # is 48-1078633

We have two facilities ~ a receiving center located at 11218 W 75th St in Shawnee, KS as well as a 4,000 sq foot veterinary clinic located in Linwood, KS.   The receiving center acts an intake center for animals received from the Kansas City metropolitan area.  The majority of the veterinary care the animals receive takes place at our main facility located in Linwood, KS.  The main facility is not open to the public.