Toronto Wildlife Centre Review

I have known Nathalie for over 22 years, even before she opened the Toronto Wildlife Centre.

For as long as I have known her, Nathalie has always had a remarkable passion for helping helpless wild animals and she is extremely talented and highly respected by many. The Toronto Wildlife Centre is a top-notch facility that offers specialized care to over 270 species of wildlife.

My company has delivered numerous sick, injured and orphaned wildlife to her shelter over the years and the care the animals receive is second to none. All of her staff and volunteers are extremely professional, knowledgeable and caring.

Thanks for all you do!

Please consider donating to this more than worthwhile cause.

Brad Gates, Gates Wildlife Control

Amazing staff and volunteers working hard to get orphaned, sick and injured wildlife released. They are not publicly funded and rely heavily on donations of money and the items they use. Check out their website for ways to support this amazing facility!

Amazing people! Amazing service!...Thank you for all your work and dedication. I'm so glad that there is such a well-managed organization taking care of the injured wild animals in Toronto.

I found a sparrow that couldn't fly. I contacted them, they sent out a volunteer to pick it up and drop it off at the centre. They even called me and gave me a reference number so that I could follow up. Unfortunately, the sparrow had to be put to sleep and could not be saved due to its injuries. Nevertheless, as an animal lover, I was completely satisfied with their work knowing that they did the best they could do.

Super lovely to deal with - came within 20 minutes of contacting re: an injured raccoon on our balcony. Both individuals I spoke with were extremely nice and obviously really cared about the well-being of animals. Thank you!

I am shocked by the individual who wrote these ridiculous claims about Lisa Fosco.I was an intern of Lisa s many years ago, after which I stayed on to volunteer under her direction. She did so much more than nurture my love and curiosity of animals and the natural world. She taught me that truly loving wildlife is a selfless and courageous act. She did that by example.

My career is not in wildlife although because of her I am still volunteering with wild animals when I can. My charitable donation funds go to whatever organization she is leading. Last year I gave Toronto Wildlife Center a $1500 donation. I know nothing about the organization except that they were smart enough to hire her so they ve got my support.

Lisa s dedication, passion and encouragement has brightened the lives of hundreds of interns, volunteers and staff over the years. I would participate in any program she was leading. The interns, volunteers and staff at Toronto Wildlife center are lucky to have her. Besides overseeing the wild patients and the people who care for them, Lisa is known for her many years training wildlife people around the world. I have never attended a national level wildlife conference that did not have Lisa as a
highly respected speaker and instructor.

I feel sorry for the person who is unable to appreciate how lucky they are to work with Lisa. She has never misled anyone about the time or dedication it takes to work in wildlife. She is authentic, caring and a true role model.

amazing place, if you are given a chance to help a wild animal in distress what do you do, this group of unpaid guys, and gals will deal with it .

They were so unbelievably helpful and had a ton of knowledge, made me feel I was bringing the young animal to a place that cares

What an incredible group of people, you can tell they care for each and every patient brought to them. This is a no-kill rescue shelter for wild animals, without them the orphaned mallard duckling we found wouldn't have had many options. They even gave us an intake number to check in on the duckling and track the growth and progress until he/she is old enough to be released as an independent adult in the wild.

Shocked to hear that they run solely on donations, they get absolutely NO government funding. I know who my new charity of choice is!

Kind, caring and compassionate individuals. Left a little bird I found injured yesterday, right before the storm. Took it home for the night to shelter it from the storm and this morning handed it to the girls at Downsview location.
Cathy and Alexa, thank you for taking care of this little creature.

So I m going to write this for the Organization and also to overshadow the message below. TWC has helped me help so many orphaned, sick and injured animals throughout the years. So many that I lost count. They have always been compassionate and caring, going above and beyond to help wildlife. As I m writing this I m waiting for a call back about a bird I found this a.m. I m waiting because I know they will call and help the bird. So technically there is nothing negative anyone else can say about a team of volunteers and wonderful doctors who work through donations to save wildlife.

Brought an injured mourning dove here and they are fantastic! Volunteer run and still able to do advanced care for just about any wild animal you might encounter in Toronto including foxes, raptors and coyotes.

Toronto Wildlife Centre is fantastic, I can't say enough about how helpful and caring they were when I brought in a baby squirrel I had found. We are so fortunate to have a facility like this in Toronto. I recommend making a donation to help them with their operating costs as they don't get any public funding.

They were caring but would not take two newborn bunnies as said they were too young and they already had too many bunnies. I am so dissappointed they did not even try to save them but referred me to the Humane Society for Euthanasia. I am so disappointed in them. So sad.

Bring them duckling, 3 days old, and they told me it is too young to accept, because their ducklings are older and they can kill a younger one.In other wildlife centre I was told that they accept all duckling of all ages..so...in my opinion Toronto wildlife centre is not good caring about wildlife and dont give sufficient information about animals they accept, also they dont call me back when I left them a message...

Very nice and knowledge staff. They were all very helpful

We had the most heart warming and reassuring experience and visit with the Toronto Wildlife Center. The staff (especially Sarah and Emily, whom we met upon arrival) are exceptionally kind and caring. They were ever so helpful and welcoming to us from the moment we called until we went to bring the sick squirrel we were trying to help.
I m thankful services like these exist!
Thank you for all that you do to help animals!!!

These guys are doing their best to help critters who are injured coming in contact with people. Awkward to get to, but they accept and do their best to help injured animals heal and go back to the wild. In some cases, animals are too injured and go to sanctuaries instead.

Very caring people who are truly passionate about providing the best care for injured and orphaned wildlife. They are very knowledgeable and do amazing things despite the lack of resources and funding that they have.

Such a great place and awesome staff
I brought an injured baby pegion to them and they took great care of it, and now the bird can eat on his own after they did surgery on it.
This place should and must get support from the government and must expand and open more branches all around Ontario.
And please be so kind make a donation to them to show appreciation

Great place. I have brought a couple of injured wild birds and they have given them the best care.

The TWC has released captured coyotes back into our community. How does releasing predators that kill our pets make sense?

Not much of a help. Found a baby squirrel, brought to the centre, they refused to admit although deemed the baby healthy and active. Was instructed to bring it back where found in hopes to reunite with its mother. Told them that the road is busy and the baby likely to die - still refused to admit. They gave the baby fluids, and a hot water bottle, and also said it is up to me if I want to drive the baby to the Shades of Hope up in Georgina as apparently they are the only centre that can help. Won't even look it up on Inernet if Shades of Hope was still opened... Another option they have suggested was to humanely euthanize the baby. Kept saying it was up to me what I want to do. Unbelievable. Didn't even feed the baby...I kept the baby warm through the night using the heat pad and brought the baby back to where it was found in the morning and left in the box with the hot water bottle as they have instructed...When returned from work and went to check on the baby, the baby was dead... Broke my heart. I am a monthly donor, am going to stop the donations as I don't see a point. Would rather support Shades of Hope that actually is trying to help... Very heartbreaking experience. My learning- if found a helpless baby animal, leave where found, it will have better chances of survival than if brought to the TWC. Extremely disappointing.

We found an orphaned squirrel on the curbside last year, our neighbor helped us to send the poor baby to the wildlife center. We got a call recently, they came back with a big wooden box home installed in our back yard with the healthy and grown squirrel. I was really surprised by the amount of care the staffs provided and amazed by the lovely people there.

An amazing place that provides help and healing for sick and injured wildlife. Staff and volunteers are wonderful and very knowledgeable. Very quick response when you call and leave a message.

It's nice that placed like this exist - it's a shame they're not more of them.
My interaction with the Toronto Wildlife Centre was brief but rewarding.
The staff was friendly and helpful and it was refreshing to see how many ppl were coming in with donations.
Check their website for what someone they are in need of, and maybe you'll be lucky enough to score a lil visitation with the baby animals they currently have under their roof!

We were trying to save a baby robin, so we brought a little birdy there. The stuff is knowledgable, and even though they couldn't take him they suggested a place that would take food care of him. Thank you!!

Outstanding facilities caring for our wildlife. This is the only facility in the entire GTA looking after our Wildlife. This facility is the only one with on-site full-time Wildlife trained veterinarians. If you have a wildlife emergency or a question call and leave a message. Their switchboard is incredibly busy and staffed by volunteers. They will call you back.
These volunteers answer a ridiculous amount of phone calls. To the reviewers who are slagging them off please don't. You have no idea how many calls they take and how much Wildlife they help.
The city of Toronto does not support Toronto wildlife in any way ...there are no grants... nothing. If you care about Wildlife please donate to help they can always use monetary donations medical supplies fresh produce frozen fish Etc. Please visit their website to see their wish list.

I found a baby snapping turtle on a trail. It looked dead but I wasn't sure. It became conscious on my drive to the wildlife center. They accepted it without hesitation and I am assuming took great care of that baby dinosaur.

I'm writing this review because I've had NO help from Toronto Wildlife Centre on TWO separate occasions where my husband and I have tried to save an injured animal. The first was newborn baby squirrel which we found on the ground under a tree in our backyard. The squirrel was alive. We could see no nest in either tree near the squirrel.We called Toronto Wildlife Centre and they told us to care for the squirrel ourselves as they could not accept it.Take it inside and feed it. ??? We had a cat and jobs that would not permit us the look after the animal as they suggested. They then said to call Toronto Animal Services who would take the squirrel from us but not save it. How upsetting is that? Next time was a week ago. We had just returned home and saw an injured female cardinal in our backyard hopping with one wing obviously damaged. We called Toronto Wildlife Centre. Their machine said to leave a detailed message and someone would get back to us within an hour, but we were not to come to the Centre with the bird until they contacted us. We capured the bird and put her in a cardboard box as requested. Then we waited. No return call. Called again. Went online and filled out the form and attached a picture of the injured bird. Waited. Nothing. Checked no the bird. Bird was dead. How extremely upsetting! If we'd taken the bird to the Centre immediately it would have been alive upon receipt and might have survived! Having no one call back was extremely upsetting. What wildlife DOES this Centre help?

Thank you for helping the little king birdie. Glad to help you with a donation. It's worth helping this poor little creature.

Thanks for saving none human animals. The future is vegan

The staff is always nice, very kind and merciful, super helpful. Every time I find a suffering pigeon, they received it with compassion and help the poor bird. A nice lady took there a big rat that she found dragging herself in the middle of the road and the TWC received her and helped her. They are amazing. I have no words to thank them enough. God bless them!

These people here ate AMAZING. They go above. It takes a special person with a heart of gold to do what they do!!!!! I commend you Y'all ROCK!!!!!!!

Had an injured bird we didn t want to get killed. Got fast and friendly service, seems like bird is in good hands. Just be aware that they are rehabilitating an animal and releasing back to wild, so not the best choice for animals presenting danger to other people. If you see something like a bear (!!!) call 911, they are not equipped to deal with large predators.

The Toronto Wildlife Centre has terrific staff! They were very helpful and compassionate when I called about six orphaned raccoon kits that I had found, which they took in.

Didn't answer my detailed message. I needed help. I'll have to go somewhere else unfortunately.

TWC is a wonderful place that does amazing work to help wildlife!

Waited 2 hours for returned call only for the staff member to be rude and offer no helpful advice. Only information provided was that they were unable to take such a young animal and to call 311 or have them put down. Absolutely disappointing.

I am also in disbelief at the individual who posted those horrible reviews about Lisa. I had the exact OPPOSITE experience. Lisa is, by far, one of the most influential people in my career. I started volunteering at the Ohio Wildlife Center back in 2005, completed an internship the summer of 2006, and continued to volunteer the next few years until I got a full-time job as a vet tech. She wrote a letter of recommendation for me for veterinary school. I graduated from Mississippi State College of Veterinary Medicine in 2015 and I'm now completing my first year of my Laboratory Animal Medicine Residency/Primate Fellowship at Emory University. The skills and knowledge she taught me at OWC helped me become the veterinarian I am today. I still contact Lisa when my colleagues or I have questions about wildlife rehabilitation. She is always willing to share her expertise and knowledge. That is what I loved most about working with Lisa. I actually just recommended the Toronto Wildlife Centre to a student intern because I knew Lisa was the director there and she would benefit from meeting Lisa and working with her. As would anyone else!

These people are angels...I found a hurt bird and no other place would help. They took great care of him for two months and called me to release him when he was all better. Such compassionate people it is amazing to see they are a non profit organization and do all of this with without charging people who bring in these injured animals. I wish there were more places/people like this. Thank you so much.

Very well organized. They will follow up with you or you can contact them to have a follow up of how the animal is doing. They release the animal into the same intersection / general area of where they were found so the animal can return to their familiar area and family. The staff are very nice and friendly. I recommend leaving a donation to help contribute to the resources toward helping the development of this service.

Wonderful place, people working there realy care about animals wellbeing. So much going on in one place.

Helpful and pleasant. No waiting once we got there. Also helpful by phone. Call ahead!

These people are sitting to earn money I called them and the phone is on automated machine such a poor job and a bird died because if you guys earn money and die in hell

Amazing people who really care and make a difference for wild animals.

We went to donate some stuff and the staff were very friendly and appreciative.

They were so patient with me and my concerns.Always remain the professionalism and nice attitude while explain everything.They are so kind and active in that busy times .Dont forget to call them before you go .And please don't forget to donate.Thank you for your time and effort.

Amazing place sent from the heavens!! Without them I don't know what we would have done as we found a gossling and they took care of it immediately! Thank you Toronto wild life!

Work there, come see our animals! Nice place to come see how we work to protect and care for hurt, abandoned, and lost animals

Knowledgeable staff and amazing work they are doing there!

They save the animals I rescue and update me on what happened. This place runs purely on donations and volunteers and runs smoother than businesses. On their website is a list of animals they can and can't take and what to do with an animal you've found. Please check their website for information/instructions, leave them a message if you don't have your answer and they will call back soon. I emphasize that this place runs much smoother than any business / for profit I've ever been to.

Went with my mother to bring in an injured owl that we found. They were very helpful, and I like the fact they are open every day. They gave us a card with information to check on the animal if we chose to do so.

Great place with a great mission. Hoping to expand in the near future

We took a baby skunk that we found on the street one day,we think it was orphaned.They were so kind,helpful,and caring.Those people really deserve a metal,and a pat on the back.We thank them so much for the good job they all do there.

The staff were very friendly and informative about wildlife. We brought a injured bird and they attended to him immediately. Unfortunately the bird was unable to be saved but its so heart warming to know that someone cares and is willing to help. I definitely recommend calling them if you find a sick or injured wild animal. Their website also has lots of information available to help you until you can talk to someone.

Wonderful staff doing a wonderful job! They were also gracious enough to give me a tour while I waited for my carrier to be returned to me (which carried a Squrriel I rescued).

As a previous Executive Director of the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council, I am very familiar with the work of the Toronto Wildlife Centre and have nothing but positive experiences with their work in care of wildlife and their dedication to service to the community they serve.

In particular, I have known Lisa Fosco for over 20 years and have observed her as an instructor, a volunteer, a speaker, and the wildlife care leader of more than one wildlife rehabilitation center. Working with her through the IWRC, she was one of our Skills Seminar instructors for many years. She always approached her training with dedication, extensive knowledge of her subject matter and the willingness to teach others. As a speaker at multiple wildlife conferences, she exhibits all of the same traits and is willing to share her knowledge with anyone that wants to learn. She is passionate about her work and the animals that come though her care and is perhaps one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable rehabbers it has been my pleasure to know.

Additionally, I can honestly say I have NEVER seen anyone that is more willing to share her knowledge and expertise with others. While some others may jealously guard their knowledge so as to be seen as an expert in their field, she will help anyone that honestly wants to learn or needs assistance with animal care of any kind in any situation. She may very well be the most honest person it has been my pleasure to know.

As an intern or volunteer working under her supervision, you could not be in better hands!

Great people. I brought a hurt pigeon and they took her in. So glad this place exists.

I found an injured bird in front of my house and contacted the Wildlife Centre. In the past, other centres have told me that they can't do anything to help but this one seemed to really care about the bird.

I took the bird in and was told that they would xray it and see what's wrong and do their best to help it. The office had information about the various local animals and I was able to see them feed baby squirrels through a two way mirror.

This is a great establishment that really helps wildlife.

Terrible, terrible! I brought a 4-weeks skunk and they did not find place for him! They have a lot of place: huge room to present brochures and t-shirts. I had to drive North 100 km to save him. I was not along - same thing happened to people, who brought a little bird.

Absolutely love what they're doing..had a pigeon who wasn't flying in my balcony and took it to the wildlife center. They treated the bird for weeks and released the pigeon in front of my building last week. Guess what I saw the pigeon flying around my balcony again. Such a precious feeling

Brought an injured squirrel from downtown Toronto, they took him in very quickly. Very kind people that volunteer here.

Very kind and caring people. Finding injured animal is not a good experience and gives you a very hard time. You become desperate and hopeless at first but when you get there you feel relieved and everything is promising again.
I took an injured bird there . I can t recall their names to thank them one by one but I want to show my appreciation to all of them through this review

I am a volunteer at Toronto Wildlife Center and this is a wonderful facility full of caring individuals including Lisa. In fact Lisa Fosco is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met. Her level of dedication and commitment is clearly fueled by her love and compassion for wildlife.
Whenever I have the opportunity to spend any time with Lisa during a shift, I feel extremely privileged.
Bravo to Lisa and all the staff at TWC! They clearly do this extremely important job with intellect but more importantly, with love in their hearts.

Thank you for being there and helping rescue wildlife from the perils of man. Hope the little birdie is doing much better. I hope my donation helps. I ask others to donate as well.

I am so grateful that this place exists. I've needed their help many times when I found sick or injured wild animals in the city. Their services are great and they treat the animals with so much care. They provide updates too so you can follow up on what happened to the animal you brought in. Love that they have a hotline that I can call when I find an animal and they get back to me with information on how to handle the situation.

Thankfully there are people as kind and dedicated to helping animals as the staff and volunteers at the Toronto Wildlife Centre. Thank you so much!!

Great place. Nice people. And they save animals. What's not to like!?

In my experience its as good as who you get on the phone at the time, which in my experience is a 40/60 chance. I hope that behind the scenes the animals are not experiencing the same odds.

I have also seen on some sites when you see so many 5 star comments these can be easily made by the organizations own PR team. I say this because I have seen sites that have had a lot of bad reviews and then later on it is saturated with 5 star reviews. So its either they have improved or they are posting their own PR comments incognito.

They have left me questioning the integrity of their management. You have to give at one star in order to post - so for now I am only giving one.

If only the vulnerable voiceless animals could speak.

Thank you to the 40% kind souls I have encountered - and you know where you 60% can go - someone is watching you.

The people that work here are awesome! They took in an abandoned raccoon from us, cared for him and then released him back onto our country property when he and his new "friends" were big and healthy.

I found a baby squirrel and fostered her for a couple of nights till I found out about TWC. I took her to the Centre where they gave her a special number, and kindly let me know I could call later to check on her. They will release her in a group of six squirrels when she s ready. What a wonderful facility. Thank you from me and little Geronima!

It's a safe haven for animals. . . . . however, I wish they would have someone on a late shift everyday for emergencies. . . . they close at six and it is a bit difficult.

Super great staff. Amazing premises. Got a great tour and interaction with the volunteer staff. Dont hesitate to call A.S.A.P for wild animal questions.

Very helpful when encountering injured wildlife in Toronto. I had to call them a few times (injured squirrel, injured oppossum), and they always called back within one hour (during opening hours) to help me figure out what to do. I brought the squirrel to the centre which is a lot more accessible now that Downsview Park station is open. Later on I was able to get an update on the squirrel's fate.
There is a small exhibit and shop showcasing the TWC's work in the building.