Wildlife Disaster Network

The Wildlife Disaster Network (WDN) is an American organization focusing on aiding wild animals suffering due to natural disasters. It was created in October 2020,^[2] as a partnership between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.^[3] The network is made up of rehabilitation centers, veterinarians, trained animal care volunteers, wildlife biologists and ecologists.^[4]

Wildlife Disaster Network

Abbreviation	WDN
Formation	October 2020; 4 years ago (2020-10)
Focus	Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation
Key people	Jamie Peyton Eric Johnson Deana Clifford Michael Ziccardi
Affiliations	UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center / Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) Wildlife Health Lab (California Department of Fish and Wildlife)[1]
Website	ohi.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/disaster-preparedness-response/wdn

History

The WDN was modelled after the Oiled Wildlife Care Network,^[4] which was started at UC Davis for rescuing birds and other marine animals from oil spills.^[1] It is led by Jamie Peyton, Eric Johnson, Deana Clifford and Michael Ziccardi.^[5]

In 2021, it was one of 29 recipients of a US$1,000,000 grant from the Dave and Cheryl Duffield Foundation to rescue and rehabilitate animals injured by the Caldor Fire.^[6]

Work

The network operates a hotline where they receive calls from people who find injured wild animals.^[7] It then requests authorization from officials to rescue the animals, who after being found are captured and transported to rescue facilities where they receive care for their injuries.^[3]