Wildlife Warriors

Plano nonprofit gives injured, orphaned animals a second chance

By Sonia Duggan

A rotating cast of injured or orphaned wildlife — from baby opossums and raccoons to skunks, armadillos, rabbits, squirrels, birds and turtles — are given second chances every day because someone cared enough to act. In turn, one Collin County nonprofit works tirelessly to ensure those animals are rehabilitated and returned to the wild.

North Texas Wildlife Center — a haven for wild animals in crisis — is the embodiment of a grassroots effort that’s grown into one of the region’s most vital wildlife rehabilitation organizations.

Founded in 2013 by Murphy resident Mela Singleton, the center has since evolved from a garage-based endeavor into a full-fledged nonprofit that serves thousands of animals each year.

Like many dedicated volunteers, Board President Rebecca Hamlin’s journey with NTXWC began in 2021 with a single act of compassion and has since led to a calling.

“The joke is I found an opossum, took it to North Texas Wildlife Center and never left,” she said. 

“Rehabbing wildlife is a privilege,” Hamlin added. “It’s expensive and time-consuming, but I’m lucky I can do both. Not many people can say they helped release an opossum or triaged an owl on the weekend.”

After volunteering her first year, Hamlin joined the leadership ranks and, along with co-founders Singleton and Jeniffer Coats, pooled personal savings to purchase a house in Plano when HOA regulations in Murphy threatened to shut down the operation.

“It’s a pretty small, humble house with a generous backyard,” she said. “But it allows us to meet the demand — most of the time.”

As a designated intake center, the Plano facility is the first stop for animals in distress. From there, a network of 50 off-site volunteers — some with ponds, acreage or converted garages — provide continued care until the animals are ready for release.

During peak “baby season,” which stretches across spring and summer, the center averages 35 patients a day. When inclement weather

strikes, Hamlin said intakes can swell to as many as 43 in a single day. In 2025, the intake numbers have soared, with over 2,200 patients since January — up more than 47% from the same time last year.

“More people are having wildlife conflict, more people know about us as an organization and resource, and it seems like more people are compassionate,” she said.

But with just 1,044 square feet of space, the center often must close to the public simply because there’s nowhere to put another animal.

“When we close, it’s not because we don’t have animals — it’s because we’re at capacity,” she said. “Right now, we’re caring for 604 animals across on-site and off-site facilities.”

Calls to the center come in daily — often from people who’ve stumbled across injured wildlife and aren’t sure what to do. Sometimes its children finding a baby squirrel, other times it’s a frightened homeowner confronting an armadillo in the garden.

“We’ve had animals under our care every single day for at least the past four years I’ve been around,” Hamlin said. “This year has been unprecedented — our first otter, burrowing owls, even a Mexican free-tailed bat. We are seeing a shift in the animals that come to us, as far as new species coming in.”

Hamlin said they have a massive binder — affectionately called “the Bible” — that contains more than 1,000 pages of information and care sheets for a variety of species. When additional support is needed, the center works with two vet clinics that offer walk-in privileges and discounted services. Those same veterinarians also make house calls during peak season, typically once or twice a week.

Ten transport volunteers help shuttle animals to off-site rehabbers, often as far as Sherman, Terrell, Tyler or Waco. For federally protected species like eagles and fawns, NTXWC collaborates with specialized rehabbers.

While rescue and rehabilitation are at the heart of NTXWC’s mission, education is its soul.

In the off-season — fall and winter — the organization offers seminars like Scrap the Trap, which educates communities and animal control officers on why trapping and relocating wildlife isn’t effective. Other talks, like What’s at My Feeder? help residents understand and support the birds in their own backyards.

The center also brings its two “educational ambassadors” to schools and public events; Coconut is a white opossum whose light coloring makes him an easy target in nature, and Moon is a descented skunk formerly kept illegally as a pet.

These two ambassadors cannot return to the wild due to disability or vulnerability and have been granted educational display permits by Texas Parks and Wildlife.

Passion, Dreams for Future

Wildlife rehabilitation is expensive, and NTXWC receives no state or federal funding. Hamlin said grants from Texas typically support hunters, not rehabilitators. As a result, 90% of the center’s funding comes from individual donations, primarily through social media.

“We’ll post educational content or stories about wildlife, along with a donate button,” she said.

Hamlin said the organization has no major consistent funding, but many small recurring donors keep the work going — including one couple who donates $1,000 monthly.

The costs quickly add up. Incubators range from $285 to over $1,000. Oxygen concentrators cost hundreds. And a two-week supply of raccoon formula? Nearly $270 — not including shipping.

Because of the center’s limited resources, Hamlin, the co-founders and many board members continue to work full-time jobs. Hamlin often stops by the center at 6 a.m. before heading to her job as a manager in a biomedical device research lab at the University of Texas at Dallas.

“This is kind of a different type of passion project, because it’s really like an ‘always’ job — I’m always coordinating or consulting with the volunteers and the staff at the Wildlife Center.”

At NTXWC, Hamlin shares operational responsibilities with Vice President Lindsay Dreher, who works full time as the center manager. Additionally, volunteers — both on- and off-site — assist with daily operations.

“Our staff members supervise our volunteers at each shift,” Hamlin said. “We have a volunteer coordinator that helps with onboarding and scheduling. It’s a lot of work, and it’s all hands on deck for many of the things happening at the center.”

Hamlin said the center’s biggest need is a larger, publicly accessible facility — one that can accommodate more animals and allow visitors and donors to see the work firsthand.

“A bigger facility would help us kind of level up and be like these other major cities that have wildlife centers,” she said. “There’s one in Austin that took in 1,600 animals in one month.”

A new facility would allow for on-site veterinary care, expanded educational programming and safe, climate-controlled enclosures. It would also provide space for more volunteers, more animals and greater impact.

Until then, NTXWC remains in its small house, doing big things.

“We’re so thankful that the community has even allowed us to exist for this long. Because when they say it takes a village—there’s so many components to our village that everyone at this point is just so critical,” Hamlin said. “Whether you donate $5 or $5,000 — it all means so much to us, and we’re just super appreciative of that.”

Visit ntxwildlife.org to donate Call 469-901-9453

Or Email [email protected]