Humane society to open care center for wild animals

SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Humane Society held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, March 8 to celebrate the opening of the Pilar & Chuck Bahde Wildlife Center.

The Humane Society expects to use the facility to help rehabilitate roughly 12,000 injured and abandoned animals each year through its Project Wildlife program. Project Wildlife assists thousands of wild animals like squirrels and ducks every year to help them recuperate and, ultimately, survive.

The Wildlife Center will serve as a dedicated home for Project Wildlife's veterinary care staff, featuring multiple habitats designed to reduce stress on injured animals and help them heal faster. The facility is the Humane Society's second to be named after local philanthropists Pilar Bahde and her late husband Chuck, following the Center for Shelter Medicine's opening last November.

"I'm really proud of what my husband brought about because he was really among the very first that committed himself to making it possible,'' she said.

Humane Society President and CEO Gary Weitzman attended the ceremony, along with a handful of state and local officials. The city of San Diego issued a proclamation declaring it "Live in Harmony with Wildlife Day.''

"This is an enormous day,'' Weitzman said. "This is a huge celebration of the opening of the newest wildlife rehabilitation center in the United States and we're so proud to ... finally cut the ribbon and open the door to the public.''