Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center

About Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center

Southwest Wildlife Conservation Center, often shortened to SWCC, is a nonprofit wildlife rescue and sanctuary at 27026 N. 156th St in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is not a conventional zoo: it is open to the public by appointment or event reservation only. It is not accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

According to its website, the center rescues Arizona native wild mammals that have lost homes to development or are found injured, orphaned or abandoned, with the goal of rehabilitating them and releasing them healthy and wild back to their natural habitats. Its five core activities are rescue, rehabilitation, release, sanctuary and education. The center states that it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and receives no state or federal funding.

The center's website says it cannot accept birds or rabbits. Its about page says it does not buy, breed, sell or trade animals, and lists a rescue and resource hotline staffed around the clock by trained volunteers and a full-service onsite veterinary hospital.

History

The center's about page says it was established in 1994 on 10 acres northeast of Scottsdale. It credits founder Linda Searles, who, according to the page, was moved by an encounter with an orphaned coyote pup. A local farmer had accidentally run over a den of newborn coyotes, leaving one survivor, and Searles could not find veterinarians willing to treat wild animals.

The orphaned coyote, named Don, became the center's first resident. The page says Don lived 20 years at the sanctuary alongside his mate, Ashley, and served as an educational ambassador.

Exhibits and habitats

Animals at the center are residents of a sanctuary rather than exhibits in a zoo layout. The center provides permanent care for animals that cannot be released back to the wild. Its website names bears and bobcats among its sanctuary animals, and mentions Emma, a bobcat the page describes as having fostered countless orphaned bobcat kittens as her own.

The center's site includes a Mexican gray wolf page, and its about page states that the center participates as a member of the Mexican Wolf Species SAFE Program.

On the Walk with Wildlife Tour, the center says, visitors see sanctuary animals and learn their rescue stories.

Conservation and programs

The center describes a structured path for wild animals in its care: emergency rescue, rehabilitation in its care facilities, release back into natural habitat where possible, and permanent sanctuary for animals that cannot be released. Its website says each animal is given an opportunity to return to the wild as safely and quickly as possible.

Public education is the fifth core activity. The center lists school programs, and its website highlights public events including Breakfast with Bears, the Stewards of the Wild Gala, Happy Howl-O-Ween and Sip and Paint with Wildlife. The center's homepage says it has been ranked the number one thing to do in Scottsdale by Tripadvisor.

Planning your visit

The center states that it is not open to the public without an appointment or an event reservation. As listed on the center's website, visits include these options:

• Walk with Wildlife Tour: a guided tour of up to 2 hours viewing permanent sanctuary animals, with a minimum age of 5.
• Full Moon Rising Tour: a 2-hour evening tour with refreshments after moonrise, which the center says may include hearing Mexican gray wolves.
• Twilight Tours: evening guided tours.
• Family Day: a self-paced option on select Saturdays, intended for families with younger children.

The center says tours are best suited for ages 5 and older, and private tours are required for groups of 10 or more. Reservations are required for all activities, and a full refund is available for cancellations made at least 24 hours before the tour. The center's site advises that the sanctuary entrance is about 1 mile along 156th Street, a dirt road, and that Uber and Lyft do not guarantee service to the location. Tour pricing and availability are on the center's website.