Injured Cape Cod wildlife get reprieve as rehab center stays open until March

Through a last-minute partnership between the Humane Society of the United States and The Pegasus Foundation, the Cape Wildlife Center will not close on Nov. 18 as previously announced.

The Barnstable-based facility will remain open in a limited capacity until March 1 to offer emergency and rehabilitation treatment to animals in need, the HSUS and Pegasus Foundation announced Friday. The foundation is an animal-welfare-focused charity partially supported by advocate and philanthropist Barbara Birdsey.

The extension will also allow the center and other agencies to develop a long-term plan to continue servicing Cape animals.

“We’ve always believed in the extraordinary work of the center, but just haven’t been able to get enough people to invest in this life-saving work. Maybe that changes starting today,” Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the HSUS, said in a statement.

Pacelle said the center’s operations budget is between $700,000-$750,000 and it receives about $100,000 in donations, the Cape Cod Times reported.

The Cape Wildlife Center treats around 1,500 animals, ranging from birds and fowl to otters and foxes, each year and is the only wildlife rehab center on the Cape. Wild Care in Eastham treats small animals and birds.