New Mexico Wildlife Center (NMWC) is proud to have been awarded a $10,000 grant made possible through a Donor-Advised Fund of the Foxwynd Foundation to support and expand the operation of NMWC’s wildlife hospital. Admitting more than 1,000 wildlife patients of 160 different species in 2025, NMWC’s capacity to aid injured, diseased, or orphaned wildlife must expand to meet the increasing need. The Foxwynd Foundation grant provides critical funding to keep the hospital facilities and medical technology up-to-date.

Thanks to a previous Foxwynd Foundation grant, the hospital added a quarantine building in 2024 where they safely receive and monitor patients with confirmed or suspected infectious disease. Since January of 2025, 60 patients have been treated in the isolation building. Matthew Miller, NMWC Executive Director, says, “Building on the success of the quarantine facility project, the 2026 grant supports the creation of an outdoor, aquatic species, pre-release enclosure, the only one of its kind in the state.”

This project has been matched with an additional $48,000 from private foundations, individual donors, and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Share with Wildlife program.

In addition, the grant provides crucial seed money to purchase a hand-held, wireless ultrasound unit. Dr. Ashley Kramer, NMWC’s Veterinarian, says, “We are incredibly excited and grateful to add an ultrasound to our diagnostic toolkit. This equipment will play a vital role in the care and treatment of both our wildlife rehabilitation patients and our resident ambassador animals. Ultrasound is a safe, fast, portable, and low-stress imaging tool that allows us to evaluate internal structures that cannot be adequately assessed with our current x-ray system.”

The grant also supports purchasing everyday necessities that the wildlife hospital depends on including animal food and dietary supplements, diagnostic testing kits, and non-durable medical/surgical supplies.

“Foxwynd Foundation is proud to support New Mexico Wildlife Center’s ongoing efforts to strengthen wildlife rehabilitation through innovation and preparedness,” said Pamela Villagra, Executive Director of the Foxwynd Foundation. “This grant reflects our commitment to ensuring that organizations on the front lines have the tools, facilities, and technology needed to provide timely, compassionate, and life-saving care to vulnerable wildlife across the region.”

About the Foxwynd Foundation
The Foxwynd Foundation acts as a lifeline for communities in need, enhancing access to key pillars of human dignity and potential, including healthcare, housing, and sustainable environmental initiatives. For more information, visit https://FoxwyndFoundation.org.

About New Mexico Wildlife Center
Founded in 1986, New Mexico Wildlife Center (NMWC) has inspired wildlife stewardship for forty years. NMWC is a non-profit organization, operating through the generosity of private and corporate donors and with the support of foundations and granting entities. To learn more, visit https://newmexicowildlifecenter.org/

New Mexico Wildlife Center is pleased to announce an upcoming addition to our hospital facility, thanks to a generous grant from the Foxwynd Foundation.

Wildlife rehabilitators treat all kinds of conditions and injuries, from broken bones to parasites to large-scale outbreaks of disease. Many of our patients arrive with conditions that can be spread to other animals or even to humans. In 2020, a case of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2) was confirmed in New Mexico and has continued to spread among wild rabbits in the Southwest. Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, a bacterial infection that causes eye damage in songbirds, spreads easily when birds come into contact with contaminated objects. Sarcoptic mange, seen in the above photo of a coyote patient that we treated this year, is treatable but can spread between patients without proper precautions. And of course, we remain on alert for the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in not only our avian patients but in mammals as well.

Above: In 2024, this young coyote was admitted to our hospital with a severe case of sarcoptic mange. Mange is treatable but requires strict biosecurity protocols to prevent it from spreading to other mammals. This coyote patient recovered and was released!

NMWC’s hospital team frequently grapples with the challenge of maintaining safe quarantine protocols with limited space. In 2023, we converted a storage shed into a small quarantine space in preparation for the possibility of receiving patients with HPAI, and upgrades were made to that space in 2024. Unfortunately, the current shed is an imperfect solution without adequate climate control, electricity, or running water, making it only minimally useful. However, we are excited to announce that a better solution is in the works!

New Mexico Wildlife Center is the proud recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Foxwynd Foundation, along with a matching amount from a valued donor, that will allow us to purchase a larger and more suitable quarantine building! The new 12’x20’ building will be insulated and climate-controlled to create a safer and more comfortable recovery space for vulnerable patients. It will also have access to electricity and running water, making it easier for our team to work in the space and maintain a high standard of care and sanitation.

Above: Our current quarantine shed will do in a pinch, but we are excited to upgrade to a much more suitable building in the coming months!

The Foxwynd Foundation DAF funded the Foxwynd Foundation’s generous donation to New Mexico Wildlife Center. The Foxwynd Foundation’s mission is to act as a lifeline for communities in need, enhancing access to fundamental pillars of human dignity and potential such as healthcare, housing, and sustainable environmental initiatives. “Supporting animal welfare is a cornerstone of our commitment to environmental sustainability at the Foxwynd Foundation,” said Executive Director Pamela Villagra. “We believe that protecting animals is integral to our mission and are dedicated to initiatives that uphold the welfare and preservation of wildlife and domestic animals alike.” NMWC is grateful to the FoxwyndFoundation for their support of our quarantine building project, and we are excited to build this wonderful new partnership.