Bubo was brought in to a wildlife hospital in Illinois as a nestling. Although raised by professional rehabilitators, Bubo never quite learned how to be a Great Horned Owl. When it came time to release her to the wild, she came back on her own to the only home she had known – one with people. The staff tried once more to return her to the wild, but when she returned a second time and begged for food, they realized she had become imprinted on humans and would never survive on her own. She was transferred to NMWC in 2017, at the age of two years old, to become an Ambassador Animal.

Cinder was found sitting on the ground near the highway off the La Cienega exit along I-25 in the winter of 2018. With the help of the public and NMWC volunteers, she was brought to our Wildlife Hospital. She was emaciated and had injuries to her head and one eye. We think she might have been struck by a vehicle. After some time in our hospital it was determined that she had lost all vision in her left eye as a result of the incident. Unable to successfully hunt and survive in the wild, she became one of our Ambassador Animals.

Photo of Cinder by Max Underwood

Cody hatched in 2018 in Cody, Wyoming. Unfortunately, she fell out of her nest and was discovered by some children who began to throw rocks at her. An adult intervened and rescued Cody, but they did not know where to take her so they attempted to care for her at home. By the time they found a wildlife rehabilitator to care for Cody, the young magpie had become imprinted on humans, making her non-releasable. In the fall of 2018, Cody came to NMWC to be an Ambassador Animal. Cody is very intelligent and talkative, and she’s very good at solving puzzles and learning new behaviors!

Corazón was hatched on April 19, 2018, as part of a breeding project in the eastern United States. She was hand-raised by humans to be an educational ambassador for her species. Corazón, named for her heart-shaped face, came to live at NMWC to fulfill her role as an Ambassador Animal later that same year. Cora quickly became a hit, and her likeness has been captured by several New Mexico artists.

Cricket fell from her nest as nestling after a nearby tree removal operation in Albuquerque. Unable to return her to the nest, local wildlife rehabilitators attempted to raise her to return to the wild. Despite their best efforts, it was determined that Cricket was imprinted on humans. Cricket was transferred to New Mexico Wildlife Center in July 2018 to become an Ambassador Animal.

Dovah (short for Dovahkiin) is a retired falconry bird from California. After moving here with her falconer, Dovah suffered an injury while hunting which limited her ability to continue with the sport and thus could not be released. Since she spent her life helping educate people about falconry and raptor conservation, we knew NMWC would be the perfect place for her to continue her work! She has settled in wonderfully and debuted at our 2021 Open House.

Hopper was a fledgling when he was found with head trauma and an injured eye in the summer of 2016 near Carlsbad, NM. It was suspected that his injuries were caused by a collision with a vehicle, unfortunately a common cause of injury for many raptors. Although Hopper’s head trauma healed, his eye injury is permanent and keeps him from being returned to the wild.

Lefty was hatched in a breeding project in 2008 and has no physical impairments. He came to New Mexico Wildlife Center to be a NMWC Ambassador Animal in spring 2009. Lefty has one white talon on his left foot, which is how he got his name. Harris’s Hawks are unique among New Mexico’s raptors in that they are the only species known to regularly hunt cooperatively!

Before coming to New Mexico Wildlife Center in March 2021, Olivia spent 14 years at Zoo Tampa in Florida, soaring over audiences in their flight show. Olivia has a genetic condition that caused her to be born with a deformed beak. Her top and bottom mandible do not line up straight, and instead have a “scissor beak” alignment. Because of this, her beak has to be maintained by human caretakers every few months, the main reason she is considered non-releasable. Olivia has become used to her new climate here in New Mexico and enjoys spending most days in the sun.

Pancho was found along a roadside in Ojai, California with an injured right wing. Although he was rehabilitated at a center in Ojai, and he can fly pretty well, his wing never healed well enough for him to fly as acrobatically as kestrels do in the wild while hunting. We heard he was looking for a home and brought him here to join our education team. Pancho came to be an NMWC Ambassador Animal in 2017.

In 2005, this snake was brought to New Mexico Wildlife Center from a visitor center in Pilar, NM, where he had become tangled in mesh netting. The netting caused permanent damage to Napoleon’s skin and scales that makes it difficult for him to shed properly. Because of this, he is not releasable. Napoleon is still fanged and has his venom, and he is on permanent display to help teach people how to identify these dangerous but beneficial snakes.

Patches was brought to New Mexico Wildlife Center in July 2017. He was found with multiple punctures to his carapace (top shell) and a fractured tail. The holes suggest he was attacked by a dog or other animal. After the initial intake, he was “patched” by a veterinarian with fiberglass patches and started on medications. The patches gave his shell punctures time to heal while reducing the risk of infection. Patches no longer has his fiberglass patches, but his shell never fully healed, which would leave him vulnerable to predators in the wild. He was unable to be released and became an Ambassador Animal in the fall of 2017.

Pinyon was an education animal at another facility before coming to NMWC in 2022. Her coloring, pattern, and sometimes behavior are good indications of why Bullsnakes can be confused with rattlesnakes! However, Bullsnakes are non-venomous—and are excellent at rodent control.

Sage spent time as an education animal at another facility before coming to NMWC in 2022. Because of her time in human care, she is very used to humans and being handled—in fact, she went to educational programs with us shortly after arriving! As one of the largest types of snakes in North America, she has quite an impact on crowds of children and adults alike.

Juniper was taken from the wild by people as a kit. They kept and fed her for a quite a while (illegally) before turning her in to a local domestic animal shelter when she was 4 months old. Unfortunately, her time with humans made her completely dependent upon people and unable to be returned to the wild. Juniper became an Ambassador Animal in June 2019.

Pepper was a young adult when he was confiscated by New Mexico state officials after being kept illegally as a pet. He was transferred to NMWC to be an Ambassador Animal in the summer of 2019.