After more than a year, the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah reopens

Ogden, Utah – The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah is now operating and taking in new animals more than a year after being forced out of their premises near to Dinosaur Park.

For the first time in more than a year, executive director DaLyn Marthaler answered the phone and asked, “Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, can I help you?”

“We’ve made the impossible possible with our team, our community, our volunteers, and our staff,” she stated.

In order to assist animals in need, such as a crow who visited them when they relocated to their new facility, they opened their temporary office at 332 S. Washington Street in Ogden.

Marthaler clarified, “Bling came into us with this set of zip ties around his legs, which is why he is called Bling.”

The WRCNU learned in March 2023 that Ogden City would not be able to extend their lease at the property where they had been based for 12 years. In order to create space for the Dinosaur Park expansion next door, the city chose to use the property.

Marthaler remarked, “I was a puddle on the floor in a corner for the first three months.”

They would have six more months to vacate if they could demonstrate that they could move into a different building within the allotted 180 days. At that point, they purchased a two-building temporary property in Ogden. To make the transfer easier, they have to stop taking in new animals in May 2023. The neighborhood helped make the new location animal-friendly.

According to Marthaler, “it meant the world to have those people come out and pitch in and contribute financially, whether it was manual labor or dropping us off lunch for the day, whatever it was.”

They are unable to care for as many animals at this temporary facility because it is only one-third the size of their old location. In order to construct a new facility and, ideally, be able to care for the animals that they are unable to care for here, they have bought a plot of property in Harrisville.

“This site cannot accommodate pools or some of the aquatic features we require, so ducks, geese, otters, or beavers will not be allowed. We simply aren’t able to take care of them,” Marthaler said.

The animal is taken to the room that has the proper conditions after passing through a triage intake area.

Accepting animals once more gives sick and injured animals a chance to survive, and it also benefits the people who find them.

Being able to support the animal and offer them a second opportunity is crucial because of the pain they are experiencing for both themselves and the animal, as well as the terrible stress they are under. “I’m ecstatic,” Marthaler added.

On their quest to assist as many animals as they can, this is a significant milestone.