Wild Bird Fund is opening its first-ever Brooklyn location

By Brooklyn Magazine Staff

A volunteer-backed center that gives medical attention and rehabilitation services to birds and small mammals is opening its first-ever Brooklyn location.

Wild Bird Fund is opening near Prospect Park in Park Slope later this year. It’s a fitting spot for the non-profit, which takes care of more than 7,500 injured animals annually, beyond various types of birds, including squirrels and even turkeys.

The group will take over the space at 183 Seventh Avenue, formerly a Dashing Divas nail salon, which has an outdoor space that will help them rehabilitate birds. Wild Bird Fund made the announcement on Facebook, linking to a Brownstoner report on their new digs, saying that more details about its capital campaign in the coming weeks.

The 26-year-old organization is primarily funded by donations and 30 “wildlife rehabilitators” that also receive assistance from dozens of volunteers. The center provides X-rays, surgery, medication and even physical therapy to animals that people have brought in.

The original location is in the Upper West Side, nearby Central Park. Rita McMahan, its director, previously told the New York Times that she discovered an injured bird on the side of highway and searched help for it, only to find the city without an appropriate rehab center.

“We’re trying to help make a difference, to at least have some place that kind-hearted New Yorkers can come to bring those animals when they are in distress — and they are very much in distress,” McMahon told the Times.

Now, that kindness is extending to Brooklyn.