Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn

Have your kids ever asked you what happens to the animals who live in the wild when they become sick or get injured? If you live near Glen Ellyn, IL, you can tell them that many sick or injured animals are taken to Willowbrook Wildlife Center!

Willowbrook Wildlife Center, which is located at 525 S. Park Boulevard in Glen Ellyn, is an animal refuge. Animals from around DuPage, and other places in Illinois, come here to be rehabilitated. When an animal is brought to Willowbrook, the first goal is always to help the animal recover enough to be released into the wild. Usually sick or injured animal will be cared for indoors by staff members, and later moved to an outtdoor cage as a sort of halfway point towards being released. If the animal is deemed able to survive in nature, it is eventually released in an area where employees feel it will have the best chances.

Sometimes, though, an animal is not able to recover well enough to survive in the wild. One example of this is the fox whose leg was so badly severed that it had to be amputated. Although the fox can get around very well with three legs, he would not be able to survive in the wild as well as other foxes. Another example is two raccoons who were illegally kept as pets when they were babies. They became so domesticated that, by the time they came to Willowbrook, they were too dependent on humans to survive on their own. In cases like this, the animal is able to find a permanent home at Willowbrook.

Visitors can see the animals who live at Willowbrook, and those that are there in recovery. Often, staff members and volunteers will be around to formally introduce animals to humans. For instance, a staff member will have a falcon perched on her arm as she walks along the path.

The area where the animals live is paved, but for the more adventurous visitors, there are also hiking trails that can be explored.

Kids will especially enjoy the butterfly garden, which is a brick path surrounded by the types of flowers that attract the most butterflies. There is also a small pond filled with goldfish, and a waterfall, that makes a relaxing place to rest.

Inside the nature center, visitors can find even more animals, including a few pets that can be taken out and interacted with. There are also educational, nature-themed toys and puzzles, and a quiet reading corner inside a fake hollowed-out tree. '

So, if you're an animal and nature lover who lives near Glen Ellyn, IL, be sure to stop by Willowbrook Wildlife Center!