Hawaii Wildlife Center is a dedicated partner of the Department of Land and Natural Resources, rehabilitating some of Hawaii’s most critically endangered species in their state-of-the-art facilities, providing training for response personnel and volunteers, and they are part of our response team in the event of environmental disasters, such as oil spills. The Center also responds to disasters nationwide.

As a partner to the Hawaii and American Samoa Area Committee since 2008, the Center has been an active and productive member of the Wildlife Subcommittee. The Center created protocols for oiled wildlife response, including capture, stabilization, and transport between the Hawaiian Islands. The Center also led discussions on oiled wildlife issues, and moved the Wildlife Subcommittee closer to the development of a permanent oiled wildlife rehabilitation center in the Hawaiian Islands. As a subject matter expert, you participated in the joint Tesoro/U.S. Navy national oil pollution exercise in 2011 and provided valuable input to the recovery of impacted wildlife. 

The HWC plays an essential role in rescue and rehabilitation of native birds and bats in Hawaii, and additionally provides valuable support and leadership to state- and region-wide planning and training for response to natural and manmade disasters. There is no other facility in Hawaii that is able to provide such a high level of care for Hawai‘i's precious native wildlife. The HWC has been a leader in engaging community volunteers in the operation of the center, for everything from helping to provide a clean and sterile facility for sick and injured wildlife, to educating visitors to the center, to private aircraft providing transport of injured birds. 

The Center provides the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuges with assistance in emergency preparedness and response for oils spills and other fuel-related disasters. The Center supports the Refuge System with its expertise in first responder training, as well as providing supplies and equipment needed in the case of disease outbreak. Further support from the Center has come from assistance with the handling and husbandry guidelines for species translocation programs at Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, and holding species in protective care during predator control, as well as consulting with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologists in the field.