'A Matter of Time': Orphaned Animals in Plano Are Looking for a New Home

There are varying degrees of animal lovers. The most devoted of those dedicate themselves to the rehabilitation and salvation of every creature, including the rabies-carrying varieties. But the average family veterinarian won’t admit the hawk with the broken wing that face-planted into your second-story window. So those with an especially caring streak turn to the North Texas Wildlife Center (NTXWC), which rescues and returns thousands of animals each year out of a residential home in Plano.

Now, however, the nonprofit organization for orphaned animals has less than two months to find a new home or close their doors indefinitely.

On Sunday, the NTXWC took to social media to share bad news: the city of Plano had informed the wildlife center over the weekend that running a business in a residential area was against zoning codes, and they would need to find a new location within 60 days. The shelter has been operating as a nonprofit organization since 2013 and has been helping animals from the home in Plano since 2022.

The center is looking for a new spot as close to its original location as possible. Although it has received offers of free property around Texas, especially to the east, the center is determined to keep its operation in North Texas.

“We're now in a race against the clock to secure a new property that fits city requirements,” the center wrote on its social media. “If we can't find one in time, this will be the end of North Texas Wildlife Center.”

The NTXWC has treated 2,600 animals so far this year, and it’s on track to double the number of animals it treated the year before. No animal is turned away from the center so long as intake is open, and they have permission to treat any animal native to Texas, meaning they can take in anything from the mountain lions of Lake Dallas to the crocs at the bottom of the Trinity River, though the more exotic of our wild animals are likely to be referred to specialists and not lodged at the Plano location.

Intake closes when capacity is hit to preserve the level of care, and the center has had to pause intake more times this year than ever before. They have an average of 500 patients at one time, but not all animals stay in the house at one time, and many are sent to sub-permitted rehabbers across the region.

"This isn't about us. It's about the countless injured, orphaned and displaced wild animals we care for each year, our volunteers who dedicate their time and the community we serve every day,” read the statement.

The center was informed that the increase in foot traffic, which the center's leader viewed as a good thing, is the reason the city cracked down on them.

“We knew we were on their radar,” Rebecca Hamlin, president of the NTXWC, told the Observer. “It was only a matter of time.”

The center was compliant with city permits and had recently renewed its permits and followed up on other procedural items, but it knew that eventually, common problems associated with parking and zoning in residential areas would likely lead to its relocation. Neither the center nor the city said that neighbor complaints were the reason behind the relocation.

Curtis Howard, director of neighborhood services with the city of Plano, echoed their sentiments.

“They do great work, but if we let them run a business out of a home, we have to let everyone do it,” he said.

Howard reiterated that there were no rumors of improper animal treatment at the center, and that Plano does not want to see the center close indefinitely, acknowledging the importance of their work. All animal welfare inspections throughout the years have received near-perfect grades.

Hamlin verified there was no animosity between Plano and the NTXWC, and the center was already fundraising for a relocation by the end of the year before they had even been placed on a timer. If anything, this was the push they needed, but it might accompany some “dark, scary days”, she said.

“I am not going to let this be the end,” she said. “We mimic other cities with similar shelters, and it’s time DFW steps up. They need a resource for these services, and we are ready to be that resource.”