Opossum joeys in a cereal box Photo credit: Kelly Osborn, Wisconsin WildCare

About WWRA

Our Mission

To empower and support Wisconsin's wildlife rehabilitators, aspiring practitioners, volunteers, veterinarians, and enthusiasts by fostering a community dedicated to the ethical care, conservation, and advocacy of the state's diverse wildlife. 

Our Vision

We envision a Wisconsin where injured or orphaned animals receive expert care and support throughout each region, and every wildlife worker has access to professional education, resources, and support to implement best practice management strategies that achieve the most humane and successful outcomes.


Service

  • Collaboration: We believe in the power of collaboration and networking among wildlife rehabilitators, volunteers, veterinarians, and wildlife management agencies to share knowledge, resources, and best practices for the benefit of wildlife and their caregivers, fostering partnerships between communities, organizations, and individuals.
  • Expertise: We promote the highest standards of knowledge and skill in wildlife rehabilitation, ensuring the best possible outcomes for the animals in rehabilitator care.
  • Professional Integrity: We uphold professionalism and ethical excellence in wildlife rehabilitation, promoting standards of care that prioritize the welfare of animals and adhere to legal and ethical guidelines.
  • Education through Service: We serve the Wildlife Rehabilitation Community through offering annual conferences, providing educational resources, workshops, training sessions, listening sessions with wildlife management agencies, virtual roundtables, and resource grants, all aimed at advancing the field of wildlife rehabilitation and supporting our WWRA community in their vital work.
  • Advocacy: We advocate for policies and practices that support wildlife rehabilitation, promote conservation efforts, safeguard habitats, mitigate threats to native species, and raise awareness of the importance of wildlife in Wisconsin's ecosystems. 
  • Respect: We treat all animals and all members of our Community and the Public with dignity, respect, and empathy, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of wildlife rehabilitation and conservation.
  • Preservation: We commit to preserving Wisconsin's rich biodiversity by providing expert care and rehabilitation to injured and orphaned wildlife, ensuring their survival and contribution to healthy ecosystems.

Our History


WWRA was originally organized by eight licensed wildlife rehabilitators in the late 1980s to serve as a means to support and assist Wisconsin wildlife and Wisconsin rehabilitators. On October 21, 1991, WWRA filed for and received the Articles of Incorporation granting 501(c)3 status as a nonprofit organization.

For the past 30+ years WWRA has organized annual conferences and sent out newsletters to the membership on a regular basis to educate, inform, and facilitate networking among the members. WWRA has worked in collaboration with the Minnesota and Iowa state rehabilitation organizations to offer a collaborative tri-state conference and multiple wildlife rehabilitation education and training opportunities

Meet our Board of Directors

Click on the envelope icon near the board member name to contact them.

Kaitlin Wikoff

President

Kaitlin is an Advanced Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator at Wild Instincts in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. She began as an intern in 2017 and has enjoyed working with all Wisconsin species ever since, gaining her advanced license in 2021. She has a BS in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana, and a background in environmental education and zoological museum preparation. Kaitlin joined the WWRA board in 2023, and is also a member of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Advisory Committee.

Join the WWRA Board!

Wildlife rehabilitators are unsung heroes. Compassionate, dedicated, and with a seemingly endless reserve, Help us help Wisconsin rehabilitators - and the volunteers who support them - provide the best possible care.

Terms last three years, with the option to renew. Officer positions are two-year terms. You must be a current member to apply. apply.

Brittni Kaplanek

Secretary

Brittni is the Director of Wildlife Rehabilitation and an Advanced Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator at the Wisconsin Humane Society Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She has been a wildlife rehabilitator since 2016, having been both an intern and volunteer for the organization prior to accepting the wildlife rehabilitator position. Brittni graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a Bachelor’s degree in Conservation and Environmental Science. She enjoys birding with her husband, Eric, and dog, Molly, watching movies, reading and spending time with her family. 


Peggy Popp

Board Member

Peggy is an Advanced Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator with Endangered and Threatened Species Authorization. She has been an independent home-based wildlife rehabilitator since the mid-1980s, focused on orphaned small mammals. The orphans she cares for have been getting increasingly smaller over the years, and since the summer of 2013 when an infant least weasel appeared on her doorstep, she has focused on researching and promoting the best practices for the rehabilitation of mustelids, including mink, our three species of weasels, and fishers. Peggy served as WWRA president from 2022 - 2024.


Cherish Streit

Vice President

Cherish has a basic wildlife rehabilitation license and is a wildlife care supervisor at the Wildlife in Need Center in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. She has worked in wildlife rehab since 2018, working at clinics in Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Oklahoma. She graduated from Iowa State University with Bachelor Degrees in Animal Ecology and Environmental studies. Cherish became a WWRA board member in 2023.


Board Members at the 2024 WWRA Conference

Back Row: Kaitlin Wikoff, Peggy Popp, Cherish Streit

Front Row: Tom Manley, Brittni Kaplanek, Crystal Sharlow-Schaefer, Lori Bankson

Tom Manley

Treasurer & Membership Coordinator

Tom is one of the lead rehabilitators and Board President for Wisconsin WildCare, a collaboration of home-based

wildlife rehabilitators. He is an Advanced Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator and frequent sponsor for new licensees. He

became a WWRA Board Member in 2021.

Tom has a background in healthcare as a registered nurse, certified registered nurse anesthetist, researcher, and educator. In the little spare time he has in between his healthcare career and his passion for wildlife rehab, Tom enjoys reading, traveling, and hanging out with his wife, 6 children and 5 grandchildren!


Lori Bankson

Board Member

Lori is the Curator of Animals at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay, WI. She oversees the captive wildlife animal care program of 200+ permanently injured animals and the wildlife rehabilitation program, R-PAWS, that admits over 6,000 orphaned, injured, and ill wildlife from the public annually, along with the enrichment program and training program for people and animals. She oversees a wonderful staff and many dedicated volunteers and sub permittees on and off site.

She started volunteering in the R-PAWS program at Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in 1996. She graduated from University of Wisconsin—Madison in 1998 and has been on staff with BBWLS ever since. Lori assists with programs, promotions, fundraising, and presentations to help all wildlife enthusiasts, public and staff, the veteran and the novice rehabber, at BBWLS and with WWRA. 

At home, she and her husband Jared raise their own rescued pack: 2 dogs, 2 cats, a Senegal Parrot, and 2 turtles. Lori was WWRA President from 2013-2022, joining the board in 2003, and served on WRAC from 2013-2021, as well as the state chimney swift group, local wildlife advisory groups, and other local organizations.