All wildlife charities
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African Wildlife Foundation
United States
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Washington, DC
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Animal Welfare
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Blue Ridge Wildlife Center
United States
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Boyce, VA
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Advocacy & Civil Rights
·
California Native Plant Society
United States
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Sacramento, CA
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Environment
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Zoological Society of Cincinnati
United States
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Cincinnati, OH
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Animal Welfare
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Heard Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary Inc
United States
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Mckinney, TX
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Arts & Culture
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Cascades Carnivore Project
United States
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Hood River, OR
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Science & Technology
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Maine Natural History Observatory
United States
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Gouldsboro, ME
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Arts & Culture
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African People & Wildlife Fund Inc
United States
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Far Hills, NJ
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Animal Welfare
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Austin Wildlife Rescue
United States
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Austin, TX
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Animal Welfare
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Cat Action Treasury Inc
United States
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Cape Neddick, ME
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Environment
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Chintimini Wildlife Center
United States
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Corvallis, OR
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Animal Welfare
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Conservation Fisheries Inc
United States
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Knoxville, TN
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Environment
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Conservation Nation
United States
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Washington, DC
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Animal Welfare
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Conservation X Labs Inc
United States
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Washington, DC
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Animal Welfare
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Conserve Wildlife Foundation of New Jersey Inc
United States
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Princeton, NJ
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Animal Welfare
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Council of Contributors Inc
United States
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Wayzata, MN
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Animal Welfare
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Council to Advance Hunting and the
United States
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Washington, DC
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Human Services
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Denver Zoological Foundation Inc
United States
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Denver, CO
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Animal Welfare
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Endangered Species Coalition
United States
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Washington, DC
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Animal Welfare
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The Pegasus Foundation
United States
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Hobe Sound, FL
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Advocacy & Civil Rights
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What is a wildlife charity?
This page lists wildlife charities: organizations that rescue, rehabilitate, and protect wild animals, from local rescue centers to groups working against poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Set the country and size filters above to bring the list down to the organizations you want to compare. The wildlife tag comes from GiveRadar's reading of a charity's name, stated mission, and registry classification, and no organization can opt into it or pay to carry it.
A wildlife charity is a nonprofit set up to keep wild animals alive and in the wild: through rescue and rehabilitation, anti-poaching protection, species recovery programs, or campaigns against the illegal wildlife trade. Some run hands-on facilities such as rescue centers and sanctuaries; others fund fieldwork, run investigations, or lobby for stronger protection laws and never touch an animal at all. Charities focused on pets, farm animals, or captive animal welfare are a related but separate cause, and organizations protecting whole ecosystems often carry the wildlife tag alongside conservation tags. The SDG 15 directory groups many of the same organizations by the UN goal for life on land.
What do wildlife charities do?
Wildlife charities protect wild species through direct animal care, field protection, and pressure on the trade that threatens them. Frequent lines of work:
- Rescue, rehabilitation, and release of injured, orphaned, or confiscated wild animals
- Anti-poaching patrols and equipment, training, and salaries for rangers in protected areas
- Species recovery: population monitoring, reintroduction to former ranges, and protection of nesting and breeding sites
- Fighting the illegal wildlife trade: investigations, support for seizures and prosecutions, and campaigns to reduce demand for wildlife products
- Reducing human-wildlife conflict: predator-proof enclosures, crop protection, and compensation programs for affected communities
- Lifetime sanctuary care for animals that cannot survive in the wild
- Pushing for tougher wildlife protection laws and for the resources to enforce them
How to check a wildlife charity before you donate
Checking a wildlife charity starts with matching its spending to its story: an organization that runs a rescue center, funds rangers, or fights trafficking should show that work in its filings, not just in its photos. Wildlife fundraising leans heavily on appealing animals, so look past the imagery at three things specific to this cause. First, what the money model is: symbolic "adopt an animal" gifts typically fund a program, not one identifiable animal, and a well-run charity says so plainly. Second, for sanctuaries and rescue centers, whether the organization explains what happens to its animals: release where possible, lifetime care where not, and its policy on visitor contact and breeding. Third, geography: many wildlife charities are registered in one country and work in another, so check the registration in the country of registration and look for reporting on the overseas work. You can run any name through the charity checker, and each profile here shows registration details, filings where published, and an integrity assessment: it measures disclosure, not impact or conservation results. Our guide for donors expands each of these checks in detail.
Common questions
What is a wildlife charity?
A wildlife charity is a nonprofit that protects wild animals through rescue and rehabilitation, anti-poaching work, species recovery programs, sanctuary care, or campaigns against the illegal wildlife trade. Some operate hands-on facilities while others fund field protection or advocate for stronger laws. Charities working on pets and farm animals fall under animal welfare, a related but separate cause.
What should I look at before donating to wildlife conservation?
Start by deciding what you want to fund, because rescue centers, anti-poaching programs, and advocacy groups spend money very differently. Then verify the basics: confirm the organization is registered, read how it reports on its animals or field programs, and check its filings and disclosure on its GiveRadar profile. The integrity assessment reflects what an organization discloses, not how effective its conservation work is, so read it alongside the charity's own reporting.
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